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Spring 2026 Newsletter

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:46:14 GMT

Cymraeg isod

Throughout the spring and summer we will be delivering free half-day hive-side training sessions for intermediate level beekeepers on behalf of the Animal and Plant Health Agency. If you have kept bees for a few years or had several colonies for one year, your are eligible to attend. We are looking forward to deliver the first of many sessions next Saturday. All April courses are now full but you can reserve places on courses from May onwards. The training will cover, apiary hygiene and biosecurity, disease recognition, varroa counting, reducing winter losses and more.

Are you thinking about becoming a beekeeper in 2026?

Anglesey Bees is the leading independent beekeeping training provider in Wales. Just read our reviews!

We are experienced teachers, not just beekeeping enthusiasts. Attendees on our 2-day beginner courses are restricted to 4, so that you gain individual attention and make rapid progress. With calm bees and hives under cover, we rarely have to cancel courses due to adverse weather. On completing your 2-day beginner course, you will be ready to start your journey into beekeeping with on-going support from us via our whatsapp group. Beginner courses, available every month till the end of August, are bookable through our on-line shop .

Do you love bees and nature and would like a unique experience?

Then join us on an unique beekeeping experience! These range from a bucket-list ticking "Beekeeper for a day experience" , a half-day "Bee Curious Experience" or an affordable 90 minute "Meet the Bees Experience". We routinely take accompanied children from 8yrs and can provide exclusive bespoke experiences for larger groups or family groups with younger children. Beekeeping experiences make marvellous gifts and we can provide gift vouchers for them.

Buy our Great Taste Award-Winning Anglesey Wild-flower Honey

We now have a small on-site shop where you can taste and buy our Spring and Summer wild-flower honey. We do not have regular opening hours, so please check to see if we are open before calling. (07816 188573) Alternatively you can buy honey, wax and reserve a place on a beekeeping experience or training course at our on-line shop . We also regularly have a stall at Fron Goch Garden Centre, Caernarfon on Saturday and Sunday towards the start or end of each month. We are there next on 2&3 May. Our honey is also stocked at Anglesey Fine Foods, Valley, Glandwr Butcher, Benllech, Island Cove Cafe, Benllech and Cadnant Hidden Gardens, Porthaethwy.

Trwy'r gwanwyn a'r haf byddwn yn darparu sesiynau hyfforddiant ger y cwch sydd am ddim ar gyfer gwenynwyr lefel canolradd ar ran Asiantaeth Iechyd Anifeiliaid a Phlanhigion. Os ydych wedi cadw gwenyn am ychydig flynyddoedd neu wedi cael sawl cwch am un flwyddyn, rydych yn gymwys i fod yn bresennol. Rydyn ni'n edrych ymlaen at ddarparu'r sesiwn gyntaf o sawl sesiwn ddydd Sadwrn nesaf. Mae'r holl gyrsiau ym mis Ebrill erbyn hyn yn llawn ond gallwch archebu lle ar gyrsiau o fis Fai ymlaen. Bydd y hyfforddiant yn cwmpasu hylendid yn y wenynfa a bioddiogelwch, adnabod afiechydon, cyfrif varroa, lleihau colledion gaeaf a mwy.

Meddwl am ddechrau cadw gwenyn yn 2026?

Gwenyn Môn yw'r darparwr hyfforddiant a phrofiadau cadw gwenyn annibynnol mwyaf blaellaw yng Nghymru. Darllenwch ein hadolygiadau! Rydym yn athrawon profiadol, yn ogystal a bod yn frwdfrydig am y gwenyn. Caiff cyfranogwyr ar ein cyrsiau deuddydd i dechreuwyr yn eu cyfyngu i 4 o ran nifer, fel y gallant dderbyn sylw unigol a gwneud cynnydd cyflym. Gyda gwenyn tawel a chychod o dan gysgod, prin y bydd angen i ni ganslo cyrsiau oherwydd tywydd gwael. Ar gwblhau eich cwrs deuddydd i ddechreuwr, byddwch yn barod i ddechrau eich taith i fel gwenynwr gyda chefnogaeth barhaus gennym ni drwy ein grŵp whatsapp. Gallwch archebu lle ar y cyrsiau i ddechreuwyr drwy ein siop ar-lein ac mae argaeledd bob mis tan ddiwedd Awst.

Ydych chi'n caru gwenyn a byd natur ac yn hoffi cael profiad unigryw?

Yna ymunwch â ni am brofiad cadw gwenyn unigryw! Mae'r rhain yn cynnwys profiad 'Gwenynwr am y diwrnod' i'r rhai sy'n hoffi gwirio'r rhestr bwced; profiad hanner diwrnod 'Cael Blas ar Gadw Gwenyn'; neu brofiad 90 munud fforddiadwy 'Cwrdd a'r gwenyn'. Fel arfer, rydym yn cymryd plant 8 oed neu hyn a gallwn ddarparu profiadau unigryw wedi'u teilwra i grwpiau mwy neu grwpiau teulu gyda phlant iau. Mae profiadau cadw gwenyn yn anrhegion rhyfeddol ac rydym yn gallu darparu tocynnau anrheg ar eu cyfer.

Prynwch ein mêl arobryn o flodau Gwyllt Ynys Môn

Erbyn hyn mae ganddom siop fechan ar y safle be gallwch flasu a phrynu ein mêl o flodau gwyllt y Gwanwyn a'r Haf. Nid oes gennym oriau agor rheolaidd, felly gwiriwch os ydym ar agor cyn galw heibio. (07816 188573) Fel arall gallwch brynu mêl, cwyr a sicrhau lle ar brofiad neu gwrs hyfforddiant drwy ein siop ar-lein . Mae gennym stondin yn rheolaidd hefyd yng Nghanolfan Carddio Fron Goch, Caernarfon ar ddydd Sadwrn a dydd Sul tua dechrau neu ddiwedd pob mis. Byddwn yna nesa ar 2&3 Mai. Mae ein mêl hefyd ar gael yn Anglesey Fine Foods, Valley, Cigydd Glandwr, Benllech, Island Cove Cafe, Benllech a Gerddi Cudd Cadnant, Porthaethwy.

Winter 2026 Newsletter

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 14:11:27 GMT

Cymraeg isod

Hive-Side Training

The Government's Animal and Plant Health Agency is funding free hive-side training for intermediate beekeepers. The Bee Farmers Association have been contracted to deliver this training. As a member of the Bee Farmers Association, Anglesey Bees have been chosen to deliver this training in north Wales. These free half-day training sessions cover focused hive inspections; apiary and hive hygiene; and disease, parasite and predator detection.

click here to book your place on a hive-side training session with Anglesey Bees

Be a better beekeeper

After attending a free hive-side training morning at Anglesey Bees, stay on for a " be a better beekeeper " afternoon course.

The focus will be on:-

Understand how to react to the appearance of queen cells
Swarm prevention strategies
Switching off the swarming impulse
Dealing with queenless colonies and drone-laying queens
Raising queens and producing nucs on a small scale

Click here to find out more and book a place on an afternoon "be a better" beekeeper course

On-line shop

We are pleased to launch our own on-line shop. This makes buying honey, booking onto training courses and experiences and buying gift vouchers far easier and payments by card using the familiar stripe platform gives confidence and security.

Click here to visit the on-line shop

We are always seeking out opportunities to collaborate with other local independent businesses and organisations that share our environmental and social values. Recently we have been present and selling our honey at the "Crafter's Table" in the foyer of the Award-winning Fron Goch Garden Centre near Caernarfon. Whilst we are proud to be associated with such a prestigious business, the table fee is donated to local charities. We are at Fron Goch next on 28 February and 1 March. See you there!

Having seen the need for a responsive local forum for discussion and information sharing, we recently established the North Wales Beekeepers and Bee farmers Facebook group. This group is for beekeepers, bee farmers and anyone interested in bees and honey with a focus on north Wales. The group operates independently of local beekeeping associations and aims to provide a platform for free discussion for both hobbyists and commercial beekeepers regardless of the type of bees you choose to keep and how you choose to manage them.

Follow the North Wales Beekeepers and Bee farmers Facebook group here

Finally, Mothers' Day 15 March is quickly approaching! A gift voucher for a beekeeping experience makes a unique and welcomed gift for this special occasion. Purchase a gift voucher from the online shop to be emailed or printed and posted to you in time for Mothers' Day. There is no need to specify a date for the event at the time of purchase and gift vouchers are valid till the end of the 2026 beekeeping season.

