Bradford beekeepers have turned a disused bowling green and its hut into a state-of-the-art apiary and will officially open it next month.

The opening ceremony on Thursday, May 16, at the Old Bowling Green in Knowles Park, Dudley Hill, comes almost three years after Bradford Beekeepers’ Association buzzed back into life after a 20-year gap.

Membership now stands at 70, with the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Dale Smith, as its patron.

Guests at the opening will have the opportunity to look inside the new bee enclosure behind an 8ft-high bee-proof fence and inspect a colony of bees in the hive.

Plans for the ceremony come weeks after 60,000 bees died after vandals attacked the apiary for a third time. Beekeepers were devastated to discover some of their hives had been pushed over and lids removed, causing the bees to freeze to death. It followed a similar attack in August last year which resulted in the loss of 10,000 bees.

Undeterred, the association is celebrating the opening of its new home at the halfway stage of its five-year target.

The apiary will also be used as a teaching centre for beginners to bee- keeping and a place for schools to visit.

Trevor Smith, of Bradford Beekeepers’ Association, said interest in encouraging more bees across the district was growing. However, there is concern that money earmarked for education packages for schools might have to be diverted into stepping up security.

“We are going to have to talk about ways we can counteract vandalism. One idea is to keep bringing the community in, especially young people, so they can see what we do and appreciate it,” he said.