Promoting the health of pollinators through conservation, education and community. We believe everyone can make a difference; anyone can become a pioneer.
With our natural environment in crisis and pollinators in decline, we aim to inspire mind-set change with initiatives that value pollinators, our green and blue space, and the vital role of the humble bee in building environmental resilience. Our main purpose is to support ecological systems, increase the pollinator footprint locally and champion ocean conservation to strengthen biodiversity. Nature, empowerment, and collaboration should be accessible to all.
We are here at Findon Sheep Fair, Nepcote Green, Findon.
We are here selling our delicious, freshly harvested 2024 honey from our apiary sites at Brooklands Park and Worthing Leisure Centre. We also have beeswax candles, polish and wax wraps.
Come along and say hello and buy some yummy honey 🍯 made by our very own Worthing bees 🐝❤️
Findon Sheep Fair is back for 2024! 🐑
On 14th September, from 10.30am-4.30pm Findon Sheep Fair will be held at Nepcote Green in Findon Village.
There are craft stalls, sheep displays, sheep judging, a funfair, food stalls, live displays, a beer tent and many other displays and attractions on the green.
We will be there with a stall selling our freshly harvested 2024 honey from our buzzy Worthing bees🐝 at Brooklands Park and Worthing Leisure Centre apiary sites.
We will also be selling beeswax candles, wax wraps, polish, gift sets and some craft items all made by our volunteers.
All the money we make goes straight back into our project helping to support our educational workshops. ❤️
Come along and say hello and buy a jar of our freshly harvested delicious honey 😁.
We are very pleased to welcome Shoreham Vehicle Auctions as one of our beehive hosting sites.
Bee hosting sites are an important part of our strategy to expand the pollinator footprint.
A hosting arrangement is where the Pollinator Pioneers will set up, manage, and maintain the honeybees on site, in line with our aim to grow the pollinator footprint. The property owner will procure and host the bees, and benefits through pollination of the local area. Site owners can leave hive management to the beekeepers or actively join in and benefit from onsite weekly training during inspections.
If you have some land and are interested to become a hosting site and want to find out more please get in touch at [email protected]
We will be there selling our delicious honey from 11am to 3pm 🍯🐝
There are lots of great activities and it is a free event ❤️
It's time for Picnic in the Park Tarring on Friday 16th August 2024. The theme this year is 'schools out'. FREE entry.
The fun starts at 11am - we will be there selling our honey 🍯🐝 and there will be other stalls from 11am to 3pm, the event then continues with live music till 6pm.
Its here ❤️... our delicious Brooklands 2024 honey made by our very own buzzy bees from our Brooklands Park, Worthing apiary site, is back in stock at Brooklands Cafe (situated at the park, Western Road). 🐝💛🍯
The price is £7.99 per jar, please note that it is cash only so we can keep it separate from the cafe business. All the money we make from the sales of our products goes directly back into our amazing pollinator project at the park.
Our honey is untreated, with no preservatives and straight from the hive 😋
Coming very soon...... Pollinator Pioneers 2024 Honey 🐝🍯💛 Made by our very own Worthing buzzy bees from Brooklands Park and Worthing Leisure Centre apiary sites.
We will be out and about selling our honey at various events which we will post about, and the lovely Brooklands Cafe will have some Brooklands honey available to buy... will send out a post when it is ready ❤️
Continuing and finishing our educational workshops for 2024 at Brooklands apiary was with the amazing Electric Storm Youth
We gave a talk on an 'introduction to and ’ training. The group were fantastic with lots of great questions and knowledge 😍. We then got suited up in protective suits and entered the apiary to inspect our bees.
We were able to show them honey, pollen and brood from our new hive, and we saw the queen which is always a bonus 🐝
Our bees were on their best behaviour, and the group were great, incredibly calm and really engaged. Some were even brave enough to hold the frames.
