Why do honeybees make honey?
During the summer, honeybees live in large colonies consisting of a queen and about 50,000 female worker bees. Unlike ants, wasps and bumblebees, whose workers die during the winter leaving only the next generation of queens to survive, honeybees overwinter as a colony of about 10,000 workers and the queen.
Honeybees are able to overwinter in such large numbers as they collect nectar from flowers, which they process and store as honey in sealed wax cells. During the winter months they feed on the stored honey to keep warm.
Honey for sale
We have up to 18 hives at our apiary in Hinchingbrooke Country Park, Huntingdon. The bees produce more honey than they need for the winter so we sell the excess honey in the Country Park café. The money raises funds for new equipment for the bees and helps us educate the public about honeybees, other pollinators and the environment.
We also sell beeswax. See more
Did you know?
Unprocessed honey straight from the hive will eventually crystallise. Don’t worry, this is completely natural and the honey isn’t spoiled. If you prefer it runny, it is easy to fix.
Place the jar with the lid loosened in a pan of warm water at about 45oC and stir it until the crystals dissolve. Don’t let it boil otherwise you will destroy all the vitamins.