Eden Honey Bees: Raw Honey & Nucleus Colonies in Shropshire
Welcome to Notes from the Hive - the journal of Eden Honey Bees. If you’re new here, we’re a small, family-run beekeeping business based in North Shropshire - sharing raw, seasonal honey and calm, healthy nucleus colonies (nucs)with beekeepers across the UK.
But this all began with just one hive.
Back in early 2020, just before the first lockdown, I (Henry) brought home my first colony - a Flow Hive - popular with beginner beekeepers for its innovative design and simple honey harvesting. Like many new beekeepers, I read everything I could get my hands on, followed experienced beekeepers on YouTube (especially Black Mountain Honey, Richard Noel and Gwenyn Gruffydd), and completed an Introduction to Beekeeping course with the Shropshire Beekeepers’ Association.
I began experimenting with long hives, custom-built by Hyde Hives to accommodate Flow Frames. These were a brilliant starting point and ideal for learning, but the heavy OSR flow in our area made honey extraction difficult - its tendency to crystallise quickly didn’t suit the Flow system.
As my knowledge and skills grew, I transitioned to a more traditional setup - adopting ANEL insulated hives with Langstroth frames, which remain compatible with Flow equipment but are far better suited to our local environment. This setup proved to be productive, adaptable and kind to the bees, and I’ve never looked back.
Today, Eden Honey Bees operates across several apiary sites here in North Shropshire. We produce small-batch raw honey from our own bees, keeping harvests separate by apiary so that each batch retains its connection to the place and season it came from.
Alongside honey production, we raise Langstroth nucleus colonies for new and experienced beekeepers. We keep Buckfast bees, chosen for characteristics including their generally calm temperament and productivity, with queens sourced from reputable specialist breeders.
Our nucs are raised on the same ANEL plastic Langstroth frames we use throughout our own apiaries, making them suitable for standard Langstroth equipment, including Flow Hives.
Whether you're here for the honey or looking to start or expand your own beekeeping, you'll find plenty of information across the site about our bees, apiaries, nucleus colonies and the changing beekeeping season here in Shropshire.
If you’d like to hear when new honey or nucleus colonies are available, we’d love for you to join our newsletter.
Thanks for being here, and welcome to Eden Honey Bees.