Alan began beekeeping in the Loire Valley in France, where he lived and worked for 23 years. His apiary there was the target of heavy predation by Asian Hornets. He moved to England in 2020 and now manages 20 colonies and breeds queens in 3 apiaries in Hampshire. He serves as Hampshire Beekeepers Association Asian Hornet Coordinator and is the author of the Hampshire AH Contingency Plan. Alan writes regular blogs and articles, and gives talks around the country on Beekeeping, the Asian Hornet, the Wines of the Loire Valley, and the 1982 Falklands War. He is blissfully married to the disability advocate, speaker, author and blind baker Penny Melville-Brown OBE.
