Brighton & Lewes Beekeepers

14/10/2026

(Copied and posted from BBKA)
What’s your go-to honey remedy? 🍯
As the wintery sniffles start doing the rounds, there’s nothing quite as comforting as a warm, honey-sweetened drink to soothe a scratchy throat.
Lemon and honey is the classic of course, but we’ve heard that rosemary and honey works a treat too. There are plenty more you can try. You can mix hot water and honey with ginger, thyme, a cinnamon stick or simply enjoy a spoonful straight from the jar before bed.
We’d love to know your go to remedy is.
Let us know your favourite honey remedy for chasing away winter’s coughs and colds by sharing your recipe in the comments. 👇
(Just a gentle reminder - honey isn’t suitable for babies under one year old.)

25/09/2026

Our bees have been flat out.
No holidays in the summer. No pay rise.
They bring home the pollen and make the honey.
We just get stung, sweat a lot, lift heavy boxes and somehow turn it into jars.
Every jar comes from our own bees and is packed by our members.
No mystery honey. No big factory. Just bees, beekeepers and a fair bit of chaos.
Thanks for supporting Brighton and Lewes Beekeepers. The bees appreciate it.

20/09/2026

Our Honey Show is on October 3rd, Patcham Memorial Hall, 1.00pm to 4.00pm. We will be showing off our honey, beeswax, photographs, honey baking (honey cake, honey biscuits, honey lemon curd) Selling honey, plants, beekeeping books, wax workshops for beeswax wraps and lip balm and of course Tea, Coffee and Cakes...come, ask questions, eat cake!

20/09/2026

🍯 Cold and Flu Season is on the Way... 🤧

Your grandmother was right. Honey really does have science behind it when it comes to soothing sore throats and helping ease cold symptoms.

✅ What Honey Can Do
• Help soothe a sore throat
• Calm coughs, especially at night
• Provide a natural, comforting way to manage cold symptoms

❌ What Honey Will Not Do
• It will not shorten the duration of a cold or flu. No study has shown that.
• It will not prevent illness. The antioxidants in honey are real, but they are not a shield against infection.
• It will not replace medical care when that is needed. Honey is a useful tool for symptom relief, but it is not a substitute for antibiotics when they are genuinely indicated.

A jar of local honey won't stop you catching a cold, but it can make those miserable winter days a little more comfortable.

🍯 Stock up now and support your local beekeeper while enjoying one of nature's sweetest remedies.

contact us at [email protected] for details.

10/09/2026

Myths we hear at our market stalls

Myth 1, honey goes off
It does not, it just crystallises depending on what the bees have been foraging before they put it in the supers to use later.

Myth 2, bees are aggressive
Most of the time they are just busy unless you are carrying nectar, pollen or smell interesting they ignore you unless you are a beekeeper inspecting the hive...

Myth 3, all honey tastes the same
Try two beekeepers honeys side by side and you will never say that again

We are selling our honey at the Autumn South of England Show September 26th and 27th.

Our Honey Show is on October 3rd, Patcham Memorial Hall, 1.00pm to 4.00pm. We will be showing off our honey, beeswax, photographs, honey baking (honey cake, honey biscuits, honey lemon curd) Selling honey, plants, beekeeping books, wax workshops for beeswax wraps and lip balm and of course Tea, Coffee and Cakes...come, ask questions, eat cake!
(The picture below is from The National Honey Show which is later in October)

03/09/2026

If you're interested in joining - https://tinyurl.com/join-beekeepers

19/07/2026

BBKA office had an email from Royal Mail. Whilst we appreciate not huge numbers of our members post bees we thought we'd pass on the message.
"Here at Royal Mail we have experienced an increase in the number of escaping live bees coming through our network.
Can you please request that your members follow the requirements on the Royal Mail webpage https://help.royalmail.com/.../Prohibited-and-restricted... which are:
Inner packaging
Any internal packaging materials must be based on the requirements of the live creatures, insects and invertebrates, taking into consideration the necessary humane care they require while in transportation.
Outer Packaging
Must be constructed to protect, keep safe and securely contain live creatures, insects and invertebrates.
Must be constructed to prevent escape and to preclude the container and its contents from being crushed in normal handling
Any outer packaging containing live creatures, insects and invertebrates requiring moisture during transportation must be constructed of water resistant material.
Security and Ventilation
Containers must be constructed to prevent the escape of the live creatures, insects and invertebrates and must always provide adequate ventilation
Failure to do so stresses the bees and will result in the lose of the bees for the recipient and sender.
Our SOP is to get a local bee keeper to trap and remove the bees if possible." . Royal Mail

18/07/2026

15/07/2026

As part of bees needs week there's a request for people to get involved in some citizen science with Flower-insect timed (FIT) counts
You can also get involved with invaluable citizen science:
All you need to do is simply spend 10 minutes watching flowers and insects in good weather. FIT counts can be done anywhere, including gardens and parks in warm, dry weather, any time from April to September.
Every single count submitted to the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS) helps make our data more meaningful, to help us learn more about where pollinators live and how their numbers are changing.
Read the PoMS instructions for FIT counts and help us help pollinators!
https://ukpoms.org.uk/fit-counts
Spend ten minutes watching flowers and insects in good weather! This simple survey collects data on the total number of insects that visit a particular flower, ideally chosen from their list of 14 target flowers. FIT Counts can be done anywhere, including gardens and parks, in warm, dry weather during daylight hours from 1 April to 30 September. See less

The UK PoMS recording season runs from 1 April to 30 September each year. Read on for how to join in, and download the guidance documents.Flower-Insect Timed CountsSpend ten minutes watching flowers and insects in good weather! This simple survey collects data on the total number of insects that vis...

14/07/2026

It's Bees’ Needs Week 2026!
13 – 19 JulyThis week is all about giving our hardworking pollinators the support they need to thrive. Bees, butterflies, and other insects are vital for our food, flowers, and environment — and we can all help them with a few simple actions.
Here are 5 easy things anyone can do: Grow more nectar-rich flowers, shrubs and trees
Even if you don’t have a garden — window boxes and balcony planters work brilliantly! Let patches of your garden (or land) grow wild
A little untidiness creates perfect habitat for pollinators. Cut your grass less often
Let those dandelions and clover flower — the bees will thank you! Don’t disturb insect nests and hibernation spots
Leave quiet corners undisturbed so bees and bugs can rest safely. Think carefully before using pesticides
Consider natural alternatives whenever possible.Every small action adds up! Which one of these will you try this week? Drop a comment below and tag a friend who might join in too. Let’s make Bees’ Needs Week 2026 our biggest one yet!