From three hives at the bottom of the garden.
How a curiosity about where honey comes from turned into a small Lincolnshire apiary.
How APBees began
APBees started with a single question: where does honey actually come from? The answer in the supermarket aisle was murky — most jars are blends of imported honey from many countries. So we set up three hives at the bottom of the garden and started learning.
Years on, we still keep things small. Twelve hives, all on land we know, foraging within a few miles of where the honey ends up in the jar. We winter our colonies on their own honey, never on sugar syrup, and only take what the bees can spare.
Our way of beekeeping
We believe good honey starts with healthy, unbothered bees. That means fewer hive inspections, treatments only when truly needed, and choosing local queens that suit our climate.
- Raw & unheated. We never pasteurise. Enzymes and pollen stay intact.
- Coarse-filtered only. Just enough to remove wax flecks — no ultra-filtering.
- Single-apiary. Every jar is traceable to one of our hives, in one season.
- Bee-first harvest. Honey is taken only after the colony has plenty for itself.
Where to find us
Our apiary is in Elsham, North Lincolnshire. We sell from the door, at a handful of local markets, and by arrangement. If you'd like to visit, just get in touch — we love showing people the hives.