A massive thank you to Sussex Transport who sponsored this educational workshop. The support we receive from local businesses is so important for our CIC and means we can continue to work with groups on the importance of our pollinators and .
Our mission is to promote the health of , and education is at the heart of what we do.
If you are a community group, organisation or school and are interested to take part in either a workshop to meet our bees or for us to give a talk please get in contact at [email protected] - there is no age limit (only a minimum age of 10 years to meet the bees).
If you are a business that would like to help to support our CIC then please get in touch with Lisa.
COME AND MEET OUR BUZZY WORTHING BEES !
We have 2 sessions still available to meet our Brooklands Park bees 🐝❤️
Sessions are held on Saturday 27th July (AM and PM). Places are limited to 6 people per session and tickets cost £30 per person - we have a few spaces available.
Our 'Meet The Bee' sessions provide the perfect introduction to bees and their magical impact on our , and our planet.
Our two-hour training course outlines bee facts and basics followed by a live apiary session to meet our wonderful Worthing .
Our project is led by and the money we take for these sessions goes straight back into supporting our project and helping us to offer educational workshops with local schools and community. ❤️
DM us directly on here, or contact us at [email protected] for more information.
Over the weekend we hosted TWO 'Meet The Bee' sessions looking through Liz and Hive Ruby at Brooklands Park Apiary site.
In these workshops, our introduce basics, teaching about and practises, and touching on conservation.
All those attending 'suit and boot' up, and participate in a live hive inspection.
Our 'Meet The Bee' sessions are invaluable educational opportunities for people interested in beekeeping, and . Importantly, the money raised also help our continue our work protecting as all money goes back into the project.
These session are priced at £30 per person for a two hour session. We do have a few spaces on Saturday 27th July - AM and PM sessions if you would like to come meet our wonderful Buzzy
DM us directly or contact us at [email protected] for more info and bookings.
Apiary Update
During our last update we had been splitting some hives as they had showed signs of wanting to swarm. When the colony wants to swarm, they will produce new queen cells for the existing hive to requeen. A few days after a new queen has emerged she will go on a mating flight and will be out of the hive for a few days as she finds the congregation areas of drone (male) bees and will mate with around 10-15 drones, but during this time there is the risk that she could be killed, eaten, or even battered by the weather if it is raining or windy and therefore not make it back. You hope that the mating flight is successful, and she returns to the hive full of fertilised eggs and starts laying eggs. A queen bee on average lays around 1500 eggs PER DAY during the spring – summer.
At Worthing Leisure Centre, we have hives Agatha, Flo, Melissa and Saskia.
Hives Agatha and Saskia are still both going great guns and are producing lots of honey. The hives are getting too tall now so we will take some of the honey to do an early spin. Hopefully the weather will improve, and they will continue to make lots of more honey for us take at the end of season. We always leave enough honey on the hives at the end of the season for them to eat over the winter. We only ever take the excess.
Hives Flo and Melissa have been keeping us guessing.
Melissa was split and half were able to successfully requeen and the other half not, so we did not lose half the bees we have merged the 2 together which has been successful. Though we were not able to have 2 hives form the split we still have 1.
Flo sadly has not been able to requeen despite our best efforts and we will regrettably lose the hive.
At Brooklands Park we have hives Honeybun, Holly, Ruby and Liz.
Holly and Liz splits - We split both hives Holly and Liz as had signs of wanting to swarm. Sadly the requeening has still not been successful. We will give it another couple of weeks and will then decide what to do.
Original Hive Liz – the hive is doing well and building honey stores, probably too quickly as they were running out of room and started to show signs of wanting to swarm. We gave them more room with another box of frames and hopefully this will stop them going.
Original Hive Holly – even though we split the hive back in May we have lost the original queen and half the bees as they swarmed, this hive was a rehomed swarm from last year so perhaps the colony just has a high swarming impulse. We are waiting to see if the requeening is successful with the remaining bees.
Hive Ruby – this is a good strong hive, the queen is doing a great job and they have been building lots of honey stores.
