Coole Hill Honey

14/10/2026

12/10/2026

🍯 That’s a wrap for 2026! 🐝

All of this year’s honey is now sold out, and the honesty box has been taken in for the winter.

A huge thank you to everyone who supported my tiny beekeeping project this year — whether you bought a jar, came back for more, recommended it to someone, or simply showed an interest in the bees. It genuinely means a lot.

The bees will be settling down for the winter now, and hopefully Coole Hill Honey will be back again in late spring 2027 with the first honey of the new season. 🌼🐝🍯

Thanks again for all the support throughout 2026. ❤️

02/09/2026

New honey labelling rules say the place of origin is mandatory… so I thought id be very specific. 🍯🐝

70% Agher
10% Coole
10% Clarkestown
10% Summerhill
100% Co. Meath ❤️

Honey bees can travel up to 5 km from the hive in search of nectar and pollen, so our “place of origin” is quite literally the fields, hedgerows and gardens surrounding us.

No mystery blends. No honey travelling halfway around the world. Just local bees, local flowers and local honey.

Our Summer Harvest – Clover & Bramble Honey is about as local as it gets. 🌸🌿🐝
I have a very small amount of summer honey due to a difficult drought for the bees this summer reducing availability of forage.

27/08/2026

04/08/2026

🐝 An Update on the Bee Rescue 🐝

A few weeks on from rescuing this huge wild colony from the hollow trunk of a fallen ash tree, I thought I’d share an update.

The colony is doing well overall, but it hasn’t been able to grow as quickly as I had hoped. They’ve faced constant pressure from wasps, which has meant a lot of their energy has gone into defending the hive rather than expanding it.

Despite that, the queen is healthy and laying well. During my latest inspection I took the opportunity to mark her, making her much easier to find during future inspections. The video shows her being gently released back into the hive, where she quickly disappears among thousands of her workers to continue the important job of building the colony.

Every rescued colony has its own challenges, and this one is no different. Hopefully, as wasp pressure eases over the coming weeks, they’ll be able to put more effort into raising brood, storing honey and strengthening for the future.

Thank you again to everyone who followed this rescue from the very beginning. It’s been wonderful to share the journey, and I’ll continue to post updates as this remarkable colony settles into its new home.

🐝🍯

26/07/2026

🐝 Bee Rescue – Part 3: Giving Them a Second Chance

This was the most delicate part of the rescue.

After opening the hollow tree, I carefully transferred as much brood as I could into a poly nuc, giving the colony the best possible chance to continue raising its next generation of bees.

I also managed to rescue some of their beautiful wild honey and pieces of natural comb before they were lost.

With the brood safely inside, I used a little cool smoke to gently encourage the remaining bees towards the entrance of their new home. Watching thousands of bees slowly march into the nuc was an incredible sight. Every bee that entered brought the colony one step closer to survival.

The one bee I couldn’t be certain about was the queen. I never actually saw her, so all I could do was hope she had made the journey with the rest of the colony.

I closed the entrance that evening and brought the colony to its new home, hoping this remarkable rescue would have a happy ending.

Stay tuned for Part 4, where I’ll reveal whether the colony survived and settled into its new home. 🐝🍯

24/07/2026

🐝 Bee Rescue – Part 2: Inside the Tree

When I finally opened the trunk, I was amazed by what I found.

Thousands upon thousands of honey bees had made this hollow ash tree their home. Layer upon layer of beautiful natural comb filled the cavity, creating a thriving colony that had likely been growing there for years.

What struck me most was how calm the bees were. Despite the chainsaw, the fallen tree and all the disturbance, they remained remarkably gentle. I was able to work just inches away from them without being stung.

It’s not every day you get to look inside a wild honey bee colony like this. Seeing how these incredible insects had built their home inside the heart of an old ash tree was a privilege.

Tomorrow I’ll share the most challenging part of the rescue—rehoming this huge colony and giving them a second chance. 🐝🍯

23/07/2026

🐝 An Unexpected Bee Rescue 🐝

I got a call from my neighbour after he discovered a colony of honey bees while felling an ash tree that had succumbed to ash dieback.

The tree had already been cut down before anyone realised the bees had made their home deep inside the hollow trunk. It was an enormous wild colony that had likely been living there for years.

The bees were incredibly gentle, allowing me to work right beside them without being stung. Sadly, they couldn’t have survived where they were. The damaged trunk was exposed, and with the tree already on the ground, the colony would have been left vulnerable to the weather, predators and robbing.

With the farmer’s full support, we decided to rescue them and give them a second chance.

Recovering the colony wasn’t easy. The nest extended deep into the hollow trunk, and the only way to reach much of it was by carefully cutting sections of the tree with a chainsaw. Every effort was made to preserve as much brood, comb and as many bees as possible before transferring them into a new home.

A huge thank you to my neighbour for recognising the importance of these bees and taking the time to call me before continuing his work. His willingness to stop and help meant this incredible colony had a chance to survive. Not everyone would have done that, and I really appreciate it.

Hopefully, this remarkable colony will settle into its new hive and continue to thrive for many years to come.

It’s a reminder to always take a second look before cutting old hollow trees—you never know what wildlife might be calling them home.

🐝 Every bee colony saved is another colony helping to pollinate our countryside.

15/07/2026

Unfortunately, our honesty box was vandalised and robbed this evening.

It’s upsetting to see something like this happen, especially when it’s built entirely on trust.

Thankfully, this is the first incident we’ve experienced. The kindness and honesty shown by people over the past year far outweighs the actions of one individual.

We’ll get everything repaired and restocked as soon as possible.

A huge thank you to everyone who continues to support local producers, leaves the correct payment, and helps keep little roadside honesty boxes alive. Your honesty means more than you know. 🍯🐝💛

Please feel free to share this post—it might remind someone that these small local businesses rely entirely on trust.