Cymraeg

Hyfforddiant Ger y Cwch
Mae Asiantaeth Iechyd Anifeiliaid a Phlanhigion y Llywodraeth yn ariannu hyfforddiant ger y cwch am ddim ar gyfer gwenynwyr sydd a rhywfaint o brofiad yn barod. Cymdeithas Ffermwyr Gwenyn sydd wedi ennill y cytundeb i ddarparu'r hyfforddiant hwn ac fel aelod o Gymdeithas Ffermwyr Gwenyn, mae Gwenyn Môn yn hwb i ddarparu'r hyfforddiant hwn yng ngogledd Cymru. Mae'r sesiynau hyfforddi hanner diwrnod hyn am ddim ac yn ffocysu ar archwilio cychod yn fanwl; cynnal hylendid; a chanfod clefydau, plau ac ysglyfaethwyr.

Cliciwch yma i archebu eich lle ar sesiwn hyfforddiant Ger y Cwch gyda Gwenyn Môn

Hyfforddiant "Cael Gwell Hwyl ar Gadw Gwenyn"

Ar ôl mynychu bore o Hyfforddiant Ger y Cwch am ddim, gallwch aros ar gyfer cwrs prynhawn "Cael Gwell Hwyl ar Gadw Gwenyn"

Bydd y pwyslais ar:-

Deall sut i ymateb i ymddangosiad celloedd brenhines
Strategaethau atal heidio
Diffodd y symbyliad i heidio
Delio â chychod sydd heb frenhines a brenhinesau sy'n dodwy gwenyn gwryw yn unig.
Magu brenhinesau a chynhyrchu cnewyll ar raddfa fachan

Cliciwch yma i ddod o hyd i fwy o wybodaeth ac archebu lle ar gwrs prynhawn "Cael Gwell Hwyl ar Gadw Gwenyn"

Siop ar-lein

Rydym yn falch o lansio ein siop ar-lein ein hunain. Mae hyn yn gwneud prynu mêl, archebu cyrsiau hyfforddiant a phrofiadau a phrynu tocynnau anrheg yn llawer haws, ac mae talu gyda cherdyn gan ddefnyddio'r llwyfan Stripe sy'n gyfarwydd, yn rhoi hyder a diogelwch.

Cliciwch yma i ymweld â'r siop ar-lein

Rydym yn aml yn edrych am gyfleoedd i gydweithio gyda busnesau a mudiadau annibynnol lleol eraill sy'n rhannu ein gwerthoedd amgylcheddol a chymdeithasol. Yn ddiweddar bum yn bresennol ac yn gwerthu ein mêl ar "Fwrdd y Crefftwyr" yng nghyntedd Canolfan arddio Fron Goch ger Caernarfon. Rydym yn falch o gael ein cysylltu â busnes o safon Fron Goch a chaiff y ffi am y stondin ei rhoi i elusennau lleol. Byddwn yn Fron Goch nesaf ar 28ain o Chwefror a'r 1af o Fawrth. Welwn i chi yno!

Ar ol gweld yr angen am fforwm lleol i drafod a rhannu gwybodaeth, aethom ati i greu grŵp Facebook Gwenynwyr a Ffermwyr Gwenyn Gogledd Cymru. Mae'r grŵp ar gyfer gwenynwyr, ffermwyr gwenyn ac unrhyw un sydd â diddordeb mewn gwenyn a mêl gyda ffocws ar ogledd Cymru. Mae'r grŵp yn gweithredu'n annibynnol o'r cymdeithasau gwenynwyr lleol ac mae'n anelu at ddarparu llwyfan ar gyfer trafodaeth rydd i rai sy'n cadw gwenyn fel hobi neu fusnes, waeth beth yw'r math o wenyn rydych chi'n dewis eu cadw a sut rydych chi'n dewis eu rheoli.

Dilynwch grŵp Facebook North Wales Beekeepers and Beefarmers yma

Yn olaf, mae Sul y Mamau 15 Mawrth yn agosáu'n gyflym! Mae tocyn anrheg ar gyfer profiad cadw gwenyn yn gwneud anrheg unigryw ar gyfer y digwyddiad arbennig hwn. Gallwch brynu tocyn anrheg o'r siop ar-lein i'w ddanfon trwy e-bost neu'i argraffu a'i bostio atoch mewn pryd ar gyfer Sul y Mamau. Nid oes angen nodi dyddiad ar gyfer y digwyddiad ar adeg y pryniant ac mae tocynnau anrheg yn ddilys tan ddiwedd tymor cadw Gwenyn 2026.

Pre-Christmas Update

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 11:12:54 GMT

Cymraeg isod

Christmas is quickly approaching! Are you thinking about starting beekeeping or attending a beekeeping experience in 2026? Then we have exactly what you need! We have now added bookable dates on our website for events in 2026. These include beginner and improver courses and beekeeping experiences . You can book one or more places on the advertised dates or if you are enquiring on behalf of a family or friendship group of 3 or more, we can look at alternative dates. When booking for 4 or more, it becomes an exclusive event for your group, great for a birthday or anniversary celebration!

Gift vouchers are available for all these events and can be bought online. The gift voucher will be sent to you as an email attachment or can be printed and posted to you if requested. These are valid till the end of the 2026 season and there is no need to decide on a date when buying.

We have a good supply of spring and summer Great Taste Award-winning Anglesey wildflower honey available as Christmas gifts. These can be ordered online or you can call in person to collect your jars. Please ring or message me to arrange a suitable time if you intend to call for your honey.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year from Dafydd and Dawn.

Cymraeg

Mae'r Dolig yn brysur nesau! Ydych chi'n ystyried dechrau cadw gwenyn neu fynychu profiad cadw gwenyn yn 2026? Yna mae ganddom yr union beth sydd ei angen arnoch! Rydym wedi ychwanegu dyddiadau y gellir eu harchebu ar ein gwefan ar gyfer digwyddiadau yn 2026. Mae'r rhain yn cynnwys cyrsiau ar gyfer dechreuwyr , cyrsiau gloywi a phrofiadau cadw gwenyn . Gallwch archebu un neu fwy o lefydd ar y dyddiadau a hysbysebir, neu os ydych yn ymholi ar ran teulu neu grŵp o ffrindiau o 3 neu fwy, gallwn ystyried dyddiadau ychwanegol. Wrth archebu ar gyfer 4 neu fwy, bydd y digwyddiad ar gyfer aelodau eich grŵp chi yn unig sy'n berffaith ar gyfer dathliad penblwydd neu penblwydd priodas!

Gallwch brynu tocynnau anrheg ar gael ar gyfer yr holl ddigwyddiadau hyn ar-lein. Bydd y tocyn anrheg yn cael ei anfon atoch fel atodiad e-bost neu gellir ei argraffu a'i bostio atoch os hoffech. Mae'r rhain yn ddilys tan ddiwedd tymor 2026 ac nid oes angen penderfynu ar ddyddiad wrth brynu.

Mae gennym stoc dda o fêl o flodau o gwyllt y gwanwyn a'r haf o Ynys Môn ar gael fel anrhegion Nadolig. Gellir archebu'r mêl ar-lein neu gallwch alw'n bersonol i gasglu eich jarau. Ffoniwch neu anfonwch neges i drefnu amser addas os ydych chi'n bwriadu galw am eich mêl.

Nadolig llawen a blwyddyn newydd dda oddi wrth Dafydd a Dawn

Autumn 2025 Newsletter

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 12:01:10 GMT

Cymraeg isod

Back in March, encouraged by our success last year with our Anglesey summer wildflower honey, we sent off two jars of our Anglesey spring wildflower honey to be judged by the adjudicating panels of the Great Taste Award. When the results were announced at the end of July, we were pleased to report that we got a two star Award! It seems that it was tasted by three panels of judges and their adjudications were as follows:-

"An aroma of caramel lifted from this rich, viscous, amber honey. This a delightfully floral honey with a light astringency on the palate suggesting the bees may have been foraging on tree flowers."

"There were the most delicious wafts of sun warmed woody notes. The burst of floral vanilla that initially filled the mouth followed by fruity musky notes with a savoury edge. This clever honey works in harmony on the palate to allow a burst of spring."

"Wonderful amber colour with excellent viscosity and an enticing floral hit on the nose. A smooth texture coats the mouth with the delicate sweet flavour rich with floral clean notes singing of the environment these bees have been working."

