Meet the colonies

My first hive was near my home in Singleborough. I named my first queen bee Elizabeth after the monarch who was celebrating her platinum jubilee that year. The first honey the bees produced here was a delicious mix of nectar collected from wild flower meadows and hedgerows from the local farmland.  Later that season the same bees found fields of phacelia planted by local farmers. It was fascinating to watch the bees return to the hives covered in blue pollen and produced a lovely light coloured honey with a citrusy taste.

My next venture was in to the woodlands of Woburn. The bees flew directly to nearby sweet chestnut trees – when I span the honey I was amazed to see the wonderful dark colour and experience the distinctive taste – smooth, buttery, deeply nutty, with just a whisper of bitterness.

I have since located hives around the local area constantly amazed at the different honeys the bees produce – from woodland flowers, historic woodlands, to ancient hedgerows and wild flower meadows – I never know what to expect but be sure it is all small-batched and just the way nature intended.