About

I’ve been keeping bees on and off since 1988 but it wasn’t until I moved to Wales in 1995 that I was able to begin keeping bees more intensively. The apiaries or bee yards are located along a swathe of mid Wales between Aberystwyth and Fishguard. Each apiary accommodates between 6 and 12 hives depending on how good the site is for honey production. Bees in the apiaries rely on native trees shrubs and flowers coming into flower during spring and summer for their nectar. Ivy is widespread in Wales and is an important late source of nectar for the bees and is stored for the winter months ahead. Only the apiary in Carmarthenshire has access to heather during August which along with Ivy can make up the bees winter stores. I enjoy working with the bees and having to adapt to their ways because they are not domesticated and are essentially wild creatures. I see the beekeepers’ relationship with the bees as a mutually beneficial one even though I’m not particularly fond of honey!