The Ochil Honey Company

Nice wee trip to Culross, Fife today to pickup these cheeky sunbathers before the tide got in. It was probably one of the hardest swarm collections I’ve had as they were all tangled in the seaweed.
Safely in there new home now.

There’s still a few weeks left of the swarm season so don’t hesitate to get in touch if you spot one.

#

A couple more from through the week.
Going to need some more boxes at this rate

🌞 🐝

Another swarm call today 🐝
A bit bigger than the first one and a tad more difficult to collect but we got them in no problem.

First swarm call of the season last night
Just a small one though and probably the easiest collection we’ve ever had.
Got a feeling it’s going to be a very swarmy year.

We are very excited to be announcing this 🐝

We now sell beekeeping equipment in our online shop including hive tools, frames, smokers etc. we will continue to add more items as the season goes on but if there’s anything you need feel free to get in touch. There is also an option to collect if your local to us (we're based in the centre of Stirling)
Just choose the pickup option and we will be in touch to arrange your collection time.
www.theochilhoneycompany.co.uk

The Ochil Honey Company was founded by owner Craig Johnston after an interest in honey bees grew quickly into an obsession, not just with the bees themselves but with producing and providing his local community with high-quality properly local honey, as the bees intended, nothing added nothing taken away, never pasteurised, just spun from the hives then coarse filtered so all the natural benefits of raw honey and the pollen contained within remains in the honey.​

Our hives are based around the Forth Valley producing some fantastic raw honey.

Our honey cannot be confused with “blended” honey's found in most supermarkets. 🍯
https://www.theochilhoneycompany.co.uk/honey

Bee Facts! 🐝
Did you know...

A honey bee colony can contain around 60,000 bees at the peak of summer.
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The queen bee can live up to 5 years and is the only bee that lays eggs. She is the busiest in the summer months when the hive needs to be at its maximum strength and lays up to 2500 eggs per day.
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Worker honey bees are female, live for about 6 weeks and do all the work.
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Larger than the worker bees, the male honey bees (also called drones), have no stinger and do no work. All they do is mate.

Read more facts on our website here
https://www.theochilhoneycompany.co.uk/honey-bee-facts

Why is pollen so important? 🐝

Honey bees mix plant pollen with water to form a type of bread that is fed to the growing larvae. It provides a rich source of protein and fat whilst honey provides energy (carbohydrate). Bees collect about 20kg of pollen every year - that’s 1 million pollen loads at 20mg per trip!

Get planting!
We need people to plant more flowers wherever they live – the more flowers, the more food (forage) for the honey bees. Greater food sources enable honey bees to be much stronger in the face of disease.

Top Five flowers you should plant to attract honey bees:

Hellebore species and hybrids
Helleborus species are tolerant of most conditions, they prefer moist, well drained alkaline soil in dappled shade.

Salvia species
Salvias are sun-loving plants and good drainage is essential. They look very striking in a mixed border.

Echinacea
A long-flowering border perennial which is easy to grow. It is an excellent plant for pollinators, rich in nectar through late summer and autumn.

Rudbeckia laciniata
Striking larger plant. Easy to grow if given full sun or partial shade and a moderately fertile soil.

Lavandula species
Lavender is ideal for a mixed border, but it also makes a fantastic edging plant. Lavender really needs sun, well-drained soil.

https://www.theochilhoneycompany.co.uk/

Are you looking for the perfect gift for Mothers day?

We have some fantastic gift packs of our local delicious honey full of amazing health benefits as well as our locally made Fudge using our honey.

Show your Mum how much you love her by shopping locally.
https://www.theochilhoneycompany.co.uk/shop-1

If your company has ever been curious about the commercial/environmental benefits of beekeeping – but have been intimidated in the past by the management and maintenance aspects that come with owning honey bees – our fully-managed service is ideal for your business

Our beekeeping programmes are tailored to each individual client and our experienced beekeepers will manage every aspect of your onsite beekeeping.

The Ochil Honey Company takes the hassle out of beekeeping. With our comprehensive management service, you can reap the rewards without having to lift a finger.

To find out more about our beekeeping services contact our friendly team today.
https://www.theochilhoneycompany.co.uk/services

Our honey is now available from The good choice in glasgow’s Cathcart Rd. A new zero waste shop with some awesome products
Go check them out 👍 🐝 🍯

🎶 Honey you 🍯 Can make all this world seem right 🎶

We wanted to get proper, GOOD Scottish honey for you, and now we do!

These raw honeys, with nothing added nothing taken away, produced by The Ochil Honey Company 🐝 from hives based around the Forth Valley are just that!