Chalk Hills Honey

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Chalk Hills Honey Local Reigate Honey
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25/08/2024

Lovely summer honey - the rippling effect indicates it has a low water content - what every beekeeper wants to see when jarring. 😀

We are late in the beekeeping season now and this colony (a late swarm) has not built up sufficiently. Next visit it wil...
16/09/2023

We are late in the beekeeping season now and this colony (a late swarm) has not built up sufficiently. Next visit it will be moved into a half size box. This "nucleus" box, made of polystyrene will improve their overwintering survival chances. Less space to keep warm and better insulation.

100kg honey per tank. Next step is to drain into food grade, air tight buckets for storage and then continue filling the...
06/08/2023

100kg honey per tank. Next step is to drain into food grade, air tight buckets for storage and then continue filling these again.

100Kg honey per tank. Next step is to drain into food grade air-tight buckets until ready to bottle.
06/08/2023

100Kg honey per tank. Next step is to drain into food grade air-tight buckets until ready to bottle.

A frame of honey - the wax cappings removed and ready for the extractor (centrifuge). .
01/08/2023

A frame of honey - the wax cappings removed and ready for the extractor (centrifuge). .

Harvesting this year's summer crop has commenced. At least it's a bit cooler this year. Lifting & moving honey supers (b...
30/07/2023

Harvesting this year's summer crop has commenced. At least it's a bit cooler this year. Lifting & moving honey supers (boxes) from the hive is hard work - so working in the rain today - made it a lot more comfortable.

Holly (Ilex aquifolium) is in flower. Honeybees love the nectar and can be seen walking from flower to flower.
14/05/2023

Holly (Ilex aquifolium) is in flower. Honeybees love the nectar and can be seen walking from flower to flower.

Soft set honey underway. This machine stirs it for 15 minutes every hour, day and night for 48 hours.
23/04/2023

Soft set honey underway. This machine stirs it for 15 minutes every hour, day and night for 48 hours.

Today I found my very first Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) with a flowering inflorescence. Then Apple (Malus), ...
22/04/2023

Today I found my very first Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) with a flowering inflorescence. Then Apple (Malus), Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), Greater Stitchwort (Rabelera holostea), Jack of the Hedge (Alliaria petiolata), Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris), native English Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), White Dead Nettle (Lamium album) and Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus). Combined it's a veritable feast for bees at the moment 🐝🍯

An apiary inspection with no stings is always a good visit 🐝
21/04/2023

An apiary inspection with no stings is always a good visit 🐝

Laurel in full flower, sycamore just started flowering and holly just about to flower.
21/04/2023

Laurel in full flower, sycamore just started flowering and holly just about to flower.

The sun is shining and now it's starting to warm a little the bees start flying earlier in the morning. The first supers...
17/04/2023

The sun is shining and now it's starting to warm a little the bees start flying earlier in the morning. The first supers (honey boxes) are already on the colonies - and starting to fill. 🍯🐝

Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) - which surprisingly (to me at least) is in the Rose family can be a great nectar so...
16/04/2023

Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) - which surprisingly (to me at least) is in the Rose family can be a great nectar source. This apiary is surrounded by laurel, not only providing a nectar source but shielding the hives from the wind.

Beekeepers are constantly watching the season and the weather to see what's available for their bees to forage. P***y wi...
08/04/2023

Beekeepers are constantly watching the season and the weather to see what's available for their bees to forage. P***y willow (Sallix caprea), sometimes known as goat willow is a great early season source of pollen (protein) and nectar (carbohydrate).

First job of the year is marking queens. In this apiary, this was the only queen who wasn't already marked. The colony h...
08/04/2023

First job of the year is marking queens. In this apiary, this was the only queen who wasn't already marked. The colony had replaced the old (marked) queen in the autumn - a process known as supercedure, so my job was to mark her with this fashionable florescent orange (the photo doesn't really do it justice) but it's pretty bright in real life!

A quick game of 'spot the queen'. Your time starts now....
07/04/2023

A quick game of 'spot the queen'. Your time starts now....

Lovely to see honeybees out foraging after all the rain recently.
02/04/2023

Lovely to see honeybees out foraging after all the rain recently.

Happy New Year!
31/12/2022

Happy New Year!

Beeswax smells divine.
27/09/2022

Beeswax smells divine.

Beautiful frames of honey. It always seems a shame to cut through them to harvest the honey
03/08/2022

Beautiful frames of honey. It always seems a shame to cut through them to harvest the honey

Plenty of honey available
02/07/2022

Plenty of honey available

Birds foot trefoil. Another great plant for bees
25/06/2022

Birds foot trefoil. Another great plant for bees

The clover is in full flower 🐝🍯
25/06/2022

The clover is in full flower 🐝🍯

Blackberry is in full flower - a major nectar source for bees. It's early this year by a week or two.
19/06/2022

Blackberry is in full flower - a major nectar source for bees. It's early this year by a week or two.

Hot work beekeeping today. Wearing a bee suit and lifting heavy honey supers (honey boxes) off the colonies in the sun -...
17/06/2022

Hot work beekeeping today. Wearing a bee suit and lifting heavy honey supers (honey boxes) off the colonies in the sun - sweat was running into my eyes I was so hot!

Its lovely to have my bees welcomed back to the heart of Reigate - and only fitting that it happens to be International ...
20/05/2022

Its lovely to have my bees welcomed back to the heart of Reigate - and only fitting that it happens to be International Bee Day that they have moved back to SCC Woodhatch place

Setting back up in my old Reigate apiary 🤩
19/05/2022

Setting back up in my old Reigate apiary 🤩

Horse chestnut trees do have the most delightful flowers.
07/05/2022

Horse chestnut trees do have the most delightful flowers.

I found Oak, Sycamore and Holly trees all in flower on my morning walk. Honeybees can be found working Holly & Sycamore ...
01/05/2022

I found Oak, Sycamore and Holly trees all in flower on my morning walk. Honeybees can be found working Holly & Sycamore for nectar quite readily but they can also be found on Oak occasionally for pollen.

Happy Easter 🐰🐇These hives are racing along due to the recent good weather. When colonies are this strong this early in ...
17/04/2022

Happy Easter 🐰🐇These hives are racing along due to the recent good weather. When colonies are this strong this early in the year (which makes a change from the last couple of seasons) swarming is highly likely. Swarming is the process of colony reproduction, the old queen leaves with around half the bees to find a new home, leaving a daughter to become the queen in the original colony.

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Videos

Honey harvesting.
Honey harvesting.

Lovely summer honey - the rippling effect indicates it has a low water content - what every beekeeper wants to see when jarring. 😀

I love that honey twists as you pour it.

Honey filling the settling tank.

Honey is spun out using a centrifuge. This is the first batch of this year's harvest. It's a bit like an upright washing machine - and sounds like one too...

Checking my extractor still works before I commence harvesting honey tomorrow!

These bees with white pollen on their thorax have been foraging on Himalayan Balsam.

Tools of the trade.

This swarm has just been placed in a new hive. To let the rest of the bees know, they expose a gland in the tip of their abdomen, point it in the air, and fan their wings to creat a scent trail to direct the others. It's amazing to watch.

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Local Reigate Honey

If you are looking for local Reigate honey - please see my page for the latest prices on my range of honey. I’m a local beekeeper which around 10 hives located in Reigate and sell direct, or wholesale my honey crop each year. Get in touch if you’d like to know more, or would like to buy some honey.