The Barefoot Beeman

19/08/2026

Natures greatest weather girls.. They know when the weathers about to change, when the rains due or if there's storms ahead and all of a sudden they become rather 'spicey' and even the calmest colony can become rather upset quickly if not left well alone. Well at the end of the video you can see/hear the warning I was given to keep well away.. (I got back to the truck quickly after the warning)
After 9-10mm of rain last night (the most rain we have seen here for 3plus months) the phacelia fields have increased there nectar production 10fold and all of a sudden we're back into incredible honey flow..

16/08/2026

No.33 the 'Blo Norton' swarm.

Late last night I got a message from a lovely lady in Blo Norton. She had put a gazebo up in her garden a few hours later these girls decided it was the perfect spot to stop.

So this morning at 8am before the sun started to appear and the temperatures were still lower, we made our way to offer them a new home and move them off site.

It's been 6 weeks since our last swarm, this we feel is due to the dry weather and the lack of nectar meaning established colony's haven't become packed with honey as they normally would over the summer.

We think at this time of year this swarm has probably been created due to confusion during supersedure ( the natural process, where the a colony of bees will replace a failing queen due to her decline in pheromones, failing health or poor brood patterns. This is the production of a new daughter queen from the hive to replace her without the hive becoming queenless)
Or due to absconding due to trauma or problems within the hive..

They are out sat on own their own to prove there is no health problems before being moved to another apiary..... 🐝

09/08/2026

Today in the heat we donned our suits and made a start on the phacelia honey harvest..

We harvest our honey in an inefficient slow personal hands on manor, it takes more time and effort but it allows us to be fully hands on with the colony's.

During this time we get the chance to pay attention to the colony numbers, temperaments, efficiency's and productiveness. It also allows us to may full attention to exactly what types of honey they have been bringing in during the nectar flows... (these are all aspects that during industrial honey production that can go unnoticed)

It allows us to have the full knowledge of exactly what types and flavours of honey we are selling to our great Barefoot honey purchasers..

When going through the hives we sometimes find things that we consider exceptional, today it was a super of honey that someone 🙄 accidentally put less frames in, which inturn meant some incredibly heavy frames on honey.... (this frame is going to be hard to beat)

Notice the soft brush in hand, this helps to minimise any damage or upset to the bees..
And luckily our colony's are very peaceful and calm allowing us to work them without the need for a smoker (with the current drought, this helps with fire safety also)

Healthy happy colonies produce healthy happy honey... 🍯

02/08/2026

Another successful day of harvesting honey and working with the bee's. Today the clover 🍀 honey and the bramble honey was harvested.. Raw south Norfolk honey at its finest...

29/07/2026

Here at we pride ourselves on having honey that's something truly special, something that stands out in the crowd. This year by choosing our location and timing perfectly the girls have produced something you won't find anywhere else... chamomile honey, with intense flavour and well known medicinal properties this is going to be unlike any honey you've ever tried.....

28/07/2026

With the driest summer since the early 1990's we have spent several nights moving bees in the darkness to a site where the flowers continue to produce nectar..
We must keep solving problems and adapting to the conditions we are provided with in the hope it keeps the bees happy and active..
(That's expanding foam on my bee suit veil 😂)

27/07/2026

Its that time of year again where everything I touch is sticky !! Summer honey harvest has started and it tastes incredible !! 🐝

23/07/2026

17/07/2026

A late night bee move.. 🌙

This summer has been incredible dry, which means some of our apiary's have gone rather quiet. Without the rain the flowers lack good nectar flow, meaning minimal resources for colony build up and honey production.

With the bees only flying 3/3.5 miles in search of forage sometimes it helps if we move the bees to the forage. We do this at night time when everyone has decided to head back home for the night (bees don't fly at night).

We tape up the entrances and use a set of straps and cautious driving style and slowly make our way to the new site..

Today when the sunrises the bees will leave the hive and begin to start orientational flights (the re mapping/learning of where they are now living) and by the end of the day should all be acting as if they had never moved..

Just now with 180 acres of phacelia, buckwheat and birds-foot trefoil surrounding them.. 🐝

12/07/2026

Another day in bee suits in the heat.. but that's 100% of our colony's Queen right and doing well, lots of build outs completed ( double nuc boxes being moved into full hives) and supers added where needed....

We have been so busy recently that I didn't get the chance to post this up previously.. but here's our new site (about 3-4weeks ago at 10pm) We moved the bees from the clover fields as the clover flower was ending and moved them onto the camomile fields..

After 3/4 weeks on site we now have camomile honey in the hives, a lovely addition to the flavours of honey we will have to offer soon..

Ideal for a spoonful in your tea before bed to aid sleep 😴