Exciting News Across All Our UK Apiaries!

We are absolutely thrilled to share a major milestone for Buckley’s Bees! Following months of working closely with DEFRA’s National Bee Unit (NBU), official health assessments have been completed across all of our bee colonies throughout the UK.

The results are in and every single colony assessed has been officially certified with a 100% clean bill of health! Our bees are healthy, thriving and completely disease-free.

Watch Emma’s video below for the full announcement right from the hives:

Working with the National Bee Unit (NBU)

At Buckley’s Bees, working closely with the NBU isn’t just a requirement, it’s a core responsibility that every ethical beekeeper and bee breeder should take seriously.

The NBU’s rigorous inspections and expert monitoring help identify and control notifiable bee diseases, protecting not only individual apiaries but the entire UK beekeeping community.

• Healthy Bees = Stronger Colonies
• Thriving Colonies = Better Pollination
• Responsible Beekeeping = A Secure Future for British Wildlife

Achieving this disease-free certification was a true team effort and we want to extend a massive thank you to all the hard-working beekeepers across the Buckley’s Bees team who make this standard possible, as well as the NBU inspectors for their invaluable support in safeguarding British honey bees.

Why Where You Source Your Bees Matters

If you are a new or experienced beekeeper, or maybe you’re thinking about buying bees to start your own hive, knowing where your bees come from is critical.

When choosing a supplier, always ask:

• Are they assessed by the NBU? Can they demonstrate active health monitoring?
• Are they British-reared? Were the bees bred locally or imported from abroad?
• What biosecurity measures are in place?

The Hidden Risks of Imported Bees

Imported bee stocks, particularly from continental Europe, carry high risks of introducing destructive pests and diseases that are not yet established in the UK. This includes threats like the Small Hive Beetle and the Tropilaelaps mite, which could devastate local bee populations if allowed to spread.

Say No to Imports: Buy British, Buy Healthy

Buying healthy, locally bred, disease-free bees is the single best way to protect your own apiary and prevent the spread of diseases nationwide.

When you choose Buckley’s Bees, you are supporting local, sustainable British beekeeping with the guarantee of NBU-certified healthy stock.

🇬🇧 Buy British. Buy healthy. Support local honey bees! 🐝💛

There is nothing quite like the collective hum of thousands of passionate beekeepers coming together to share knowledge, celebrate our craft and look toward the future of British apiculture.

Our team recently returned from a fantastic weekend at the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) Spring Convention and we wanted to share a brief reflection on our time there. For us, events like this are not just an entry in the diary; they are a vital space to reconnect with our community, support scientific collaboration and champion the future of our native pollinators.

A Heartfelt Family Return to Harper Adams

This year’s convention was particularly special for our family, as it was hosted once again by Harper Adams University in Shropshire. As alumni, it is always an absolute pleasure for both Jack (my husband and business partner) and I to return to the beautiful campus we once called home. Walking those grounds always reminds me of the early days when the dream of Buckley’s Bees was just beginning to form.

Over my father David’s lifetime of more than eighty years in apiculture, our family has learned that reversing the decline of the native honeybee (Apis mellifera mellifera) requires a deep commitment to shared learning. That is why we were so honoured to deliver four engaging, packed-out talks over the course of the weekend.

Dad and I spoke directly with hobbyists, commercial apiarists and environmentalists about our dedicated closed-breeding systems, our focus on gentle and hygienic native traits and how we can holistically balance local habitats so managed hives exist in perfect harmony with wild pollinators.

Continuing the Education

A massive, heartfelt thank you to every single person who secured a seat and attended one of our lectures. The energy in the rooms was truly inspiring. For those who weren’t able to get a place this time, or if you are completely new to apiculture and want to start your own journey, please do get in touch with us! We have plenty of educational courses and hands-on experience days coming up at our Cheshire farm HQ throughout the season.

