Little did Tony know that just one sting would leave him struggling for breath and needing an adrenaline shot by paramedics, but that’s what happened two years ago. He was taken by surprise, as he had never had such an adverse reaction when stung previously. "It's almost like going from being absolutely perfectly healthy, to be in the middle of a really, really bad flu in minutes,” he said. "Without the adrenaline shot, I could possibly have died." Tony was given an EpiPen to keep at home after being rushed to the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

The couple had a heart to heart conversation about whether they should give up the bees but decided to persevere, with Tony helping with the things that are away from the bees, getting the honey off and sorting the frames. "I tend to not get too close now, when Sharon does the inspections, but if she needs help I'll go and help her," he added. In October 2025 he was back in hospital after being stung in the neck.

The Anaphylaxis UK, charity says that 1% of the British population have an allergy to bee stings, so Tony is very unlucky to be one of them. When there is a severe reaction it causes the immune system to release a flood of chemicals that can cause airways to close and a drop in blood pressure due to shock.

In addition to keeping his distance, Tony has taken to additional precautions such as wearing extra protective gear and reducing the number of hives to three. In addition he is set to take part in a three-year venom immunotherapy course, which will aim to desensitise his reaction to bee stings. This will involve increasingly strong doses of venom in a bid to change the way his immune system responds. The exact way the therapy works is not fully understood, but it is thought that it might change the type of immune system cells and proteins made in response to the allergen.

The Great Bee Theft

Theirs isn’t the only Groby bee story. Back in 2020 Peter Clarke, from Newbold Verdon, was called to a house to deal with bees after a woman who had bought it contacted him for help after "thousands upon thousands" of dead bees were found inside the property. He found an estimated 160,000 bees behind a bricked-up fireplace in a 15ft chimney. Although most of the bees were moved using an adapted vacuum, the queen needed to be moved separately so the hive stayed functional. He took around 130,000 bees to woodland on a private farm, but the next day discovered they had been taken, leaving him with a financial loss of around £2000 as he had not charged for the removal. On top of the financial loss he estimated he had been stung more than 100 times in the process.

Groby’s Beeboles

But with a rural village with a history like Groby’s it would be surprising if previous generations hadn’t enjoyed the benefits bees bring, both in terms of pollination and honey. And there is evidence that bees were kept locally hundreds of years ago. The physical evidence comes in the form of bee boles, not a term many will be familiar with.

A bee bole is a recess in a wall large enough to accommodate a skep, a traditional, bell-shaped, or flat-topped beehive woven from straw, grass, or wicker, used for centuries to house honeybees. Bees treat it like a hollow tree cavity, entering through a small, low-side hole, constructing vertical combs attached to the straw walls, and sometimes to interior sticks. Skeps provide superior insulation and warmth for the colony compared to modern wooden hives as they are typically woven from straw or wicker.

Sets of bee boles that have been identified are recorded in the IBRA Bee Boles Register. More than 1,600 sites are included and the Groby site in the photo, which is on private land, is believed to be around 200 years old.

PHOTO  

The ecological consequences of Covid 19 on the urban fringe

August 2021    When Groby Spotlight readers were asked if anything had been good in 2020, the rediscovery of the village and the surrounding countryside was a common theme in the responses. “I have loved walking through Martinshaw Woods, the Burroughs and to Groby Pool and Bradgate Park this year and seeing all the wildflowers and birds,” said one. Rediscovering Martinshaw woods, and all the different pathways, observing the seasons through a field of wheat, said another.

Walking, particularly to Groby Pool and beyond, the arrival of Spring, the bluebells, and the nesting swans were enjoyed by many. “Feeling incredibly lucky to live here,” was one response, “including seeing things every day that made me go WOW - new areas of gorgeous countryside that I wasn't aware of, and even small things such as colonies of toadstools and frosted spider webs.”

The lockdown resulted in an 82% reduction in public transport in the first month, and overall traffic dropped by up to 81%. The reduction in activity quickly resulted in air quality improvements and carbon dioxide emissions recorded at the BT tower in central London dropped by 60%.

More people were outside and reporting animal sitings. Compared to 2019, during lockdown users of the website iRecord saw 66% more bees, wasps, ants and sawflies. They saw 33% more squirrels and other rodents, 13% more deer and hooved mammals. People reported 143% more bats, 11% more dragonflies, 97% more butterflies and moths and 18% more hedgehogs, moles and shrews.

