Winwood Honey

Winwood Honey Family beekeepers. We have a little Apiary by Lloyd Park Croydon where the bees have over 45 acres of hedge rows, blackberries and wild flowers to forage.

60+ onions planted, a bit of weeding and a couple of inches of compost to prepare the soil for Spring
11/11/2025

60+ onions planted, a bit of weeding and a couple of inches of compost to prepare the soil for Spring




Annual hay bale photo taken at a distance, they got through the mowing very quickly this year.One more field to go after...
21/08/2025

Annual hay bale photo taken at a distance, they got through the mowing very quickly this year.

One more field to go after the ragwort has been pulled






A bit of science.We often get asked, "How do you know when the honey is ready to harvest?" It's a great question, and th...
17/08/2025

A bit of science.

We often get asked, "How do you know when the honey is ready to harvest?" It's a great question, and there are a few ways to check.

First, if a frame is fully capped with a layer of wax, it's a sure sign the honey is ready and has the perfect moisture content.

But sometimes, especially in a year like this where food availability has been low, the bees might not cap every cell. That's when we use the "shake test." You give the frame a hard shake, and if no honey flies out, you know it's thick and ready to go.

Finally, for the most accurate reading, we use a tool called a refractometer. Honey should have a water content of 18% or less to be considered ready.

I'm happy to report that this year's harvest is looking great! Here's a look down the eyepiece at this year's batch.












I found it! White Pollen this time of year = Common Knapweed and I even found a couple of our girls foraging on them.Com...
07/08/2025

I found it! White Pollen this time of year = Common Knapweed and I even found a couple of our girls foraging on them.

Common knapweed, also known as 'black knapweed', is a thistle-like plant that blooms from June to September. So as the Summer heads to a close and the number of flowers reduce, these wildflowers/weeds are great for bees and apparently butterflies too


















Update!! Good and Bad news Good news:After a 3 week holiday the bees are doing brilliantly. Both hives have Queens who a...
06/08/2025

Update!! Good and Bad news

Good news:

After a 3 week holiday the bees are doing brilliantly. Both hives have Queens who are laying really well with 7 frames full of eggs, larvae and capped brood each. They survived the Wasp Attacks and it bodes well for the Winter and a good Spring start.

Also spot that super white pollen! I can't identify the source so if anyone is the wiser please comment and let me know.

Bad news:

It will be a very small honey harvest 😞 It looks like the nectar flow really slowed down over the last few weeks and the bees have been eating as much as they have been collecting. See the last photo of an empty Super frame.

The plan is to reduce the size of the largest hive so they can focus on the remaining supers and leave them another couple of weeks whilst pulling off honey frames in small batches.

















Working 'em Hard! 💪 Everyone gets involved
07/06/2025

Working 'em Hard! 💪 Everyone gets involved














Extraction Day! 🍯🐝 The Wait is Over!For those of you who have been patiently waiting our first batch of 2025 Winwood Hon...
07/06/2025

Extraction Day! 🍯🐝 The Wait is Over!

For those of you who have been patiently waiting our first batch of 2025 Winwood Honey is almost ready! ✨

We've got one super fully laden with delicious honey to process, which should give us our first 20-odd jars of the season!

2025 Winwood Honey will be available from Monday at our home Apiary in Croydon.

Send us a message for more details on how to get your hands on a jar!











Everyone's welcome 😁 Look at the size difference between this bumblebee and our honey bees!I left a frame out for a litt...
02/06/2025

Everyone's welcome 😁 Look at the size difference between this bumblebee and our honey bees!

I left a frame out for a little tidy up and everyone came to visit





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Beautiful fat healthy larva 😀 means the hive is building up quickly 🐝🐝
15/04/2025

Beautiful fat healthy larva 😀 means the hive is building up quickly 🐝🐝












Look at that beautifully capped brood. In just over 10 days these will all emerge to be new nurse bees tending after the...
12/04/2025

Look at that beautifully capped brood. In just over 10 days these will all emerge to be new nurse bees tending after the queen and her eggs



No dig gardening, first attempt. A wonderful Christmas present book written by inspired us and we have been on our comp...
10/04/2025

No dig gardening, first attempt. A wonderful Christmas present book written by inspired us and we have been on our compost and journey ever since








Winter Losses... and Hope 💔🐝Seeing this many dead bees is always a bit of a shock, even though winter losses are normal....
20/03/2025

Winter Losses... and Hope 💔🐝

Seeing this many dead bees is always a bit of a shock, even though winter losses are normal. 😔 But here's the good news: the hive itself is doing okay! Just a bit low on numbers. We've got a queen, we've got eggs, but only about 3 seams of bees.

(Photo of varroa mesh that sits at the bottom of the hive)

Looking at the damage to the brood box, I'm guessing that the woodpecker attack in the middle of winter really disrupted their cluster. That kind of stress and heat loss can take a big toll.

We've given them a good clean-up, they're being fed 1:1 syrup, and we've added a frame of eggs and capped larvae from a stronger hive to give them a boost. 🚀
Fingers crossed they make it through the next few weeks! 🤞

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