Our Approach to Beekeeping
Healthy, happy bees
We aim for long-term colony strength through natural selection. How do we do this? Rather than importing queens from abroad (as many beekeepers do), we rely on local strains becoming better 'survivors'. Also, we avoid short-term fixes and chemical treatments. Over time, successive generations should become better adapted: healthier, more disease- and pest-resistant, and better suited to the local conditions.
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Bee-centred beekeeping
We are 'low interventionists', and favour bee-centric beekeeping methods. We avoid disturbing our hives without good cause, foster locally adapted bees, and and work with their natural cycles, recognising that they know their needs best. Habitat loss, pesticides, pollution and climate change all threaten bees' existence; we simply try to give them an environment in which they can flourish.
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How we started
We have enjoyed living with bees since 2011, after becoming captivated by these incredible insects when training with the Oxfordshire Beekeepers Association (OBKA) at the Marlborough School Apiary in Woodstock. We have never looked back! The bees are a constant source of fascination, and we continually learn from them.
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Learning from the bees
We learn through observing our hives, and the bees' behaviour. We try to anticipate their needs to head off potential problems. For example, we may narrow the hive entrance if it is attacked by wasps, making it easier to defend. ​Apiarists often debate when and how to intervene, but as natural beekeepers we tend towards minimal interference, to maintain the balanced environment that the bees have carefully constructed.
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Botley Meadow wildflowers in May
Locations and Surroundings
Our first apiary was established in West Oxford, between the Seacourt and Botley Streams, and borders the extensive meadows north of Botley Road. We are surrounded by gardens and a linden avenue, and are close to the Botley Meadow Allotments.
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We manage additional colonies nearby in Cumnor, South Oxford (Hogacre Common), Central and North Oxford (University College), and Farmoor. Each is within a distinctive environment, offering a rich and varied source of pollen and nectar.
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Apiary sites
Orientation and protection
The hives tend to be oriented so that entrances catch the morning sun; this gets the bees off to a good start each day during the foraging season. They have ready access to water, and are protected from winds by walls, fences or hedgerows.
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Foraging further afield
The bees can fly several miles for food, with nearby forage extending from Wytham Woods to the Botanic Gardens, and taking in a number of allotments. On summer evenings, it is captivating to watch them returning home, carrying pollen into the hive on their rear legs. Colours range from white to brown, and you can only wonder which flowers they visited and how far they travelled.
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Products and Services
Honey and beeswax
Our natural honey is always in demand, both for its delicious flavour and healthy properties, and we also provide ever-useful beeswax. How we care for the bees and harvest the honey and beeswax guarantees high quality.
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Pollination
Bee pollination is vital for food production, contributing to about 75% of our food varieties. Individual bees visit around 5,000 flowers daily, benefiting local fruit and vegetable growers (neighbours have remarked on increased fruit yields since our bees arrived!). While we are not in the business mobile pollination services (which can harm bees' health), our small numbers of hives spread across several locations help local pollination and propomote biodiversity.​
Swarm management
We collect and re-home (free of charge) local honeybee swarms (if accessible--not colonies in walls, chimneys etc, nor bumblebees or wasps). From spring to mid-summer, you may see bees clustering briefly on a tree branch or a post, for example, before moving on to establish a colony, perhaps in an old tree cavity or a roof space. We can initially advise informally over the phone, if you contact us. Speed is of the essence, as a swarm can quickly move to its permanent home. For bees in buildings seek specialist advice.
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Swarm clustering in a bush
Community and Partnerships
Beekeeping community
There are some very supportive groups within the beekeeping community, providing mutual help and advice. These include locally (as well as OBKA) the Oxfordshire Natural Beekeeping Group, which supports and promotes low intervention beekeeping, as does the UK Top Bar Beekeepers group (find out more about top bar hives in our Apiary Diary...).
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Campaigns and engagement
We are part of Good Food Oxfordshire, promoting healthy and sustainable local produce. In 2024 we joined the Hogacre Common Eco Park to manage its apiary and mentor new beekeepers. We support environmental campaigns to help protect pollinators and their habitats, and have petitioned Parliament over its reintroduction harmful neonicotinoids—the agricultural insecticide killing bee populations. Find out more in our Apiary Diary...
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We have advised Oxford colleges on keeping bees, and manage apiairies on college sites as well as private land. We give illustrated talks to groups, and have mentored individuals and take part in public outreach to promote awareness of bees and beekeeping
Getting involved
New members are warmly welcomed. Subscribers receive a priority email when the new season's honey is ready, before it goes on general sale—it can sell out very quickly! In our Apiary Diaries you can read updates about the bees and apiary projects, as well as articles about honey and beeswax production. Members can discuss anything bee-related in our Forum.
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Top bar hive in March