Hive Honeybun - this hive is also doing well. We did think the queen was slowing down a bit but the bees seem to be happy with her.
Unfortunately, our weather has been quite changeable which could have impacted our new queens on mating flights, With the rainy and windy conditions it is a lottery if new queens will make it back safely to the hive after mating…. Seems our new queens have not been very lucky.
For our more detailed apiary update please use the following link
https://pollinatorpioneers.org.uk/beekeeping-season-apiary-updates-july-2024/
Our next educational workshop to take place at Brooklands apiary was with a fantastic group from Guild Care - Fitzalan Howard Day Centre - Worthing
First we gave a talk on an 'introduction to and ’ training. The group were great. We then got suited up in protective suits and entered the apiary to inspect our bees. Meeting the bees is not for everyone, but Julian with Darren (support staff) were keen to meet them.
We were able to show them honey, pollen and brood from Hive Liz.
Our bees were on their best behaviour, and Julian and Darren were incredibly calm and really engaged.
Our mission is to promote the health of , and education is at the heart of what we do.
If you are a community group, organisation or school and are interested to take part in either a workshop to meet our bees or for us to give a talk please get in contact at [email protected] - there is no age limit (only a minimum age of 10 years to meet the bees).
The Big Butterfly Count 2024 🦋
The chart will help you identify the butterflies and moths during your 15 minute count.
You can also use the app (Big Butterfly Count) and the chart can also be downloaded at
https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org
Happy counting 😊
The Big Butterfly Count 2024 is on!
The Big Butterfly Count is a UK-wide survey aimed at helping us assess the health of our environment simply by counting the amount and type of butterflies (and some day-flying moths) we see. It is as easy and fun as 1,2,3…..
Step 1.
Get ready
Download the handy butterfly ID chart or free app for iOS and Android to identify and record the butterflies you spot.
Step 2.
Join in
Between Friday 12th July and Sunday 4th August choose a place to spot butterflies and moths. Watch for 15 minutes. Then record which species you see in step 3.
Step 3.
Add your counts
Add your counts on the website or via the app and look at the fascinating interactive map to see how your data is contributing to conservation science and research.
Find out more at https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org
Continuing with our bee workshop programme, next to come and visit our apiary site was St Oscar Romero Catholic School
A group of 9 eager students came to Brooklands Park apiary site to hear all about our bees.
First we gave a talk on an 'introduction to and ’ training. The students were amazing and knew lots of great bee facts and asked lots of great questions. We then got the group suited up in their protective suits and entered the apiary to inspect our bees. We were able to show the group lots of delicious honey, pollen and brood from Hive Ruby.
Our colonies were on their best behaviour, and the students were incredibly calm and really engaged.
Our mission is to promote the health of , and education is at the heart of what we do.
If you are a community group, organisation or school and are interested to take part in either a workshop to meet our bees or for us to give a talk please get in contact at [email protected] - there is no age limit (only a minimum age of 10 years to meet the bees).
Aswell as holding our educational workshops at our apiary site we have also been busy going out into the local community to give talks.
This time we were very kindly invited by Kingsland House Care Home - Barchester Healthcare in Shoreham to give the residents a talk all about our amazing bees and project.
We loved meeting the residents and that there is no age limit to learn about nature.
The residents had also been showing us their creative skills as they had been decorating a hive for us, it looks amazing!
If you are a community group, organisation or school and are interested to take part in either a workshop to meet our bees or for us to give a talk please get in contact at [email protected] - there is no age limit (only a minimum age of 10 years to meet the bees).
As part of Bees Needs Week 2024 we want to tell you all about how you can get involved with collecting some valuable data on our within your garden, green space or local park.
Many wild and cultivated plants depend on to pollinate their flowers, with successful leading to successful seed or fruit production.
There are concerns that numbers of pollinating insects such as and may be declining, but we need more data to be able to track changes in abundance across the country.