Community, Conservation, and Collaboration

Our motivation at Buckley’s Bees has never been driven by profit; it is fuelled by a genuine, passionate desire to safeguard the British countryside. As registered members of the BBKA and the Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders’ Association (BIBBA), we actively support a range of critical scientific studies focused on bee welfare and disease resistance.

Conventions like this are the lifeblood of that scientific network. It was wonderful to catch up with our incredible, UK-wide team of freelance beekeepers, exchange ideas with our corporate customers and forge new friendships with people who share our evidence-based belief in the extraordinary good that honeybees do in the world.

We want to extend our deepest gratitude to the BBKA for organising another flawlessly executed, brilliant event and to Harper Adams University for being such spectacular hosts. Together, step by step, we are educating communities, training future generations of traditional beekeepers and securing a stronger, blossom-rich future for our native bees.

Get Involved with Buckley’s Bees

Whether you want to follow in our footsteps and learn the traditional craft of beekeeping, or you are a business looking to boost your local biodiversity by hosting a fully managed hive, we would love to welcome you on board.

Explore Our Upcoming Beekeeping Courses or contact our team today to discover how you can get your hands dirty and help us save the British bee.

Standing on the terrace of the Palace of Westminster this week, watching the Thames roll past, I was struck by how far our family mission has travelled. Our Operations Manager, Kate, and I had the profound privilege of attending the NetZero 50 List Reception at the House of Lords – an extraordinary gathering of leaders, innovators and organisations driving real progress toward a sustainable, low-carbon future.

Run in partnership with our wonderful corporate partners CGI and the Green Business Journal, the NetZero 50 List recognises the people across the UK who are moving beyond mere pledges to actively build a cleaner, greener world.

It was incredibly energising to be in a room full of individuals who are not just talking about change, but actively delivering it. Events like this reinforce how powerful collaboration, innovation and ambition can be when it comes to achieving true sustainability. We are immensely proud to be part of a community so thoroughly dedicated to shaping a resilient future.

Balancing the Local Ecosystem

We keep our hive density low purposefully. As registered members of the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) and the Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders’ Association (BIBBA), our work supports scientific studies focused on holistic pollinator health. We always make informed considerations for the surrounding environment to ensure our honeybees exist in perfect harmony with native wild pollinators, rather than crowding them out.

Why Biodiversity is Crucial to the Net Zero Equation

Achieving net-zero carbon goals is an immense challenge, but lowering emissions is only half the narrative. True climate action is completely inseparable from protecting biodiversity and restoring healthy habitats.

Our native British honeybee (Apis mellifera mellifera) is currently facing a quiet crisis. Since World War II, the UK has lost a staggering 95% of its wildflower meadows, stripping our native pollinators of their ancestral food sources. Heavy chemical usage and the constant importation of foreign bee strains have further diluted local genetics, introducing aggressive traits and devastating pests.

Through our UK-wide corporate hive management service, we work hand-in-hand with forward-thinking tech and consulting giants like CGI to tackle this head-on. Together, we are citing managed apiaries across their corporate offices – such as their Waterton and Chippenham sites. This provides their teams with hands-on employee wellbeing experiences while directly funding vital, scientific pollinator research.

By working closely with organisations like CGI, who embed rigorous frameworks such as the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) into their core strategy, we are able to establish protected, low-density pockets of local bees that live in perfect balance with their surrounding environment.

Sowing Seeds for a Greener Tomorrow

Our motivation at Buckley’s Bees has never been driven by commercial profit, but by a genuine, passionate desire to safeguard the British countryside and reverse the decline of our native species. Standing in the House of Lords amongst the UK’s leading clean-tech pioneers and sustainability champions filled our team with immense hope.

Whether it is a multinational corporation installing hives across its national offices, a traditional arable farmer establishing a wildflower corridor, or a family planting a packet of borage seeds in their back garden—every single action matters. Together, we can reverse the decline, train the next generation of traditional beekeepers and ensure a blossom-rich environment where both human industry and wild nature can harmoniously thrive.

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the NetZero 50 Advisory Panel, the Green Business Journal and the incredible team at CGI for welcoming us into this visionary community.

