That’s entirely up to you, but there are some important things to consider. You may not mind sharing your property with a colony, but bees can be a nuisance to neighbours—especially when they swarm. Left alone, a colony will typically swarm 2–3 times a season, with each swarm seeking a new home—potentially in another part of your property or a neighbouring one.

Bee colonies also generate a lot of heat and moisture, which can damage timber, plaster, insulation and brickwork over time. So while it might seem easier to leave them be, there are good reasons to consider removal.

Honey bees are not a protected species in the UK, so it isn’t illegal to have them euthanised. However, the British Pest Control Association strongly advises against this except in exceptional circumstances. If extermination is to go ahead, strict procedures must be followed to prevent any poison from escaping the colony and harming nearby wild or managed hives.

Whenever possible, live bee removal and rehoming is the best outcome—for the bees, for the environment, and for your conscience.

Our standard survey costs £150 + VAT. After the visit, you’ll receive a quote for removal along with a summary of what’s involved. If you require a more detailed report (for insurance, listed building consent or commercial purposes), we can provide this for an additional £100.

It really depends on the location of the colony and the access or repairs needed. In most cases, a single colony with reasonable access and straightforward repairs can be removed in a day.

Yes, absolutely. If you’d prefer to carry out your own repairs, just let us know. We’ll explain how we’ll leave the site and what needs to be done. Your quote will be adjusted accordingly.

No, we never use chemicals. Our goal is always to remove the bees alive, responsibly and safely, so they can be successfully rehomed in an apiary.

Once removed, the bees are taken to our isolation (quarantine) apiary. Here, they’re transferred into a hive and monitored for at least 8 weeks—usually longer. We check for signs of disease, confirm the queen is present and laying, and ensure the colony is healthy and stable. Once we’re confident they’re thriving, they’re moved to one of our main apiaries in the Mid-Cornwall countryside.

Follow us on Facebook for regular updates on the markets, festivals and other events we attend. We’ll also post updates on our website about where you can find us throughout the year.

While we don’t use the term “raw” on our labels (as it isn’t legally defined in the UK), our honey is not heat-treated and has nothing added. It’s spun, filtered and jarred—just as nature intended.

Some people believe that eating local honey can help build immunity to local pollens and ease hayfever symptoms. While there’s some anecdotal and early scientific support for this idea, it isn’t medically proven. That said, it’s definitely worth a try—and even if it doesn’t help your hayfever, you’ll still enjoy a delicious spoonful each day!

Yes, they are. We use 100% beeswax in our candles and wax blocks—no blends, no additives. While products with as little as 51% beeswax can still be labelled as such, we believe that pure beeswax burns cleaner, slower, and gives off a lovely natural scent. We don’t add any fragrance—our candles are exactly as the bees intended.

Runny honey is simply filtered and jarred after spinning from the comb—it’s in the same state the bees made it. To make our soft set honey, we allow some of the runny honey to naturally crystallise. We then smooth out the crystals and churn it with more runny honey over a few days to create a creamy texture. The result is a deliciously spreadable honey that’s just as natural, but with a different mouthfeel and slightly different flavour.

Crystallisation is a natural process—all runny honey will eventually set. How quickly this happens depends on what plants the bees have been foraging on, how the honey is stored (cooler temperatures speed up the process), and whether anything has been introduced to the jar (such as crumbs from a spoon or toast!).

If your honey has set, you can easily return it to a runny state by placing the jar in warm water. It can be gently warmed and reset multiple times without affecting the quality or flavour.