You can buy our honey directly from us in person or on-line or by calling at Anglesey Fine Foods , Valley or Glandwr Butchers Benllech.

In addition to our Anglesey Spring and Summer Wildflower honey, we currently have a limited stock of a rare and unusual Eucryphia honey produced on Anglesey. Read about it in a previous blog.

A client on one of our Meet The Bees experiences in August turned out to be a "secret customer" from Visit Wales. During a discussion after the experience we were informed that our events are now accredited as "Visit Wales Quality Assured Experiences."

Details of our beekeeping experiences and training course are to be found on our website and bookable dates for 2026 events will be published on the website in December.

We will be attending a number of community events in the lead-up to Christmas to sell our honey and support local community groups. We are particularly excited about attending the Farmer's Fayre at Catch22 Brasserie, Valley, described as a mix between a Christmas Fayre and a Farmer's market where our award-winning Anglesey wildflower honey will be showcased on the menu.

We will also be selling our honey at the following events:-

Garreg Lefn Christmas Fair, 5pm onwards 28/11/25
Llandegfan village hall Christmas Fair 10am-1pm 29/11/25
Brynteg village hall Christmas Fair 10am-1pm 30/11/2025
Canolfan Penmynydd Christmas Fair 11am-3pm 30/11/2025
Llangoed village hall Christmas Fair 10am-4pm 6/12/2025

On 18 November (10am-3.30pm), we will be collaborating with Food and Drink Wales and The Helix Programme to deliver a free beekeeping workshop at Coleg Glynllifon. It has been designed for anybody interested in beekeeping and honey production, either as a business start-up venture or, as a diversified enterprise to an existing farm or other business to create a new income stream for that business. Click here for more information and to book your place.

And finally, Christmas is coming!

Jars of our award-winning Anglesey wildflower honey make attractive presents.

This year, for the first time we have enough stock to supply you with both Spring and Summer wildflower Honey at the same time!

Either arrange to call to buy in person or buy online or attend one of the events highlighted above.

Also our gift vouchers for our quality-assured beekeeping experiences and courses are popular and unique gifts and can be purchased on-line. There is no need to specify a date at the time of purchase. This can be arranged later. The gift voucher will be valid for the whole of the 2026 beekeeping season.

Cymraeg

Yn ôl ym mis Mawrth, wedi ein hannog gan ein llwyddiant y llynedd gyda'n Mel o flodau gwyllt yr haf, anfonwyd dau jar o'n mel blodau gwyllt y gwanwyn i'w farnu gan y Great Taste Awards. Pan gyhoeddwyd y canlyniadau ar ddiwedd mis Gorffennaf, roeddem yn falch o adrodd ein bod wedi cael Gwobr dwy seren! Ymddengys ei fod wedi cael ei flasu gan dri phanel o farnwyr ac roedd eu beirniadaeth fel a ganlyn:-

"An aroma of caramel lifted from this rich, viscous, amber honey. This a delightfully floral honey with a light astringency on the palate suggesting the bees may have been foraging on tree flowers."

Gallwch brynu ein mêl yn uniongyrchol gennym ni drwy alw yn Llanddaniel neu ar-lein neu yn Anglesey Fine Foods, Valley neu Gigydd Glandwr, Benllech . Yn ogystal a'n mêl Blodau Gwyllt yr Haf a'r Gwanwyn, ar hyn o bryd mae gennym stoc gyfyngedig o fêl Eucryphia prin ac unigryw a gynhyrchir ar Ynys Môn. Darllenwch amdano mewn blog blaenorol.

Cawsom syndod bod cwsmer ar un o'n profiadau "Cwrdd â'r Gwenyn" ym mis Awst yn "gwsmer cyfrinachol" o sefydliad Croeso Cymrus. Yn ystod trafodaeth ar ôl y profiad, rhoddwyd gwybod i ni bod ein digwyddiadau bellach wedi'u hachredu fel "Profiadau Sicrwydd Ansawdd Croeso Cymru."

Bydd manylion a dyddiadau ein profiadau a'n hyfforddiant ar gadw gwenyn yn 2026 ar gael ar ein gwefan i'w harchebu o fis Rhagfyr ymlaen.

Byddwn yn mynychu nifer o ddigwyddiadau cymunedol cyn y Nadolig i werthu ein mêl ac i gefnogi grwpiau cymunedol lleol. Rydym yn arbennig o gyffrous ynghylch mynychu'r Ffair Amaethwr yn Catch22 Brasserie, Valley, a ddisgrifir fel cymysgedd rhwng Ffair Nadolig a marchnad Amaethwr lle bydd ein mêl blodau gwyllt o Ynys Mon, sydd wedi ennill gwobrau yn cael ei ddefnyddio yn y fwydlen.

Byddwn hefyd yn gwerthu ein mêl yn y digwyddiadau canlynol:-

Ffair Nadolig Garreg Lefn, 5pm ymlaen 28/11/25
Ffair Nadolig Neuadd bentref Llandegfan, 10am-1pm 29/11/25
Ffair Nadolig Neuadd bentref Brynteg, 10am-1pm 30/11/2025
Ffair Nadolig Canolfan Penmynydd, 11am-3pm 30/11/2025
Ffair Nadolig Neuadd bentref Llangoed, 10am-4pm 6/12/2025

Ar 18 Tachwedd (10am-3.30pm), byddwn yn cydweithio gyda Bwyd a Diod Cymru a Rhaglen Helix i gynnal gweithdy am ddim ar gadw gwenyn yn Coleg Glynllifon. Mae wedi'i gynllunio ar gyfer unrhyw un sydd â diddordeb mewn dechrau cadw gwenyn a chynhyrchu mêl, boed hynny fel menter busnes gychwynnol neu, fel menter amrywiol i fferm bresennol neu fusnes arall i greu ffynhonnell incwm newydd i'r busnes hwnnw. Cliciwch yma am fwy o wybodaeth ac i archebu eich lle.

Ac yn olaf, mae'r Nadolig yn nesau!

Mae jar o'n mêl blodau gwyllt o Ynys Mon yn gwneud anrhegion deniadol. Eleni, am y tro cyntaf, mae gennym ddigon o stoc i ddarparu Mel y Gwanwyn neu'r Haf ar yr un pryd!

Trefnwch i alw yn Llanddaniel i brynu wyneb yn wyneb neu prynwch ar-lein neu dewch i un o'r digwyddiadau neu leoliadau a nodwyd uchod.

Hefyd, mae tocynnau anrheg ar gyfer ein profiadau a chwrsiau ar gadw gwenyn yn 2026 yn boblogaidd ac yn unigryw ac gellir eu prynu ar-lein. Nid oes angen pennu dyddiad ar adeg y pryniant. Gellir trefnu hyn yn hwyrach. Bydd y tocyn yn ddilys drwy gydol 2026.

In search for the source of a mystery honey

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 16:54:28 GMT

A unique honey foraged from the blossom of Eucryphia trees in the UK

It started by accident back in 2022. In Early August, after harvesting the summer honey, I returned some boxes of empty honeycomb to the hives in an out-apiary on Anglesey so that the bees could lick them dry before I stored them in a stack, off the hives till the following spring. My intention was to remove these boxes of honeycomb from the hives after a few days but as is often the case, I was distracted by more pressing tasks and a week and a half had passed by the time I managed to recover them. To my surprise, the boxes were heavy when I lifted them off the hives and frame after frame were full to the edges of capped honey!

Like a proud father carrying his new-born home from the maternity ward, I brought, what I soon discovered to be a rare treasure, home to be extracted. I proceeded as normal by uncapping the honeycomb and attempted to extract the honey from them by centrifugation. I was surprised that after a few minutes of spinning at low speed, virtually no honey had been flung out. I increased the speed - still nothing! I accelerated to top speed and suddenly with no warning - bang! bang! I slammed the emergency shut-off knob and the spinner ground to a halt. At the bottom of the extractor I found the shattered remains of four frames, still heavy with what appeared to be liquid honey! Bewildered, I came to the conclusion that this was not a late crop of bramble honey but something unusual and very very different to what we were used to.