Bring Real Sustainability to Your Workplace

You do not have to be a member of the House of Lords to lead the charge toward a sustainable future. Sponsoring an apiary or hosting a fully managed Buckley’s Bees hive on your corporate grounds is a practical, scientifically backed way for your organisation to enhance local biodiversity and provide your staff with an unforgettable connection to nature.

Discover Our Corporate Hive Packages or get in touch with our team today to find out how your business can play a hands-on role in saving the British bee.

Society is finally waking up to the vital importance of pollinators and the irreplaceable role they play in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. However, true conservation cannot happen in a vacuum. It requires a bridge between the commercial world, modern agriculture and the natural environment.

We were absolutely delighted to be featured in CPM Magazine, one of the UK’s leading arable publications, to discuss how Buckley’s Bees is partnering with responsible corporate clients and farmers to improve the future of the native British honeybee (Apis mellifera mellifera).

A Shared Lifetime of Dedication

My passion for apiculture is nothing new. It is stitched into my family’s history. My father, David, is one of the longest-surviving members of the Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders’ Association (BIBBA) and he will celebrate his 60th consecutive year of beekeeping in 2026. Growing up on our family livestock farm in Cheshire, I was exposed to the world of bees from a very young age. Together, our family offers more than 80 years of collective, hands-on beekeeping experience.

While engaging directly with the commercial sector is a relatively modern direction for us, we have been incredibly proud to welcome an impressive list of clients on board, including Taylor Wimpey, CGI and Bentley Motors.

Our unique business model provides responsible companies with the opportunity to host fully managed honeybee colonies on their premises. For businesses where on-site hives aren’t a practical option, we offer the opportunity to sponsor hives within our own rural sanctuaries.

Championing the British Dark Bee

At the very core of our work is a commitment to the native British honeybee, Apis mellifera mellifera (the European dark bee). In 1900, there were an estimated one million honeybee colonies across the UK; today, that number has dwindled to just 270,000. We desperately want to see our native bees restored to their rightful place in the British countryside.

To achieve this, we operate a strict closed-breeding system to produce our own queens and colonies. We focus on low-density apiaries that promote positive traits like excellent winter hygiene and a wonderfully calm temperament. Crucially, our stock is never diluted by imported strains, which frequently introduce aggressive behaviour and devastating disease issues. Our native bees are hardier, incredibly frugal when foraging for food and exceptionally docile. In fact, because our home-bred colonies are so gentle, we rarely ever use gloves when inspecting the hives!

Balancing the Local Ecosystem

We keep our hive density low purposefully. As registered members of the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) and BIBBA, our work supports scientific studies focused on holistic pollinator health. We always make informed considerations for the surrounding environment to ensure our honeybees exist in perfect harmony with native wild pollinators, rather than crowding them out.

Our motivation has never been profit-driven and commercial honey production is furthest from our minds. We are driven by a genuine desire to make a lasting ecological difference and to create meaningful green employment.

Because we manage hives for clients on a UK-wide scale, it would be impossible – and entirely unsustainable – for Dad and me to tend to them all ourselves. Instead, we employ a wonderful network of local freelance beekeepers, including both passionate hobbyists and professionals. This allows us to inject funding back into the beekeeping community, provide paid employment and help less experienced beekeepers build their practical skills under Dad’s mentorship.

Connecting the Rural and the Urban through Tech

Looking ahead, my goal is to expand our work deeper into the agricultural sector. With the positive momentum of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), knowledge surrounding habitat diversity on British farms is improving rapidly. We are eager to work with more arable farmers to help connect the dots between rural and urban habitats.

Exciting advancements in agricultural technology are also making it easier to understand our landscapes. As highlighted in our feature with CPM, we are incredibly interested in the work being done by AI-driven companies like AgriSound. Their ‘Polly’ system uses smart listening devices and advanced bioacoustic algorithms to monitor insect abundance. Data like this allows growers to identify sub-optimal pollination zones in crops like oilseed rape, giving them the precise insights needed to introduce targeted measures—such as partnering with Buckley’s Bees to introduce a managed hive to optimise crop yield and quality.

