The Bee Centre

"CREATING A ABOUT BEES"

Our Mission

To develop a robust, near-native honeybee population nationally, which…

Demonstrably adds value to the economy

Provides opportunities for social engagement

Enhances public understanding of our reliance on the natural world

What We Do

We work with individuals, organisations and communities to promote a healthy and biodiverse environment

We provide the means and opportunities to create habitats for pollinators and to increase the population of near-native black bees in the UK

We raise awareness of the valuable roles honeybees play in supporting our economy and our environment

We deliver training in beekeeping, bee-breeding and habitat creation for pollinators

Ethical Beekeeping

We keep bees for their benefit and that of the environment. We work to enhance the dwindling population of native and near native honey bees in Britain. Our main focus is not the commercial production of honey.

Our bees enhance biodiversity and help to pollinate a wide range of plants that are important to a healthy environment and a sustainable society

We only remove honey from our bees when it is a genuine surplus. By doing this, we ensure the bees always have more than enough food to sustain the hive, whilst also providing the bees with the room they need to continue expanding their colony

We avoid chemical treatment of pests and diseases wherever possible; preferring to use natural treatments. Occasionally we may need to use chemical methods to initially treat a rescued swarm which has high levels of pest infestation, but this is a last resort and an emergency measure

Occasionally we will feed struggling colonies with sugar if they have been unable to produce sufficient honey for themselves. This sometimes happens when weather conditions have been poor or when we rescue a swarm later in the season and they struggle to establish a self-sustaining colony before their food becomes scarce

The honey that we do take is sold and the income is used to support our conservation activities

Sustainability

Sustainability is at the heart of what we do. Our work to promote locally bred, near-native bees and ethical beekeeping practices lead to positive environmental improvements and behaviour change.

To deliver against our objectives we pursue an ethos of “Small Footprint – Big Impact”; applying a range of approaches to deliver maximum benefits for minimum resource use. These include…

Breeding sustainable populations of localised, near-native honeybees which are better suited to our climate, forage and seasonal variations

Leaving our bees with sufficient honey to ensure that they overwinter safely and enter Spring strongly and in good health

 Avoiding chemical treatments for disease control and pest management 

Using hives made from recycled or repurposed materials

Working with the public sector and private landowners to create habitat and pollinator corridors which benefit bees and other pollinators and enhance biodiversity

Applying life cycle thinking to the procurement of materials and services with a view to minimising the overall environmental impacts of our choices

Creating positive environmental action by leveraging the actions of our customers and providing a range of products and services to support those actions at many levels

Encouraging and supporting beekeepers to develop their own localised  honeybee stocks, so reducing reliance on the importation of unsuitable honeybee breeds and potential pests and diseases.

 Working with a local supply chain and customer base to secure mutual benefits and develop synergistic products and services

Providing reuse opportunities for our packaging and other ‘consumables’

Reducing carbon and other emissions by minimising travel and running vehicles with reduced emissions

Affiliations

The Bee Farmers Association (BFA)

The Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders Association (BIBBA)

The British Beekeepers Association (BBKA)

Recent News
"Many, many thanks for an enlightening and light-hearted day on the queen rearing workshop. I had an excellent time and really learned a lot. Needless to say, I will be exploring my queen rearing capabilities and practicing what I learned on Saturday. I would thoroughly recommend your course to anyone thinking about it – I learned so much!"
Jeff C - June 2018
"Thank you very much. We had an amazing time and the photos are absolutely brilliant! We learned so much and couldn’t help but speak about it for the rest of the day. We can’t thank you both enough for making us feel so welcome. And not forgetting the other members of staff too who were super friendly and helpful. It’s great to meet people who are aiming to teach and raise awareness about the beauty and importance of bees"
Paul R - June 2018
After researching places to visit gave the Bee Centre a visit, we were not disappointed, very informative, so much to see, learned so much about these amazing little insects, bought some delicious honey, followed by coffee and cake in the halls cafe/gift shop. All schools should visit, would encourage future generations of Bee Keepers and gardeners alike. Brilliant day.
Julie B - October 2019
The bee centre is amazing. Kath and Simon are so knowledgeable and their bees are awesome. I've visited a few times to get the lovely honey and then I went on the "bee experience" as a birthday treat. It was absolutely amazing. There is nothing else like it, I've learnt soo much and got to get into a bee suit and play with the bee. Wow! I highly recommend the bee centre for a visit no matter who you are, old, young or in-between.
Zana H - October 2019
My husband and I visited the amazingly informative and happy Bee centre. Dressed in space suits we were able to get close to the hives and see how they form their communities and interact with each other. They are doing great work at the centre to boast numbers and keep the native honey bee safe. Hope to visit again soon.
Heather R - September 2019
My wife and I visited the Bee Centre which was a venue that was highly recommended by our daughter. It was a first class experience led by two erudite and passionate bee keepers.They were informative and both unlocked the awe and wonder of the honey bee with great skill and insight. Highly recommended - a stunning experience.
George L - August 2019
A most enjoyable and informative morning. Simon, his wife and staff all very friendly and knowledgeable. The emphasis being on local bees. All the information was given and explained in a clear manner.
Robert E - August 2019
Superb day at the bee centre. Really interesting and informative session, found out so much about bees and how they live from Kath and Simon. Can't speak highly enough about it. Excellent.
Ian L - August 2019
We had a wonderful session again at The Bee Centre . My 6 year old Granddaughter loves the experience. We visited last year and she was enthralled and has already requested that I book for next year. The staff are really helpful, informative and ready to explain all about care of bees and hives. Their commitment to ecology , the Planet and sustainability of nature is outstanding. It is a fantastic experience plus the honey tastes wonderful.
Patricia W - July 2019
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