The honey appeared to be in a liquid state but refused to be extracted! Although I have no experience of harvesting heather honey, this honey seemed to have similar thixotropic properties. Both heather honey and our mystery honey have a gel-like consistency of a non-Newtonian liquid akin to ketchup or toothpaste. As a consequence it does not flow predictably and forms a gel at rest but can turn liquid when agitated or stirred. The viscosity of heather honey, due to its higher concentration of colloidal proteins, is so high that it makes the extraction of the honey from the comb very difficult. That’s why heather honey is extracted by pressure (instead of centrifugation), which destroys the combs. Although there was no expanse of heather within range sufficient for our bees to produce this honey, we concluded that we had little choice but to treat it like heather honey. We proceeded to cut the honeycomb from the wooden frames, pack it into a muslin sack and squeeze the honey out of it using a honey press, a device with a threaded shaft and T-shaped handles a bit like an apple press. The honey that it yielded had an unfamiliar bright o range glow, a jelly-like consistency and the taste was divine and unlike anything we had previously produced. We were flabbergasted!

To solve the enigma we decided to visit the apiary to see if we could discover the source of our mystery honey. It didn't take us long to realise that the bees were consistently making a beeline to a tree about 50m away. The tree in question was alive with bees and plastered in large white flowers with prominent stamens and labelled as Eucryphia x nymansensis "Nymansay". Further research revealed that it was a hybrid between two Chilean species, Eucryphia cordifolia and Eucryphia glutinosa , produced from seed harvested in 1914 at the Nymans gardens , West Sussex, now a National Trust property. Two individuals were selected for their outstanding qualities and tentatively named ‘Nymans A’ and ‘Nymans B’. ‘Nymans A’ was later shown at the RHS show in 1924 and received an Award of Merit and was popularised under the name ‘Nymansay’, which was derived from the pronunciation ‘Nymans A’.

One of the parents of this hybrid, Eucryphia cordifolia , commonly known as ulmo, thrives in the Valdivian rainforest of south-central Chile and adjacent Argentina. This species is found along the Andes range, typically at latitudes of 38 to 43°S, can be found at altitudes of up to 2300 feet above sea level. Characterized by its thick trunk and broad crown, this tree can grow over 12 metres high and blooms in February and March, depending on latitude and altitude. The flowers contain a highly appreciated aromatic nectar, harvested by introduced European bees and commercialized as much sought after ulmo honey.

Based upon peer-reviewed scientific studies, Ulmo Honey has been shown to have stronger antibacterial properties than Manuka honey and contains more than double the phenolic content of Manuka honey. It is much sought after by honey connoisseurs and has received a gold medal at the London International Honey Awards. Ulmo Honey's flavour profile is prized for its mild floral notes, appealing to those who seek a more delicate taste compared to the intense, earthy flavour of Manuka honey. It is known for its aromatic flavour profile with tasting notes of almonds, vanilla, and aniseed. It has a strong floral note and a slight astringent, minty-fresh aftertaste. The honey's taste is often described as sweet, fragrant, and exquisite.

The other Parent, E. glutinosa , is a large deciduous shrub or small tree, growing to 5-6 m. It is quite rare in the wild with a relatively restricted distribution in central-southern Chile where if forms an occasional component of river-side habitats in a woodland understorey. Mature specimens reliably produce masses of white flowers during late summer attracting bees from miles around. Interestingly, the two Chilean Eucryphia species do not coexist in their natural habitats. Hybridisation could only occur when they were both planted in close proximity in the Nymans gardens in West Sussex.

Closer inspection of the gardens revealed more Eucryphia specimens in flower in the proximity of the apiary, attracting our bees like magnets. Native to Tasmania, Eucryphia lucida , commonly called leatherwood, is abundant in temperate rainforests in the west of the State where it enjoys up to 2.5 m of annual rainfall and is common from low elevation to sub-alpine habitats. It is a vigorous, fast growing component of these forests and dense thickets of it can regenerate in recently disturbed areas. E. Lucida is very important to the Tasmanian apiculture industry – over 70% of all the honey produced in Tasmania is leatherwood honey and relies on the nectar of E. lucida . Similar to ulmo honey, leatherwood honey is highly sought-after for its exquisite taste and strong anti-microbial properties.

The final source of our mystery honey was a row of wall-trained specimens of Eucryphia x intermedia "Rostrevor". Hybrids between the deciduous Chilean E. glutinosa and the evergreen Tasmanian E. lucida first arose in cultivation during the early 20th century. John Rodgers, head gardener to Sir John Ross-of-Bladensburg at Rostrevor, County Down, Northern Ireland, spotted seedlings intermediate between the two parent species which were growing in close proximity. These were distributed among Sir John’s friends, including to Lord Aberconway at Bodnant. It was Lord Aberconway who first exhibited this cross, under the name ‘Rostrevor’, at the RHS show at Vincent Square on 1st September 1936 where it received an Award of Merit.

Although our mystery honey is neither pure ulmo nor pure leatherwood honey, it comes from trees and shrubs that are closely related Eucryphia hybrids whose parents are the same species as those that produce the prized honey in Chile and Tasmania. Our honey shares the same appearance, thixotropic consistency and tasting notes as the prized and leatherwood honey. In late August when this honey was produced, there was little else for our bees to forage on apart from the last remnants of fireweed and Himalayan balsam. Their mainstay of bramble and white clover blossom had long finished. In fact, in all of our other apiaries we were already in the process of supplementing the bees' winter stores by feeding them with baker's fondant. As far as I can see, we are unique in the UK in producing Eucryphia honey for sale. Although we prepare the hives at this location for a crop of Eucryphia honey annually, we only succeed once every 3 to 4 years due to the timing of the flowering, the vigour with which the trees are flowering and the weather. This year, the nectar flow was curtailed by the drought conditions even though the trees were flowering profusely at the right time! Consequently it is rare and we can only occasionally harvest a limited supply. I suspect that more Eucryphia honey makes its way into hives in the UK than we realise. However, this probably goes un-noticed as it appears in late August when the main crop has been harvested, regular hive inspections have ceased and beekeepers are treating their colonies against varroa mites and are feeding them up for winter. As previously mentioned, it was only by accident that we discovered this treasure in our hives.

We plan to celebrate and share our unique 2025 crop of Welsh Eucryphia honey on 13th September both at the Conway Honey Fair and at the Egni Food Festival at the Menai Science Park. It will then be available for mail-order from Anglesey Bees' website along with our award-winning Spring and Summer Anglesey Wildflower honey.

The Terroir of Anglesey Wildflower Honey

Sun, 17 Aug 2025 21:38:24 GMT

What makes our honey unique?

The term "terroir" comes from the French word terre , meaning "land" or "earth." It reflects a deep connection between agricultural products, like wine, cheese, and the specific environment where they are produced. The four factors that makeup terroir are climate, soil, topography, and people. The first three are environmental factors that take into consideration geographical conditions like sunlight, rainfall, air quality, temperature, land elevation, soil type, and even plants that are growing nearby. ”People” being the fourth factor of terroir may seem strange, but this takes into account traditional or new ways of growing and harvesting as well as processing and aging the product. All of these factors affect the overall taste of food, making it almost impossible to replicate when grown in different places around the world, even if the same growing techniques are used.

While often associated with wine, the idea of terroir also applies to foods like artisan cheese, chocolate, and coffee. It highlights how soil composition, climate, and farming practices influence flavour. Terroir explains why a Chardonnay from California tastes different from one in Burgundy, even if the same grape variety is used. Everything from the minerals in the soil to local weather conditions can leave a unique "fingerprint." Terroir isn't just romantic—it has economic value too. Products emphasizing their terroir often command higher prices because of their perceived authenticity and exclusivity. In a similar vein, arguably a single-sourced artisan honey has its own terroir.

The terroir of Anglesey Bees’ wildflower honey lies in the southern part of the Anglesey UNESCO Global Geopark, defined by the Menai Straits to the south and the Berw geological fault to the north. Historically known as “Môn Mam Cymru” (Anglesey mother of Wales), it was recognised as the bread-basket of Wales due to its fertile and productive land.

The underlying shist bedrock was scoured by the Pleistocene Irish Sea glacier that plastered the landscape with drumlin swarms, erratics, boulder-clay and melt-water sands and gravel, originating from as far afield as Scotland.

The current climate is mild and essentially oceanic with relatively small variations in temperature and rainfall, i.e. cool summers and mild winters. Periods of snowfall and hard frosts occur infrequently in contrast to the neighbouring mountainous region of Eryri.

This mild, oceanic climate resulted in the development of either slowly permeable and seasonally wet, acid loamy and clayey soils or freely draining slightly acid loamy soils in this region. The Agricultural Land Classification for this region is largely grade 3, i.e. of moderate quality with notable limitations.

