Bee Experience

TRY OUR AWARD WINNING "BEE EXPERIENCE"

If you are feeling adventurous you can book onto one of our award-winning ‘Bee Experiences’. These events last for approximately 90 minutes. 

You will receive an introduction to honeybees and beekeeping from one of our experienced beekeepers, after which you will be able to put on one of our beekeeping suits and get ‘up close and personal’ with our bees.


– Unusual, Educational, Memorable

– Great as a gift or for a family activity

– Lancashire Tourism Awards “Visitor Experience” Winner

TRY OUR AWARD WINNING "BEE EXPERIENCE"

Beekeeping Experience at The Bee Centre
Play Video about Beekeeping Experience at The Bee Centre

Close Encounter

Get up-close-and-personal with our beautiful, well behaved honeybees. Spend a relaxing time immersed in the fascinating world of these amazing creatures.

Find the Queen

Work as a group to find the queen bee amongst her thousands of workers. You'll also explore how the girls make honey and run the hive and what the boys do. You might even be able to see babies emerging.

Taste Real Honey

Sit down with us and taste a range of our award-winning honeys. Explore how they are produced and what makes them differ. You will also learn more about the incredible health benefits of raw honey.

Discuss

Spend time with our head beekeeper and the team, asking questions and learning more about the importance of bees and how we can help them thrive.

HappyWhalley
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Visited the bee centre In Sept. 2020 for a “bee experience” and had the most glorious day. The information was fascinating, visiting the bee hives was amazing, and it was a great, fun day out. The team here is brilliant, and genuinely focused on the important issue of preserving bees, and treating them well. I would not hesitate to return, or to recommend a visit to anyone else.
aksharp24
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My friend got me this bee keeping experience as a birthday present and it did not disappoint! Very informative and great insight into whether beekeeping is for you. The bees were very calm, they were not bothered by us at all and no one in the group was stung! The staff were so friendly and knowledgable. I can’t wait to do the beginners course 😀
britinsydney2013
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My mum bought the bee experience for me as a gift for Christmas knowing how much I love wildlife! I had a fantastic experience and learnt lots. Simon and Kath were really friendly and knowledgeable. Would highly recommend! I'm even considering purchasing my own hive...!

A unique present
for family and friends

Our bee experiences also make a great present for Christmas, birthdays or special events. Vouchers can be purchased from our online shop or in store.

 

Bee Experiences are run from March through to October at our apiary and training centre in the grounds of Brindle Distillery, near Chorley.

 

We are 2 minutes from J9 of the M61. The facility includes an indoor visitor centre and classroom area alongside our purpose built training apiary.

The experience is held at our purpose built classroom and training apiary in the grounds of Brindle Distillery (between Preston and Chorley, in Lancashire, UK). 

 

We’re less than 5 minutes from M6 Junctions 28 and 29 and M61 Junction 9. 

 

Full address and contact details are in the page footer.

We run experiences from March to the end of October (weather permitting).

Sessions are typically held on Wednesdays and Saturday, although we are working to provide more weekday and evening sessions throughout the Summer.

We can also explore other dates for private groups and family events.

You can check out our published dates via the website or get in touch to see what special arrangements we might be able to make.

Sessions are run by our Head Beekeeper (Kath) and our experienced team of beekeepers and educators.

Despite rumours to the contrary, Lancashire enjoys a pleasant climate and we usually have wonderful weather for courses. That said, we are well set up to deal with poorer weather conditions and it is rare for us to postpone an experience.

Our tough Lancashire bees are well mannered and even behave themselves if the weather starts to chill or rain. 

Not really; it’s more a question of ensuring we have a suit to fit.

Bee experiences are designed for adults, children, families and groups. We always tailor the session to best suit the attendees at the time.

 

The youngest visitor we have accommodated is 2 1/2 years old. We have suits to fit toddlers.

 

At the other end of the spectrum, our oldest customer has been in their 90s; so we consider ourselves able to work with ‘children’ of all ages.

 

Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a paying adult.

 

If you’re still not sure and would like some further advice and encouragement, give us a call, or drop in to see us.

There’s no need to feel nervous. Bees can string but that is not what they want to do. They die when they sting.

 

Our bees are bred to be well behaved and have a good temperament. 

 

We have run hundreds of Bee experiences and have not yet had a customer get stung. We wrap you up in a suit and gloves which keeps you well protected.

 

If you’re feeling nervous, please remember that your enjoyment and safety is our priority. Most customers don’t even think about getting stung once they are suited up and surrounded by our girls.

We prefer to think of customers as each having unique needs.

Beekeeping is a highly accessible pass time. It should be enjoyable and relaxing. It also benefits mental health and wellbeing. 

Depending what you want to achieve from your beekeeping there are techniques and equipment which can be used to minimise physical exertion and maximise accessibility.

In our bespoke training apiary we cater for beekeepers of all ages and physical/learning abilities. We also specialise in working with participants with accessibility challenges including mobility, motor function, visual/auditory impairment and learning challenges.

We have access for wheelchairs, in apiary seating (if required) and have even managed to work with a customer who required permanent oxygen supply. No challenge is dismissed out of hand.

If you’re still not sure and would like some further advice and encouragement, give us a call, or drop in to see us.

You will need to bring your voucher.

 

We provide the use of our beekeeping suits and gloves. We have suits from toddler size to 8XL.

 

You will need to bring sensible, fully enclosed, outdoor footwear. Wellies are ideal. Walking boots are also a good option. Sandals, flip-flops and high heels are definitely not allowed.

 

You will also need to bring a long sleeved top to wear under your beekeeping suit. 

You won’t be able to operate a touch screen or small buttons when you have beekeeping gloves on. You can bring a larger camera by arrangement but honeybees don’t like electronics and can react badly to them.


We normally take a few photos to ensure you have a good souvenir of your experience. We do this as a complimentary service and will email it to you after the event.

Yes, honey, candles and other bee-themed items will be available for purchase in our shop.

We stock a much wider range of products than are available via our online store.

We also stock a range of hives, clothing and beekeeping equipment and can order additional items as required.

Yes. We don’t have our own accommodation but we are blessed with a range of local options to suit various needs and budgets.

A few possible options include below. The distance from us is bracketed. The links are active and should take you directly to the relevant websites.

  • Travelodge Preston Chorley (0.6 miles)
  • Holiday inn Express Preston South (1.8 miles)
  • Premiere Inn Preston South (2,4 miles)
  • Premiere Inn Chorley North (3.3 miles)
  • Farington Lodge Hotel (3.5 miles)
  • Northcote Hotel (14 miles)
  • Foxfields Country hotel (15 miles)
  • Get more ideas on what to do on the Chorley Travel Guide

There are a couple of ways. 

You can buy a voucher via our shop. Vouchers make very popular gifts for Christmas, Birthdays and other special occasions.

 

There are booking details on the back of the voucher.

 

You can also book in store.

 

Our award winning Bee Experiences are hugely popular and attract visitors from across the UK and internationally. It is advisable to book early, to avoid disappointment.

Need More Info?

Get in touch!

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