Honey Bees

Although bees are thought of primarily as a honey producer with an economic value of at least £16 million,  the value of the honey bee to the horticultural and agricultural industries in terms of its ability as a pollinator is nearer £200 million*.  So, in the summer of 2010, we decided to 'do our bit for mankind' and ventured into the world of bee keeping.  A  small nucleus of about 20,000 bees was purchased in the August and installed in their new hive in a quiet secluded sheltered part of one of our meadows. Hopefully next year we will be able to produce about 40-50lb of honey for sale at the gate.

                             Busy bees                                                                               Arriving back at the hive entrance                                                             

   * Statistics produced by the Crop Protection Association