The predominantly grade 3 agricultural land has resulted in a landscape mostly made up of extensively grazed permanent and unimproved pasture with the notable absence of any arable crops. Such pastures include white clover and bird’s foot trefoil, favoured by honey bees, are enclosed into small fields surrounded by ancient hedge-banks and hedgerows.

The unmanaged hedges consist of stockproof hawthorn and blackthorn, interspersed with hazel, sycamore, cherry, ash, elder, gorse and dog rose. By foraging on these spring-flowering hedgerow shrubs and trees, our bees consistently produce a thick, rich, amber honey honey awarded a Great Taste 2-star award. Although familiar in the context of wine appreciation, the concept of a sommelier also applies to honey and a specific vocabulary to describe the appearance, flavour and aroma of honey has been adopted by honey sommeliers. The Great Taste adjudicators described our spring wildflower honey as:-

"A n aroma of caramel lifted from this rich, viscous, amber honey. This a delightfully floral honey with a light astringency on the palate suggesting the bees may have been foraging on tree flowers."

By late June, the bees are foraging on bramble flowers and rosebay willow herb in the hedges and white clover and bird's-foot-trefoil in the pastures, producing a paler coloured, more delicately flavoured summer wildflower honey described by Great Taste Awards adjudicators as "Very delicate in flavour, bright and appealing, with a real blast of the hedgerow in the aroma" and “a honey we would enjoy on our toast."

T his leaves the human factor to consider, including how the bees are managed and how the honey is processed and packaged. At Anglesey Bees, we produce award-winning Anglesey wildflower honey of the highest quality in small batches, with the greatest respect for the honey, our bees and our environment. We are very aware of our environmental and social impact and are already aligned with the goals of the Welsh government's wellbeing of future generations act. Furthermore, we have produced an environmental and social action plan to quantify our impact and to work towards reaching net zero carbon emissions, protecting and enriching our habitats and making positive impacts on our local community.

Our award-winning spring and summer Anglesey Wildflower honey is available seasonally direct from the beekeeper or by mail order. Alternatively it is available to pu rchase from our stockists:-

Anglesey FineFoods, Valley , LL65 3EB
Glandwr Butchers , Benllech, LL74 8TD
Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens , Menai Bridge, LL59 5NH
Jones o Gymru | The Welsh Choice for Snacks

Summer 2025 Newsletter, Anglesey Bees

Sun, 06 Jul 2025 13:56:04 GMT

Cymraeg isod.

Spring honey now for sale!

As beekeepers, we are acutely aware of the seasons and weather patterns. I mentioned in a previous blog how the onset of the La Nina Southern Oscillation would bring about more favourable beekeeping conditions in 2025. Well, it couldn't have been truer! Spring beekeeping conditions were the best on record, with a bumper crop harvested from all our apiaries.

The prolonged dry conditions throughout April and May resulted in an early "June" gap in mid May, allowing us to harvest the honey early. The bees had been foraging on spring flowering trees and hedgerow plants including hawthorn, sycamore, chestnut, cherry, apple and pear. It is an amber honey, thick, fluid and smooth. It has a rich warm, woody aroma, with strong notes of vanilla and hints of maple and chocolate in the flavour.

Our spring honey is now available for collection in person from our base in Llanddaniel. Alternatively you can order it on the website for delivery by Royal Mail Parcels or from select outlets including Glandwr Butchers, Benllech; Anglesey Fine Foods, Valley and Cadnant Hidden Gardens, Menai Bridge.

Outreach events

Through out our quieter autumn and winter seasons we were invited to give illustrated talks on our lives as beekeepers to many organisations including U3A various dinner clubs and societies. Furthermore, we were invited back to deliver meet the beekeeper events at Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens and at the National Trust Bodnant Gardens.

Farming Connect mentoring

We are supporting and mentoring a growing number of beekeepers, including complete beginners, under the Farming Connect scheme. Mentees with a minimum of 3ha of land are entitled to up to 15 hours of free mentoring at our site and theirs.

Collaborating with and learning from other commercial beekeepers

As new members of the Bee Farmer's Association and Food and Drink Wales' Honey Cluster, we at Anglesey Bees have gained accreditation as commercial beekeepers and honey producers. Membership of these two organisations opens opportunities to develop our enterprise further by collaborating with other businesses.

Beekeeping experiences and courses

S ince the beginning of April, our highly acclaimed two-day beginner courses, improver course and beekeeping experiences, ranging from our 90 minutes "meet the bees" to our half-day "bee curious" and "beekeeper for the day" experience have been in big demand.

Often, our events are attended by family groups. Since we erected a gazebo in the apiary, we can continue to host events, despite what the weather throws at us.

Many attend our beekeeping events after receiving a gift voucher as a birthday or mother's day present or come to celebrate a wedding anniversary or honeymoon.

Wales Food and Drink Award

We are proud to have been a finalist for the Sustainable Values Awards in this year's Wales Food and Drink Awards.

Mêl y gwanwyn ar werth rwan!

Fel gwenynwyr, rydym yn ymwybodol iawn o'r tymhorau a'r patrwm tywydd. Soniais mewn blog blaenorol sut y byddai patrwm tywydd cefnforol L a Nina yn creu amodau mwy ffafriol yn 2025. Wel, ni allwn fod yn fwy cywir! Roedd yr amodau ar gyfer y gwenyn yn y gwanwyn y gorau erioed, gyda chnwd rhagorol o bob gwenynfa.

Canlyniad y cyfnod hir o dywydd sych drwy Ebrill a Mai oedd "bwlch Mehefin" cynnar yn llif y neithdar yng nghanol mis Mai. Hwylusodd hyn i ni gynaeafu'r mêl yn gynnar. Bu'r gwenyn yn ymweld a choed a llwyni blodeuog y gwanwyn gan gynnwys draenen wen, masarn, castan, ceirios, afal a gellyg. Mae'n fêl amber ei liw, trwchus, hylifol a llyfn. Mae ganddo arogl cynnes, coediog, cyfoethog, gyda nodau cryf o fanila a masarn (maple) a siocled yn y blas.

Mae ein mêl gwanwyn ar gael i'w gasglu'n bersonol o'n cyfeiriad yn Llanddaniel. Fel arall, gallwch ei archebu ar y wefan ar gyfer dosbarthiad gan Royal Mail Parcels neu o siopau gan gynnwys Cigydd Glandwr, Benllech; Anglesey Fine Foods, Y Fali a Gerddi Cudd Plas Cadnant, Porthaethwy.

Sgyrsiau a chyflwyniadau

Drwy'r hydref a'r gaeaf, fe'n gwahoddwyd i roi sgyrsiau darluniadol ar ein ffordd o fyw fel gwenynwyr i nifer o sefydliadau a chymdeithasau gan gynnwys U3A, clybiau cinio amrywiol a chymdeithasau merched. Yn ogystal, fe'n gwahoddwyd yn ôl i gyflwyno digwyddiadau cwrdd â'r gwenynwyr yng Ngerddi Cudd Plas Cadnant a gan yr Ymddiriodolaeth Genedlaethol yng Ngerddi Bodnant.

Mentora Cyswllt Ffermio

Rydym yn cefnogi ac yn mentora nifer gynnyddol o wenynwyr, gan gynnwys dechreuwyr drwy gyfrwng cynllun mentora Cyswllt Ffermio. Mae mynediad i hyd at 15 o fentora am ddim ar gael i unigolion efo isafswm o 3ha o dir.

Profiadau a chyrsiau cadw gwenyn

Ers dechrau mis Ebrill, bu yna alw mawr am ein cyrsiau deuddydd i ddechreuwyr, cyrsiau gloywi a phrofiadau cadw gwenyn, sy'n amrywio o'n profiad 90 munud " cwrdd â'r gwenyn " i'n profiad hanner niwrnod "c ael blas ar gadw gwenyn " a'n profiad " gwenynwr am y diwrnod ".

Yn aml, caiff ein digwyddiadau eu mynychu gan grwpiau teuluol. Ers i ni godi gazebo yn y wenynfa, gallwn barhau i gynnal digwyddiadau, waeth beth bynnag mae'r tywydd yn ei daflu arnom. Mae llawer yn mynychu ein digwyddiadau ar ôl derbyn tocyn anrheg ar gyfer penblwydd, Sul y Mamau neu i ddathlu pen-blwydd priodas neu fis mêl.