The Flower-Insect Timed Count (FIT Count) is designed to collect new data on numbers of flower-visiting insects, as part of a wider set of surveys under the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS).
All you need to do is simply spend 10 minutes watching flowers and insects in good weather. FIT Counts can be done anywhere, including gardens and parks in warm, dry weather, any time from April to September.
Every single count submitted to the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS) helps make the data more meaningful, to help us learn more about where pollinators live and how their numbers are changing.
Read the PoMS instructions for FIT Counts and help us help pollinators!
https://ukpoms.org.uk/fit-counts
It is Bees Needs week and we wanted to share with you our next amazing group of students that came to visit our bees for one of our educational workshops. 🐝❤️
We were very pleased to welcome Rowans Day Opportunities Centre at Brooklands Park apiary site. The Rowans is a day opportunity service providing person-centred support for people over the age of 18 with a variety of care and support needs.
First we gave a talk on an 'introduction to and ’ training. We then got the group in their protective suits and entered the apiary to inspect Hive Liz which is a lovely calm hive.
Our colonies were very well behaved, and the students were amazing, incredibly calm and really engaged. We spotted brood, larvae, colourful , and lots of
Our mission is to promote the health of , and education is at the heart of what we do.
If you are a community group, organisation or school and are interested to take part in either a workshop to meet our bees or for us to give a talk please get in contact at [email protected] - there is no age limit (only a minimum age of 10 years to meet the bees).
COME AND MEET OUR BUZZY WORTHING BEES !
We have 4 sessions available to meet our bees 🐝❤️ Sessions are held on Saturday 13thJuly (AM and PM) and Saturday 27th July (AM and PM). Places are limited to 6 people per session and tickets cost £30 per person - we have a few spaces available.
Our 'Meet The Bee' sessions provide the perfect introduction to bees and their magical impact on our , and our .
Our two-hour training course outlines bee facts and beekeeping basics followed by a live apiary session to meet our wonderful Worthing .
DM us directly on here, or contact us at [email protected] for more information.
It is Bees’ Needs Week 2024 : 8 to 14 July 2024
Bees’ Needs Week is an annual event coordinated by Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), working alongside a host of organisations such as conservation groups, businesses, and charities.
The aim of the week is to raise awareness of the importance of , and share ideas, actions and activities that highlight the ways in which everyone can help and other pollinators to thrive.
There are 5 simple actions that anyone can take to help pollinators:
1. Grow more rich flowers, shrubs and trees. Using window or balcony boxes are good options if you don’t have a garden.
2. Let patches of garden and land grow wild.
3. Cut grass less often.
4. Do not disturb insect nests and hibernation spots.
5. Think carefully about whether to use pesticides.
During pollinator week we were really pleased to welcome Red Balloon Educational Trust Worthing School to take part in one of Bee Workshop sessions at Brooklands Park apiary site.
We carried out an 'introduction to and ’ training. We then got the group in their protective suits and entered the apiary to inspect Hive Liz.
Our colonies were very well behaved, and the students were amazing, super calm and really engaged. Some of the students were even brave enough to hold one of frames. We spotted brood, larvae, colourful , and lots of .
Our mission is to promote the health of , and education is at the heart of what we do.
If you are a community group, organisation or school and are interested to take part in either a workshop to meet our bees or for us to give a talk please get in contact at [email protected] - there is no age limit (only a minimum age of 10 years to meet the bees).
Thank you to Inside Magazines for publishing our update on our amazing bees at our apiary sites at Brooklands Park and Worthing Leisure Centre. You can see our update in the new July edition.
This is a great FREE magazine supporting the local community.
We will share our apiary updates and educational workshops in the next issue.
Our second workshop of the season was held with Oak Grove College, and an amazing group of students.
We carried out an 'introduction to and ’ training. We then got the group suited and booted up, and we entered the apiary to inspect Hive Liz. As the bees are lovely and calm in this hive it is a great one to show off to the students. We were able to show the group filled with delicious honey and lots of brood (baby bees), there were lovely pollen colours aswell.
