Five year old Archie Cridland, from Guildford, Surrey has become Britain's youngest certified beekeeper.

Little Archie keeps a colony of 60,000 bees, despite apparently being stung by one at the age of two.

Archie received his British Beekeeping Association (BBKA)'s Junior Certificate in Apiculture last month. To qualify, he was required to submit a portfolio of three months' work, and a diary, to an external examiner.

Archie's grandmother, Lorraine Ragosa-Rout, is one of the directors of Surrey Bees Training, set up in 2013 to provide training to new and existing beekeepers.

Lorraine said: "This was quite a task for someone who is just starting to read and write.

"To learn the BBKA syllabus meant a lot of repeating topics but like a sponge he sucked it all in. I'm so proud of him for learning so much and passing exam, but also how he cares about the environment and supporting the bees."

When asked about his passion for beekeeping Archie said: "They're important because they pollinate. They pollinate our trees, food and crops.

"We do microscopy and I like to look at bees close up under the microscope."