Cydweithio a dysgu oddi wrth gwenynwyr masnachol eraill

Fel aelodau newydd o Gymdeithas Ffermwyr Gwenyn a Chlwstwr Mêl Bwyd a Diod Cymru, mae Gwenyn Mon wedi ennill achrediad fel ffermwyr gwenyn masnachol a chynhyrchwyr mêl. Mae bod yn aelod o'r ddau sefydliad hyn yn agor cyfleoedd i ddatblygu ein menter ymhellach trwy gydweithio a busnesau eraill.

Anrhydeddau Food and Drink Wales

Rydym yn falch ein bod wedi cyrraedd y rownd derfynol yn y dosbarth Gwerthoedd Cynaliadwy eleni.

Pollinator strips vs wildflower meadows

Sun, 05 Jan 2025 12:42:07 GMT

Are pollinator strips easier to create and maintain and are more beneficial to bees than wildflower meadows?

Creating a wildflower meadow or just a wildflower border may appear to be a fantastic way to support pollinators like bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. They undoubtedly offer numerous benefits, both for the environment and for us. Wildflower meadows provide essential habitats and food sources for pollinators like bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. These pollinators play a crucial role in the reproduction of many plants, including crops that humans rely on for food. Wildflower meadows support a diverse range of plant and animal species. By creating a habitat based on a variety of native plants, you encourage a healthy ecosystem where different species can thrive. In addition to pollinators, wildflower meadows provide habitats for other wildlife, such as birds, small mammals. These animals contribute to a balanced ecosystem and can help control pest populations.

Wildflowers often have deep root systems that help improve soil structure and fertility. They can prevent soil erosion, increase water infiltration, and enhance nutrient cycling, leading to healthier soil over time. Once established, wildflower meadows often require less routine maintenance compared to traditional lawns. They need less mowing, watering, and fertilizing, which can save time, money, and resources. Wildflower meadows can help mitigate the effects of climate change by sequestering carbon in the soil and providing habitats for species that may be affected by changing climate conditions.

Wildflower meadows offer a beautiful and ever-changing landscape. The vibrant colours and diverse plant species create a visually appealing environment that can be enjoyed throughout the growing season. Spending time in natural environments, such as wildflower meadows, has been shown to reduce stress and improve mental well-being. The beauty and tranquility of a meadow can provide a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

Establishing a wildflower meadow can be a beautiful and environmentally friendly project, but it does come with some challenges and some disadvantages for the bees. Creating a wildflower meadow requires significant initial effort and investment. You need to prepare the soil, remove existing vegetation and reduce soil fertility to combat the subsequent invasion of competitive species, particularly, agricultural grasses. While wildflower meadows are often considered low-maintenance, they still require some upkeep. You may need to manage invasive species, mow or graze at specific times, and reseed periodically to maintain diversity. Wildflower meadows take time to establish. It can take several years for the meadow to reach its full potential, and patience is required during this period. The success of a wildflower meadow can be unpredictable. Factors such as soil type, weather conditions, and local wildlife can all impact the growth and appearance of the meadow. Furthermore, wildflowers can produce pollen, which may be problematic for people with allergies and hay-fever. While attracting wildlife is often a goal, it can also be a disadvantage. Some animals e.g. rabbits, badgers and deer may damage the plants or become a nuisance.

There are alternative ways to support bees. As discussed in a previous blog , planting a garden with a variety of bee-friendly plants including annuals, hardy perennial borders, shrubs, fruit trees and hedgerows can also provide food and habitat for bees particularly if consideration is made in the choice of plants for the benefit of short-tongued bees like honey bees. Even small urban gardens, balconies, and rooftop gardens can be designed to support bees. Furthermore, providing unmanaged areas and bee hotels for solitary bees can help increase their populations and reducing or eliminating the use of pesticides in your garden or landscape can make a big difference for bee health.

An alternative and more achievable approach is to sow pollinator strips or borders akin to those sown on farms. This approach often avoids many of the disadvantages and problems associated with establishing a permanent wildflower meadow. Pollinator strips are designated areas on farms, often located alongside cropped areas, where specific plants or plant mixtures are intentionally grown to support pollinators like bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Incorporating pollinator strips is a practice aligned with regenerative agriculture, promoting sustainable farming methods. These strips are usually planted with a diverse mix of native wildflowers and other plants that provide nectar and pollen throughout the growing season. Further benefits of pollinator strips sown in an agricultural context include enhancing biodiversity by providing habitat and food sources for pollinators and other wildlife in areas of crop monocultures. By supporting pollinators, these strips can improve the pollination of adjacent crops, potentially increasing yields and can improve soil health by preventing erosion, enhancing soil structure, and increasing organic matter. They can act as buffer zones, reducing runoff and improving water quality in adjacent water bodies.

Pollinator strips can vary in size and shape, and are often placed along field edges and other marginal areas or between agricultural or horticultural crop rows. This flexibility often makes establishing them more appealing faster and achievable. Ironically, many novel arable crops like viper’s bugloss ( Echium vulgare ), grown for their valuable seed oil are a good choice for pollinator strips as they are highly attractive to bees and produce copious quantities of nectar and honey. As the species chosen can be annuals or biennials like borage ( Borago officinalis ), the strips needn’t be a permanent feature. However, many are capable of self-seeding and becoming a permanent feature.

Furthermore, green manure crops, which are attractive to bees, like purple tansy ( Phacelia tanacetifolia ) can be used to prepare the ground for a subsequent horticultural crop. Growing a monoculture of e.g. sweet clover ( Melilotus officinalis ) or sainfoin ( Onobrychis vicifolia ) in a pollinator strip my benefit honey bees more than sowing a wildflower mixture as honeybees prefer to concentrate their foraging effort on the flowers of one species available in large quantities. Moreover, this foraging behaviour is shared and reinforced by communicating the location of rich pickings via their waggle dance. From an aesthetic point of view, monoculture pollinator strips of the agricultural herbs mentioned above produce rich swathes of dramatic colour akin to the lavender beds typically seen in Provence and meadowfoam ( Limnanthes alba ), an emerging specialist oil seed crop produces an unusual “toasted marshmallow” flavoured honey.

In the spring of 2025 we are planning to sow pollinator strips of the above species next to the teaching apiary at Anglesey Bees. Then, when they are in flower, we will assess their impact on the local pollinator population by conducting flower-insect timed counts and pollen analysis to assess their impact on our honey. You can come and see the pollinator strips for yourself by visiting Anglesey Bees on one of our open garden days . Proceeds raised on these days are donated to charitable causes. Alternatively you can book to attend one of our beekeeping experiences.

Swarming

Tue, 07 May 2024 20:38:42 GMT

Are you a beekeeper or a bee-loser?

Many beekeepers accept swarming as an inevitable event. Sadly, it results in a significant loss of bees and impacts honey yield and may result in complete colony loss. Furthermore, the need to remove swarms from buildings may cause distress, inconvenience, structural work and cost to neighbours. On our beginner and improver courses we stress the importance of swarm control and share effective management practices with our students that virtually eliminate the occurrence of swarming.

First of all, lets investigate what happens when bees swarm and what triggers this to happen. Swarming is a natural process that honeybees undertake in an attempt to reproduce and spread by dividing and starting new independent colonies. In preparation for swarming, the colony initiates the rearing of new queens. Then the old queen and a significant proportion of the flying bees from the colony leave the hive in an attempt to set up home elsewhere. New queens are reared in specially constructed structures called queen cells. An egg, laid in these structures by the old queen hatch into larvae, that are then fed with copious quantities of a high protein diet of royal jelly, derived from pollen and provided by young nurse bees. Around the eighth day after the egg was laid, feeding stops and the queen cell is sealed with a cap of wax and the larvae pupate. It is on this day that the old queen and accompanying flying bees swarm from the hive, leaving behind some workers and some developing queens in their queen cells to hatch out in a further eight days.

Sealed queen cells

In the days leading up to swarming, some of the workers, called scout bees, start a search of the neighbourhood for possible sites to set up a new home. Then when the big event happens, the swarm dramatically swirls out of the hive, darkening the sky, frightening bystanders with their roar. They often temporarily settle nearby on a tree, bench, fencepost etc. whilst the scout bees do a final reconnaissance. After a pause of possibly a few hours, they take off again to head to what might be a permanent home, strangely, this seems to happen consistently before 4pm.