The students really are an inspiration and it is so nice to see them engaged with the bees. Hopefully, we have inspired the next generation of .
Our mission is to promote the health of , and education is at the heart of what we do. If you are a community group, organisation or school and are interested to take part in either a workshop to meet our bees or for us to give a talk please get in contact.
COME AND MEET OUR BUZZY BEES !
We have 4 sessions available to meet our bees 🐝❤️ Sessions are held on Saturday 13thJuly (AM and PM) and Saturday 27th July (AM and PM). Places are limited to 6 people per session and tickets cost £30 per person - we have some spaces available.
Our 'Meet The Bee' sessions provide the perfect introduction to bees and their magical impact on our , and our .
Our two-hour training course outlines bee facts and beekeeping basics followed by a live apiary session to meet our wonderful Worthing .
DM us directly on here, or contact us at [email protected] for more information.
We have been foraging! Elderflower cordial is a staple with a long history., and we wanted to share with you our favorite recipe.
Elder (Sambucus nigra) is a familiar tree with fragrant flowers and edible berries, best enjoyed from late May to June across the UK.
These creamy blooms are richly scented and feature prominently in British folklore and medicine. They're used in teas, jams, jellies, and the beloved elderflower cordial, known for its refreshing taste.
It is very important to note, both flowers and berries require cooking, to remove slight toxins. Simply pick, shake, rinse, simmer and enjoy in cordials, wines, teas, desserts, and more.
Find elder trees in woodlands, hedgerows, and wastelands with creamy-white, flat-topped clusters. Pick on warm, dry days away from traffic for best results.
Swipe to see our simple Elderflower cordial recipe!🌿🌼
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Coming very soon...... Pollinator Pioneers 2024 Honey 🐝🍯💛 Made by our very own Worthing buzzy bees from Brooklands Park and Worthing Leisure Centre apiary sites. We will be out and about selling our honey at various events which we will post about, and the lovely Brooklands Cafe will have some Brooklands honey available to buy... will send out a post when it is ready ❤️ #worthingbees #savethebees #savetheplanet #healthybees #beekeeperuk #pollinatorpioneers #honey
We wanted to share with you a time lapse video showing an inspection at our Brooklands Apiary site. We are inspecting hive Liz 🐝 We started our inspection in the bottom brood box, this is so we don’t annoy the bees too much with the hive open so we get straight to the main box. We are looking for signs that the queen is there so are looking for brood in all stages – this includes eggs, uncapped larvae and capped brood. If we see eggs then we know that the queen is there and laying as they only remain as eggs for 3 days before they start growing into larvae and the last inspection was a week ago. We are also looking for any signs that the bees may be thinking of swarming. Though it is only at the start of the beekeeping season, the bees can keep us on our toes. The top box is where the bees will be storing their honey, there is not much in there at the moment as it is early in the season but soon those frames will be full of delicious honey if the weather stays nice ❤️🐝🍯 #beekeepersofinstagram #beekeeperslife #pollinatorconservation #pollinators #worthingbees #healthybee #saveourbees
The Swarm moves into the nuc following their Queen....
Thought you might like to see one of our Junior #Beekeepers in action on a short inspection video! In 2021 we conducted a 6 week junior beekeeping course for years 4 and 5 (age 9-10) from pupils at Lancing Prep School at Worthing and Thomas 'A' Becket school. Misha (Lancing Prep Worthing) has continued her passion for all things #bees - and is now conducting her second #beekeeping season. Misha can be seen under the watchful eye of Apiary Manager, Liz Upton, conducting her inspection looking for brood patterns, stores, any early signs of #swarming, and of course, trying to spot the queen! As per our mission to educate the world on both the plight and wonder of precious #pollinators - we have a range of educational workshops throughout June for 4 additional schools in the worthing area. We will keep you posted. #savethebees #savetheplanet #conservation
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