Young environmentalists were buzzing after learning about honey bees during the latest session of the Wimbledon Common Nature Club.

Wimbledon beekeeper Alison Pelikan was on hand earlier this month to show the group of eight to 14-year-olds how to put a beehive together and how honey is made.

The children then tried their hand at operating a smoker, which makes the bees sleepy so they could look inside the hive. They even used the beeswax to make candles to take home.

Club leader Auriel Glanville said: “Hopefully the session will have encouraged some of the youngsters to become beekeepers in the future and so help our bee population to survive and pollinate.”

• Find out about more local green groups at greenguardian.co.uk