Naturally, swarming bees seek out cavities in trees. However, with authorities cutting down old and decaying trees for safety reasons, suitable cavities in old trees are becoming fewer and far between. As a consequence, honeybees seek out alternative man-made cavities, including chimneys, flues, cavities in walls and attics, post boxes, compost and refuse bins. Sadly, the survival rate of swarms may be as low as 20% and the survival of the remainder of the original colony is not guaranteed as it depends on the successful mating of a new queen, which is weather dependent and risky as queens returning to their hive from a mating flight have to run the gauntlet of swallows and other predatory birds.

A swarm hanging from a tree

Although swarming is a natural process and some strains of honeybees are more inclined to swarm than others, generally, the swarming process is triggered by congestion or overcrowding in the hive. A vigilant beekeeper can detect the early signs of swarm preparation and halt the process by conducting regular hive inspection at intervals of 7 days or less, i.e. a day less than the 8 days it takes for a new queen cell to develop and be sealed.

My swarm prevention starts with religiously removing and relocating frames full of honey from the brood box to release more space for the queen to lay. When the queen is at her peak egg laying rate, this may not be enough and I resort to a management practice publicised by an American beekeeper called George Demaree in 1892. In essence, the brood box is decongested by replacing the upper of the two brood boxes with a new box of empty frames of honeycomb. After ensuring that the queen remains in the lower brood box, the removed brood box is relocated at the top of the hive, below the roof. The nurse bees from the lower brood box will be able to work their way up to it to feed the young brood developing there and this further diverts the bees and decongests the lower brood box and effectively delaying the onset of swarming by a few weeks till the brood hatching out join the lower brood box.

On the discovery of developing swarm cells an approach akin to fire fighting is required where the spread of fire depends on the presence of three factors: fuel; oxygen and suitable temperature. If one of these factors is removed, a fire cannot develop. Similarly, with swarming, the three crucial factors are: a queen; flying bees and queen cells. Remove one and the bees are unlikely to swarm. For example flying bees will not swarm without a queen and a queen obviously cannot swarm by herself without the flying bees. Many of the recognised methods such as those named after Snelgrove and Pagden may successfully prevent swarming by removing one or other of the three factors. However, they inevitably result in splitting the colony in two and establishing a second colony. This weakens the original colony, impacting the honey crop and the colonies’ survival depend on the survival of the original queen in one part of the split and a new queen being successfully reared and mated in the other half. One or both frequently fail!

Contrary to common use today, Demaree’s manipulation as described above was originally designed to deal with colonies that have already started down the road of swarm preparation. It has become my preferred method of reactive swarm control as it effectively separates the queen and flying bees from the developing brood and nurse bees without the use of any specialist equipment. Furthermore, the queen remains safe in the bottom of the hive and continues to lay there without interruption and the colony, not being weakened by being split into two, remains a strong powerhouse for honey production.

So, what happens to the colonies that swarm? Some beekeepers rely on collecting swarms as a means of making an increase in numbers and replacing winter losses and during the next two to three months I often get several calls or messages per day from distressed members of the public. Collecting swarms can be a fascinating and rewarding activity. After all you could end up with some freebies (free bees…. Sorry!) However, the bees are often of an unknown quality and often exhibit undesirable traits such as aggression and a higher tendency to swarm. Furthermore they may spread devastating contagious bee diseases such as European foul brood. For this reason I resist the temptation to collect swarms and rely on intentionally rearing my own bees and selectively breeding for traits such as calm behaviour, disease resistance and fecundity.

That said, swarm collecting is a fascinating process, particularly if they rest in an easily accessible location such as the lower branches of a tree. I start by spreading a bed sheet on the ground beneath the tree and then, with the aid of secateurs, prune the branch on which the swarm is hanging, until the it drops into a cardboard box held beneath it. The box is then covered with a loose lid and turned upside down on the bed sheet with one edge propped up with a wooden block to form an entrance. Next the “bee whispering” begins and over the next 30 minutes or so, all the remaining airborne bees are lured down to the bed sheet and steadily march into the box, as if by magic! If truth be known, it’s the bees already in the box that cast a spell on the others by releasing a chemical signal or pheromone to draw them in. This pheromone, commonly called the ”come hither pheromone” is released from their Nazonov gland, located just beneath the tip of their abdomen. Bees typically adopt a “bums in the air” pose and fan their wings to disperse this pheromone. It’s then a simple matter of tying up the corners of the bedsheet and transporting the swarm to be rehomed in an empty hive.

Collecting a swarm

Our “be a better beekeeper” one-day beekeeping refresher or improver's course at Anglesey Bees are available on demand and aim to reduce the loss of bees through swarming and improve winter survival through adequate autumn feeding and effective varroa control.

Enriching the bees' environment

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 09:00:11 GMT

Planting and managing ecosystems at Anglesey Bees

Trefnant Bach, the home of Anglesey Bees (along with our neighbouring Trefnant Wen and Trefnant Ddu has been in existence for a long time. There is a record of its existence in the 1841 census, earlier court and church records and tithe maps. Recently I discovered records of historical field names such as Cae Hen Gaseg; Cae Beudy; Cae Gamdda; Cae Flaen Drws; Waun and Parciau Mawr. I therefore have every reason to believe that the field boundary hedges consisting predominantly of hawthorn, blackthorn, dog-rose, sycamore and ash and associated ivy, brambles, gorse and rosebay willow herb are ancient. Since we became custodians of Trefnant Bach, we have managed them sympathetically and the sycamores, in particular make a valuable contribution to our spring honey. Furthermore, we manage the spread of ivy through the hedges. On one hand we encourage the contribution of autumn ivy nectar as a valuable top up to winter stores whilst on the other hand, we aim to prevent the collapse of hedgerows under the weight of ivy.

Previously, our three fields were grazed by horses, resulting in selective close grazing in some areas and vast expanses of rejected, rank tussocky growth caused by repeated dunging. Stockproof fencing and a small flock of Llŷn sheep cured that over time, resulting in more of a bowling green appearance. The unimproved permanent pasture contained pockets of indigenous white clover, similar in appearance to the land-race, Kent Wild White. I applied the findings from my research in an earlier career as a pasture ecologist at what is now called The Institute of Biological and Environmental Research near Aberystwyth. When a grass/white clover pasture is grazed hard under rotational grazing, there is a change in the ratio of red:far red light reaching the clover stolons at the soil surface, caused by less absorption by the less dense sward. This causes a switch in the growth pattern resulting in more branching and the spreading of clover stolons at ground level. When the livestock were moved on to another field, the biomass accumulated and the resultant effect on the red:far red light perceived by the clover stolons, caused them to stop initiating more branches and produce leafy vertical growth instead and ultimately a mass of flowers which make a significant contribution to our summer honey.

A 1-acre spring-fed lake was dug out of a marshy corner of the property about 25 years ago and the margins planted predominantly with willow and alder. These provide a copious supply of much needed pollen from mid-February. Building on this, we successfully applied for a MOREwoods grant from The woodlands Trust to plant a further 1000 trees in a one acre block and to form wildlife corridors along field margins and corners, linking and giving easy access to the whole property. With the assistance of Simon Hunt, the Woodlands Trust advisor and also a beekeeper, we planned how we would create a honeybee friendly woodland, enrich the habitat for wildlife and provide fuelwood for coppicing in the future. The species including alder, downy birch, oak, bird cherry, wild cherry, crab apple, walnut, sweet chestnut, dogwood, hawthorn and elder were chosen to provide a succession of both pollen and nectar over as long a period as possible. Since planting in February 2019, the trees have made astonishing progress, dispelling the myth that the benefits of tree planting are not realised during your lifetime. Many have reached a hight of over 15 feet and a girth as thick as my arm. The area has also become a sanctuary for hedgehogs, weasels, red squirrels and voles.

Excluding sheep from the woodland has allowed pollinator-beneficial species like birdsfoot trefoil to ingress at ground level and honey bees are frequent observed visitors. On the other hand, the un-grazed grass species have become tussocky and rank, requiring regular strimming. To tackle this, we have introduced a small flock of pedigree Shropshire sheep. They are also known as the “tree sheep” as they have the unusual trait of not damaging trees by browsing and stripping their bark. They are routinely used to manage the ground vegetation in vineyards, apple orchards and Christmas tree plantations.

