Buckfast Abbey Bees

A beekeeper at Buckfast abbey lights the smoker on the steps of the house in the middle of the apiary.


In April the bees are storing honey for themselves and hopefully will be storing it within supers in a couple of months. The beekeepers smell the honey on brood comb. The smell is completely unique and worth the risk of getting stung!


A bee rests on the side of the smoker whilst he beekeepers check the health of the hive in the background.


This bee, still from Buckfast colects food from a Dandelion, about 20 meters from the apiary. This is a favourite food of the bees and dandelions are a vital food source after the catkins have gone over, but still not much is flowering.

Hello, these photographs are from the day i spent at Buckfast Abbey. I visited the apiary and tried to show the people, place and bees. I noticed how much these beekeepers respected their bees and how much they appreciated all the good smells from the honeycomb! The area was clean and very well kept, and found it very interesting look around, find where the bees were foraging, and compare the difference in the bees here and in Cornwall.