Looking to the Future

Our ultimate vision is to cultivate an appreciation for nature that spans generations. We will continue our vital work with local schools and our long-term dream is to establish a dedicated education and well-being centre right here at Buckley’s Bees HQ, using our farm and our bees to support education and mental well-being.

Reversing the decline of our native pollinators is a massive journey, but by working together—industry, agriculture and beekeepers alike—we can secure a vibrant, blossom-rich future for the British countryside.

Bring Sustainability to Life

Whether you run a corporate office, manage an independent estate, or look after an arable farm, you can play a direct, hands-on role in safeguarding our native pollinators. Let our expert team handle the details while your organisation reaps the rewards of true ecological stewardship.

Discover Our Corporate and Farm Hive Packages or get in touch with our Cheshire team today to find out how you can get involved.

Sustainability is no longer a choice; it is an absolute necessity. When large-scale organisations realise that their environmental footprint involves actively giving back to the land, incredible things happen.

We are absolutely thrilled to share a wonderful video showcasing our landmark partnership with IT and business consulting firm CGI. Together, we are citing beehives across their UK offices – starting with their Waterton and Chippenham sites – to play a hands-on role in the genetic preservation of the native British honeybee (Apis mellifera mellifera).

You can watch the full story of our collaboration in the video below and read how we are joining forces to restore our ecosystems.

Creating a Buzz with CGI

Our Core Aims

• Sustainably reverse the decline of the native honeybee population in the UK.
• Raise the profile and importance of the honeybee within the wider ecosystem.
• Enhance the viability and success of natural pollination and other wild pollinators.
• Holistically maximise and balance the environment, habitat and health of the bees.
• Create engagement and green employment opportunities.
• Educate people and encourage future generations of traditional beekeepers.

Why Our Native Bees Are in Crisis

As the video opens, CGI highlights a core truth: if we can do a little bit as an industry to make the world better, we simply must. For CGI, biodiversity is a core component of their strategy—driven not just by a passion for nature, but by rigorous frameworks like the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), which helps businesses understand the risks and immense opportunities of investing in nature-based strategies.

When I joined CGI at their offices to install their first-ever hives, it was a deeply rewarding moment for our team. Our native bees are facing a quiet crisis. Decades of heavy chemical use and catastrophic habitat loss have taken a severe toll.

Did you know? Since World War II, the UK has lost a staggering 95% of its wildflower meadows.

These insects are a foundational pillar of our society. They support the very food we eat through natural pollination. By partnering with forward-thinking organisations, we can expand our managed ecosystems and give our native black bees the safe havens they drastically need to rebuild their numbers.

Sowing the Seeds for the Future

Seeing how CGI’s partners and employees engage with this bee initiative brings me so much hope for the future of our pollinator populations. CGI is genuinely committed to putting beehives in all of their offices capable of supporting them and their teams are already out on the ground planting nectar-rich, bee-friendly flora.

But this isn’t a task just for big businesses. As emphasised at the end of our video, we need your help too.

Whether you are an individual at home, a school, or a local business, you can make a massive difference by planting bulbs, seeds, wild flowers and native trees. If you have children at home, get them involved! Get their hands dirty in the garden and teach them about the magic of the honeybee.

We are motivated entirely by a genuine, lifelong desire to safeguard the British countryside and seeing sustainability run so deeply through the veins of our corporate partners shows that change is truly happening. A huge thank you to everyone at CGI for helping us build a nature-rich future.

Ready to Bring a Buzz to Your Office?

Your business doesn’t need to be a technology giant to make a tangible impact on British biodiversity. Whether you want to host an active apiary on your corporate grounds or sponsor a hive in one of our rural sanctuaries, Buckley’s Bees provides full management, expert care and unforgettable staff engagement days.

Partner With Buckley’s Bees Today and discover how your organisation can join the fight to save our native pollinators.