Buzz Apiary

11/05/2026

This swarm had spent the previous night in a cluster on an apple tree branch. Temperatures had dropped, the bees were sluggish and cold. They wasted no time rushing in to their new home. I think they were grateful to have found somewhere warm and sheltered from the wind!

23/02/2026

REAL HONEY IS NOT CHEAP
AND CHEAP HONEY IS NOT REAL

Why you shouldn’t buy supermarket honey

Most UK honey is imported, only 14% is produced in the UK, 77% of it comes from China, the country that is most suspected of honey adulteration.

Adulteration can involve feeding bees with sugar or adding sugar syrup directly to bulk out the honey. It is no longer a case of simply adding corn syrup. Tailor made sugars are now made to order in China and the syrup is adapted to resemble the desired nectar source, sometimes padded out with the appropriate pollens. The final product will pass the most stringent tests. There is even a synthetic product that completely replicates the unique marker found in manuka honey.

China also liberally sprays their beehives with antibiotics to reduce the risk of disease. This can be identified in imported honey and has potential health implications for humans.

The fraudsters are constantly one step ahead of the testers. At the International Beekeeping Convention in Copenhagen, the largest in the world, the organisers had to cancel the awards because they could not guarantee the honey was authentic.

The level of fraud is driving bee keepers out of business, but much more fundamentally the resultant decline in honey bee population is beginning to threaten global food security which depends on pollination.

If you enjoy local honey and appreciate it in the same way you would prefer ground coffee beans to instant coffee, just remember a jar of honey bought from a UK bee keeper will typically cost you less than the price of 2 cups of coffee from Starbucks!

REAL HONEY IS NOT CHEAP AND CHEAP HONEY IS NOT REAL

08/02/2026

42 mins | Available for over a year
Released on: 30 Jan 2026

Summary
After concerns that honey from overseas is being watered down with cheap rice and corn syrups, Sheila Dillon investigates the scale of global honey fraud. It's a story of complex international supply chains with the world's food security at its heart.
In 2023, the European Commission found that 46 per cent of the honey it sampled was suspected to be fraudulent. Just last year at the World Beekeeping Awards the prize for Best Honey had to be cancelled after fears that adulterated honey might be entered. The fake version can be very difficult to detect and beekeepers warn that it is forcing down the price of honey, potentially driving them out of business.
So how serious an issue has international honey fraud become and how concerned should consumers in the UK be? Sheila visits Bermondsey Street bees in Essex in search of answers and speaks to the UK's two biggest honey producers - Rowse and Hilltop Honey. Food fraud expert Professor Chris Elliott from Queen's University Belfast analyses the situation and Robin Markwell reports from Copenhagen where the world's largest convention of beekeepers was recently held.

Sheila Dillon investigates the scale of global honey fraud.

08/02/2026

Bee keeping in Albany, Western Australia. The first place in Western Australia to be settled by Europeans.
UK bee keepers can be very jealous- no varroa, no hornets! Aussie bee keepers can honestly say their honey receives no chemical treatment whatsoever!
I like the refill service direct from the honey bucket. Maybe I will pinch that idea for Buzz Apiary, I have so many customers who already return their empty jars and lids to me for recycling.

06/02/2026

Bee keeping in Malaysia.
This was a bee farm in the Cameron Highlands. Each hive has a different cover so that the bees may more easily identify their home. As well as this highland location this particular apiary also kept hives in the lowlands where the warmer climate allowed honey to be extracted every 3 months throughout the year. There is no dormant season in Malaysia so bee keepers are kept busy all year round.

Malaysia, not surprisingly, also has a problem with the Asian Hornet, or yellow-legged hornet. They have an efficient way of dealing with the problem that involves catching a few hornets in a trap then releasing them after their abdomen has been coated with a highly effective, but odourless and tasteless, poison. It is quickly spread to other hornets in the nest. The poison is readily available from Chinese stockists although I doubt the British bee Keepers Association would permit its use in the UK.

26/01/2026

Between November and early March there is not much for the bee keeper to do in the apiary.That’s generally when I take my holidays, and this year is no exception. But you can still get my honey at Hildenborough Farmers Market every Tuesday from 8.30am-11am in the Village Hall, Riding Lane, or at Wateringbury Market 10am-1pm, third Sunday every month in the Village Hall. At other times, if you require 5 or more jars just send me a message.

05/12/2025

Customers are going nuts about our honey.
Find us at Yalding Yuletide this Saturday, Hildenborough Farmers Market every Tuesday, or Wateringbury Community Market on the the 3rd Sunday of the month.

30/11/2025

The sun is out. It is a beautiful day (unlike yesterday😕). Come on down to Aylesford Priory and enjoy a wonderful selection of stalls, including our lovely honey! 🐝🐝🐝

24/11/2025

Throughout next weekend Buzz Apiary will be at The Christmas Fayre at The Friars in Aylesford selling our ever popular organic local honey and bees wax candles. We have fantastic Christmas gifts from just £3.50!
Aylesford Priory is a beautiful place to visit on the banks of the Medway, and the Fayre is always extremely popular. There is so much to see and do, whatever the weather. With so many stalls and talented craftspeople, this is the perfect opportunity to find that special Christmas present . See you there. 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

# honey