The British Trust for Ornithology had twenty times as many people sign up for their Garden BirdWatch scheme as the previous five years, with new participants jumping to nearly 9,000.

The decline in biodiversity

This increased in awareness of the natural world came at a time when the UK was described as one of the most nature-depleted countries in Europe. Extensive agricultural lands and road networks, and other factors, have reduced our wildlife. An analysis looking into how much biodiversity is left in different countries has shown that the UK has some of the lowest amounts of biodiversity remaining.

“Before the Industrial Revolution, forests covered much more of the UK ,” said Josh Davis at the Natural History Museum. “Large areas of wilderness were home to animals and plants which are now a rare sight, or gone completely. Red squirrels, beavers, wolves and bears were once common in the British Isles.” According to the RSPB, more than 40 million birds have disappeared from the UK's skies since 1970.

“The Industrial Revolution changed the landscape forever,” said Dr Andy Purvis at the Museum. “We have led the world in degrading the natural environment. The UK only has half of its natural biodiversity left. When compared to the European Union, only Ireland and Malta come out worse, and the UK is in the bottom 10% of all countries globally.

While countries such as Canada and Finland have 89.3 and 88.6% of their biodiversity left intact, the UK only has 50.3% remaining. Although the 50% we have left did help people get through the lockdown, was there a downside?

Conservation work stalled

Last year the Guardian reported that conservationists warned of “desperate times” with an explosion in invasive non-native species during prolific spring growth, and the deterioration of rare and historic wildlife meadows that could take years to restore. The potential loss of species from some areas, was another threat due to stalled projects, said the Wildlife Trusts.

Invasive bracken control on reserves stopped and annual “balsam bashing” events were halted. In Wales five years of intensive work to clear brambles and scrub from two historic wildflower meadows was at risk. A spokesperson said: “If no management is continued then very quickly, within 12 months, we will see scrub and brambles taking over once again and a decline of wildlife.”

Managed grazing by livestock can benefit heathland, creating a mosaic of differing habitats, but precious heathland in Surrey reserves couldn’t be grazed. Without that complexity various creatures will be put at risk, including birds such as the nightjar and woodlark, and reptiles including smooth snakes and sand lizards.

These are a few examples of how lockdown obstructed conservation work. But in addition, greater public use created its own problems. One farmer said there had been a tenfold increase in walkers, while another had seen a 1.5m path widen to 11m across. In some cases crops were being damaged by walkers avoiding mud. Buckinghamshire farmer Daniel Hares said the busiest footpath on his farm widened dramatically, and he had lost the wheat equivalent of 9,000 loaves of bread worth about £1,000.

Groby ecologically diverse

Our parish is considered by some to be the most ecologically diverse in Leicester and Rutland, and perhaps the Midlands. Groby Pool and Sheet Hedges Wood, just over the parish boundary, are both Sites of Special Scientific Interest. We have more woods and spinneys than most and we have Groby Pool, a remarkable habitat where otters have been seen recently. The quarries are considered extraordinary habitats, and the first Peregrine falcons to nest in the County nested there. We have meadows, the fishing lakes and extraordinary flowers - Naturespot.org.uk lists 596 different species seen in the parish.

Such assets are particularly vulnerable when they are located on the urban fringe and can be easily damaged or even eliminated by visitors on foot or cycle.

    • Dry spells bring the risk of fire damage, and after a number of incidents the Woodland Trust has appealed for visitors not to light fires.

    • At Groby Pool efforts have been made by the Borough Council to reduce the litter problem, but bins have been vandalised.

    • In local woods the use of cycles has caused some concern and Leicestershire County Council has had  reports of mountain bikes using Sheet Hedges Wood. “Our rangers undertake regular patrols there and have added extra signage in recent months to remind people that the woods are not suitable for visitors on cycles,” said a spokesperson.

All this reflects the fact that the challenges facing conservationists seeking to stop further biodiversity losses are not new, but the increased activity resulting from lockdown has exacerbated the problems.

Interested in Groby’s plants?

After years of research Groby botanist Edith Hesselgreaves published her Flora of Groby Parish, Martinshaw Wood and Sheet Hedges in 1973. It is probably the definitive guide and can be read online thanks to the work of Stephen Woodward, who has continued the discussion with an article in the Autumn 2019 edition of the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society. Googling flora fauna groby will return links to them both.