12: The Man who Smokes Bees and Folds Hedges - Phil Lewis

Phil Lewis is a hedgelayer, market gardener, beekeeper, scyther and much more, who straddles the border of England and North Wales. As darkness fell in the woods, we sat around a campfire with mugs of tea and good spirits as we discussed the importance of hedges and hedgelaying for the health of trees and support of local ecosystems and wild food networks.

Phil is also a beekeeper, or rather - he works in contract with bees. We talk about the pros and cons of Himalayan Balsam for pollinators and drift into the world of meadow management and why taking a hay cut is important for biodiverse grassland. 



Links

- Support the Wild Food People podcast on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/wildfoodpeople
- Attend a course with Wild Food People - https://wildfoodpeople.co.uk/courses
- Phil on Instagram @smithy_farm_
- National Hedgelaying Society - https://www.hedgelaying.org.uk/
- Wild Food People on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook - @wildfoodpeople

- Get in touch with us - https://wildfoodpeople.co.uk/contact-us/
- Richard on Instagram and Twitter - @richprideaux
- Amy on Instagram and Twitter - @agreenoutdoors