Tyla Glas Bees

09/06/2026

Two trays of our Tyla Glas Bees Summer Honey — Ystrad on the left, Treforest on the right — jarred and labelled today, ready to head out.

We’re starting to run low on summer honey now, with just one bucket left.

But there’s good news: we finally extracted our first-ever autumn honey crop from Treforest over the weekend. It’ll be jarred next week — a small batch, so stock will be limited!

08/06/2026

You may remember that we made four splits back in May and housed them in two nuc boxes with dividers.

We checked them 10 days later and were really pleased to see that all four new queens had been accepted by their colonies and had already started laying. The first photo shows one of the divided boxes during that initial inspection.

We checked them again this evening and all four colonies have absolutely exploded in size — the second photo shows just how quickly they’ve built up.

To make sure they’ve got enough space, we moved one of the colonies into its own nuc box today and then removed the divider so the remaining colony now has six full frames to work on. I’ll take another nuc box up tomorrow to do the same with the other pair of splits.

We’ll leave these colonies in their nucs now until they’re working all the frames, and then we’ll transfer them down into the full‑size hives that the nucs are currently sitting on.

07/06/2026

End of term is creeping up, and if you’re looking for a small thank‑you for teachers, we’ve got three honey giftboxes that make the perfect gift — all made right here in the Rhondda.

Welsh Summer Honey, cut comb, beeswax candles, drizzlers, and gift‑ready boxes.

Order at tylaglasbees.co.uk or pop us a message.

07/06/2026

We grow cucumbers every year, but it still amazes me how much they can grow in a week!!!

Our greenhouse is full of cucumbers and tomatoes already, and the chillies and peppers are also looking good.

05/06/2026

A little update from us at Tyla Glas Bees.

Work has been keeping us busy lately, so things have been a bit quieter online — but the bees are doing really well. They made the most of that lovely bit of sunshine we had, and we’re now just waiting for the next decent weather window to get back into the hives for inspections.

If anyone needs to restock their honey, we’ve still got jars available from our hives in Ystrad Rhondda and Treforest. You can order through tylaglasbees.co.uk or just drop us a message.

25/05/2026

Nine days ago we split two of our bigger colonies at our Treforest apiary and took four strong splits from them. Those splits are now housed in two divided nuc boxes in our home apiary, where we can keep a closer eye on them as they get established.

Checked both nucs today and it’s great news — all four queens have been accepted and are laying well. You can see one of them clearly in the photo, marked white to show she’s a 2026 queen, following the international colour code. Makes spotting her during inspections a lot easier.

The fresh eggs in the other photo are the first sign that a new queen has truly settled. Clean, tidy laying pattern already — exactly what you want to see at this stage.

We’ve been feeding these nucs to help the bees draw out fresh comb and to make sure they’ve got enough stores while they get established. It’s worked well — the frames are being worked evenly and the colonies are building up nicely.

Even though we’re focusing on building colony numbers back up after winter losses, there’s no need for anyone to worry about honey supplies — several of our established colonies are packing it in already, and we still have plenty of 2025 Tyla Glas Bees honey available on our website: tylaglasbees.co.uk

It was 32°C today, so the bees weren’t the only ones working hard. Grateful for the fully vented suit and the neck fan — they don’t perform miracles, but they definitely take the edge off.

25/05/2026

In beekeeping we often talk about the June gap — that awkward spell when the spring flow dries up before the summer flowers kick in. It’s the point in the season where strong colonies can catch beekeepers out: big populations, big appetites, and suddenly not enough stores in the hive to cover it.

But here in the South Wales valleys, the spring forage is still going strong and the brambles are already starting to open. Even the bumbles are getting stuck in.

If this keeps up, we might avoid the June gap altogether this year — and the colonies can keep building without that mid‑season wobble.

24/05/2026

The recent rain and now sun have made the gardens burst into colour.
One of my favourites is this clematis — Bernadine — climbing up one of our old trees at the bottom of the front garden. It’s putting on a brilliant show right now.

23/05/2026

So proud of Caerwyn, our son, who has won Welsh Learner of the year at this years Eisteddfod yr Urdd.

Llongyfarchiadau enfawr i Caerwyn Saunders o Dreorci, enillydd Medal y Dysgwyr 2026. 👏

Mae hi'n 40 mlynedd ers cyflwyno Medal y Dysgwyr am y tro cyntaf, yn Eisteddfod Dyffryn Ogwen 1986.

Mae Medal y Dysgwyr yn cael ei dyfarnu i berson ifanc rhwng blwyddyn 10 a dan 19 mlwydd oed sy’n gallu dangos sut maen nhw’n defnyddio’r iaith o ddydd i ddydd yn yr ysgol, coleg, neu’r gwaith ac yn gymdeithasol.

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Huge congratulations to Caerwyn Saunders, the winner of this year's Medal y Dysgwyr (Medal for Welsh Learners aged Yr.10 to 19yr). 👏

The Medal y Dysgwyr is awarded to a young person between year 10 and 19 years old who can demonstrate how they use the language on a day-to-day basis at school, college, or work and socially.

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21/05/2026