Ty Mel Apiary

23/08/2026

🐝 Help Us Build a Chemical-Free, Resilient Welsh Honeybee Network.

​At Tŷ Mêl Apiary (based right here in Torfaen), we are on a mission to breed Varroa-resistant, locally adapted honeybees and bring hands-on educational programs to our local schools and community spaces like Greenmeadow Community Farm.

​We do things a bit differently here.

We do not take a wage or draw dividends from the business—100% of every pound goes right back into the bees, building bio-secure habitats, and keeping our school visits completely free of charge.

​If you want to be part of what we're building, we’ve just launched our Community & Environmental Sponsorship Program.

​How You Can Get Involved:

​Keep the Wheels Turning: Choose a monthly recurring backing (from £5 to £50/month) to help cover operational maintenance and spring build-up feeds.

​Build the Assembly Line: Sponsor individual hardware parts—everything from a £4 crown board or £22 Varroa floor up to a £48 brood box.

​Fund a Full Colony: Sponsor a complete Starter Colony or a fully loaded Commercial Producer hive setup.

​What We Give Back to You:

​We want you to share directly in our success! Depending on your level of support, you'll receive:

📜 A digital Community Stakeholder Certificate

🧱 Your name featured on our digital Wall of Sponsors

🏷️ Your name permanently stenciled onto the side of the hive (when you fund a complete colony)

📰 First access to our quarterly field newsletters

🍯 Exclusive discounts on honey and our artisanal products

​Every single contribution—big or small—goes straight into protecting our local pollinators and educating the next generation.

​👉 Explore the tiers and back a project today: https://tymel.co.uk/sponsorship
​

Sponsor a specific piece of apiary hardware — from a single wax frame to a full production hive — and become a direct stakeholder in a chemical-free, Varroa-resistant Welsh pollination network.

18/08/2026

🐝 Day 1 of Birds & Bees Week - What a Success! 🐝

The first day of our beekeeping education week at Greenmeadow Community Farm has been absolutely brilliant!

✨ Today's Highlights:

• 150+ honey samples shared with visitors
• Dozens of children trying on bee suits and discovering the wonders of beekeeping
• Families learning about hive equipment and the importance of our pollinators
• Countless curious questions and excited faces

It's been wonderful to see so many young people engaging with nature and understanding the vital role bees play in our ecosystem. These are the future stewards of our environment! 🌍

📅 Still Time to Join Us!
We're running educational sessions from 18th-21st August, 12pm-4pm at Greenmeadow Community Farm. Whether you're a curious child or an aspiring beekeeper, come and learn about our Welsh Black bees and the fascinating world of apiculture.

📍 Fferm Gymunedol Greenmeadow
🕐 12pm - 4pm (18th-21st August)

29/07/2026

Huge progress at our Greenmeadow Community Farm site this month! 🐝
​The apiary is finally taking shape.

We’ve spent the last few weeks clearing out the heavy overgrowth, tidying up the tree lines, and moving all 4 of our colonies into their new Anel polypropylene hive systems.

​The hard work doesn't stop here, though. Next up, we are installing the fencing, adding a garden archway, and starting work on a custom honeycomb-pattern gravel path.

It’s been a massive effort, but the setup is looking fantastic.

27/07/2026

🐝 Bee Prepared: What to Do If You Get Stung at Greenmeadow Community Farm! 🐝

With our new Tŷ Mêl apiary now up and running at the farm, you might spot some of our busy bees out foraging on the flowers!

Honeybees are gentle creatures and only sting in self-defense, but if you or a little one happen to get a sting, here is a quick guide on how to treat it using our on-site first aid kits:

1. Scrape, Don't Pinch: Use a credit card or a farm bee-sting scrape card to gently scrape the stinger sideways out of the skin.

Avoid using tweezers or pinching it, as this can push more venom into the body.

2. Clean the Area: Wipe the site down with an antiseptic wipe to prevent infection.

3. Treat the Itch/Swelling: Apply a small amount of 1% hydrocortisone cream to soothe irritation and reduce swelling.

Need First Aid?

We have dedicated Bee Sting First Aid Kits stocked with scrape cards, antiseptic wipes, and hydrocortisone cream and ice packs located right on site for your convenience.

You can find them at:

📍 The Open Barn in the Dell
📍 The Play Barn by the Reception

Stay safe, enjoy the farm, and let's share the space happily with our buzzing friends! 🌼🍯

24/07/2026

Aww the staff at Greenmeadow Community Farm made us a bee to go with the other animals they made.

Its really sweet of them to be thinking of us and the bees. Thanks guys

06/07/2026

On Thursday we swapped two of our hives for new empty anel hives. And the queens didn't complain.

Look at the lovely new comb and the tiny bee eggs in each cell.

These are around 3 days old and will be fully formed bees in another 18 days time.

06/07/2026

We've just installed our second bee sting first aid kit at Greenmeadow Community Farm opposite the bee shed and apiary.

If your visiting the farm and get stung by a bee or wasp you can either go to the play barn and ask to borrow the kit or you can walk down to the beekeepers shed and find the second kit in the covered barn.

Inside you'll find gloves, sterile wipes, anti histamine cream and a ice pack plus instructions, each kit contains enough for 10 people so there should always bee kits available.

All you need to do it twist off the blue security tag and take a pack out of the box.

And always remember, if the swelling gets worse or affects your throat call 999.

03/07/2026