Since we introduced honeybees to the smallholding, we noticed a marked increase in the crop of rosehips in the hedgerows and apples on our solitary tree. With five trees generally accepted as the lower limit for an orchard, we have now planted additional apple, pear, plum and cherry trees and thornless cultivated blackberries. We are often asked for advice regarding planting for bees from those that attend our bee curious experiences. Frequently we hear of their disappointing results with pollinator-friendly seed mixes that are often reduced to a monoculture of ox-eye daisies by the second year. For the purpose of demonstrating, we planted a border of herbaceous perennials that we found to be attractive, particularly to honey bees. We gained inspiration on our visits to Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens, Bodnant Gardens and Helmsley Walled Garden amongst others. The planting now includes the following:- Persicaria; Catmint; Sedum; Siberian Chives; Hardy Geranium; Russian Sage; Lavender; Bergamot; Oregano; Cotoneaster; Montbretia; Scabious; Anemone; Echinacea; Rudbeckia; Helenium; Aster; Salvia and Verbena.

Further inspiration for tree planting came from an unexpected crop of honey at one of our Anglesey apiaries. After harvesting the summer honey in early August, the empty supers were returned to the hives for the bees to lick dry. Within two weeks, we were astonished to find the supers full again! Initially we were bewildered by the orange jelly-like honey that was impossible to extract by spinning. With no heather within range, we followed the bees to a nearby mature Eucryphia x nymansensis nymansay tree, a hybrid between two Chilean species. E. cordifolia and E. glutinosa, which are used for the production of ulmo honey in their native country. Needless to say, we have now planted a specimen of E. x nymansensis along with two of their Tasmanian counterparts, E. Lucida and E. milliganii, renowned for the leatherwood honey produced by the bees that forage on them.

You can see all of this for yourself by attending our National Garden Scheme open garden at Anglesey Bees on 21 July or 31 August. Proceeds from the refreshments and plant sales will be donated to the charity Bees for Development.

Do vegans eat honey?

183:778100644 (Dafydd Jones) — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 12:31:14 GMT

Why vegans buy honey from Anglesey Bees? It's all about animal welfare

According to The Vegan Society “Honey is probably the product most frequently mistaken as vegan-friendly.” Vegans avoid any animal products or by-products, and honey is produced by bees, which are animals. However, we increasingly get enquiries about our honey from vegans and without exception they don’t leave without tasting and buying some of our honey!

According to BBC Good Food, “honey is a product made by bees, which are living creatures. Harvesting honey is seen as detrimental to the bees, who have worked hard to manufacture it in order to support their own survival through the colder months. Green Matters also confirms that “vegans do not eat honey, even in small, local, family-run beehives, beekeepers must still keep bees in captivity and take their honey — which is their food — from them.”

So why do vegans keep on buying our honey? Well, let’s dispel some myths and common misconceptions perpetuated by vegan authorities:-

1. “Harvesting honey exploits the bees and deprives them of their food source. When beekeepers remove honey from a hive, they replace it with a sugar substitute which is significantly worse for the bees’ health since it lacks the essential micro-nutrients of honey."

In reality, honey provides bees with no more than sugar, which they use as a source of energy. During the spring and summer months, when there is a plentiful supply of nectar, bees will collect a surplus if we provide them with extra space to store it in the hive. They do not have an “off switch” when they have collected enough for their needs. We leave sufficient honey for the bees needs when we harvest it. It’s not in our interest to let them starve to death during the winter! To safeguard against this, we monitor the level of stored food during the winter and top it up with sugar when it gets low. Bees derive essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals , amino acids and proteins from the pollen they collect and not the honey. They store the pollen separately from the honey, close to their brood nest. This is unaffected by harvesting honey and topping up their winter stores with sugar. Bee colonies that swarm and live in the wild have a shockingly low survival rate. According to some estimates, the survival rate in the wild is as low as 25% and many don’t make it through the winter and die from starvation.

2. Commercial honey production involves unethical practices such as clipping the queen’s wings to prevent their colonies from swarming and leaving the hive and culling hives post-harvest to keep costs down.

We regard such practices as completely unnecessary. Wing clipping is a short cut and a lazy way of attempting to preventing swarming and is often unsuccessful. When a clipped queen leaves the hive, she drops to the ground unable to fly. Without the queen, the flying bees, unable to swarm, return to the hive. In the meantime the queen may or may not crawl back into the hive. If unable to find her way back to the hive, the clipped queen is abandoned and perishes outside the hive. The colony, now without a queen starts raising a replacement queen and if successful there will be a delay of several weeks before there is a new resident egg-laying queen and this may impact on the size of the colony, amount of honey collected and winter survival.

We, on the other hand inspect our hives on a regular basis, observe the early tell-tale signs of swarm preparation and manipulate the hive to ensure that the bees have ample room inside (as congestion in the hive is one of the main triggers of swarming). We are proud of the fact that we succeed in maintain our hives without them swarming. We ensure that this skill is acquired by our students on our beginner and improver courses as we regard allowing bees to swarm as unsociable behaviour. During May and June I routinely receive 4-5 phone calls daily from distressed members of the public requesting the removal of swarms from their premises! With old hollow tree trunks being removed for safety reasons, swarms of bees seek our alternative cavities including chimneys, cavity walls, roof voids, soffits and post boxes. Not only does this cause unnecessary distress to the property owner, there is substantial disruption, structural work and cost to remove them.

3. Beekeepers keep honeybees in captivity.

Bees are not routinely shut in the hive at night! They have an incredible ability to fly up to 3 miles from their hive and accurately navigate their way back and cease flying before dusk. As explained earlier, bees may choose to make preparations to swarm from the hive and young colonies may abscond and set up home elsewhere if conditions in the hive are not to their liking.

4. In conventional beekeeping, honey bees are specifically bred to increase productivity. This selective breeding narrows the population gene pool and increases susceptibility to disease and large-scale die-offs. Diseases are also caused by importing different species of bees for use in hives.

Apis mellifera is the only honey-producing species of bee in European countries. Other more exotic species would not survive here and by definition would not breed with our species of bees as they belong to a different species so importing “different species of bee” is pointless and is an inaccurate representation of the facts. Furthermore there is a ban on importing colonies of honey bees into the UK.

There are no such things as pure British bees for historical reasons. Locally occurring bees are often kept by beekeepers without intentionally selecting for desirable characteristics. Sadly, they are often aggressive and swarmy. Coupled with poor management they can cause a nuisance to the public.

We have carefully improved and broadened the gene pool of our bees by working diligently with other British bee breeders. As a consequence, our bees have an enhanced level of disease resistance and exhibit calm and non-aggressive behaviour as experienced by the hundreds of individuals attending our educational events.

5. The honey industry, like many other commercial industries, is profit-driven where the welfare of the bees is often secondary to commercial gain.

Let’s be realistic, all commercial industries and businesses (including vegan approved ones) are profit driven. Selling honey and delivering beekeeping training and experiences is how we make a livelihood. However, at Anglesey Bees, the drive for animal welfare, sustainability and environmental custodianship comes foremost. In common with other caring livestock farmers, we love our bees and have a special relationship with them! This is hard to understand without spending some time with us and our bees. Vegans inevitably leave us with a jar or two of honey in their hands and satisfied about our high welfare standards.

6. Mass breeding of honeybees affects the populations of other competing nectar-foraging insects, including other bees. Overwhelmed by the ever-inflating quantities of farmed bees, the numbers of native bumblebees have declined.

There is a huge generalisation here. Although generally European pollinator populations have declined, this is largely due to habitat destruction, use of insecticides and climate change. However, in contrast, on Anglesey the situation is very different due to the far less intensive land management and absence of arable crops here. Furthermore, at Anglesey Bees we manage our land sympathetically to encourage the development of wildlife habitats specifically for all pollinators including our bees. It is also a haven for red squirrels, hedgehogs, weasels, frogs, newts and adders. In addition we have transformed an acre of grassland into a bee-friendly woodland by planting 1000 broad-leaved trees with support from the Woodland Trust. Tree species have been specifically chosen for nectar and pollen production. We have already noticed a significant increase in biodiversity there, particularly amongst invertebrates. I will discuss further how we develop and manage wildlife habitats in a future blog.

7. The importing of honey into the UK also increases our carbon footprint through the emissions associated with transport. Of the honey consumed in the UK, 95% of it is imported, mostly from China.

This is something that we can agree on! The solution is simple, buy local premium honey instead of cheap inferior stuff labelled as non-EU honey. I shall discuss the issue of honey quality, fake and adulterated honey in a future blog.