Bishops Bees

We are UK honeybee queen breeders based in North Devon and offer UK honey bee queens and nucleus colonies for sale.

[Bishops Bees @BeesBishops]

👑🐝 Freshly emerged virgin queen marked before introduction into a mating nuc.

⚪ White = year mark
🟢 Green = lineage mark

Tracking queen mothers and daughter lines helps improve breeding records and long-term assessment.

#QueenRearing #Beekeeping
#QueenRearing #Beekeeping

[Bishops Bees @BeesBishops]

👑🐝 Queen Rearing Course – Spaces Available

Practical course covering grafting, cell raising and queen production.

📅 9th June
💷 £135

https://t.co/frLr7PriSI

#Beekeeping #QueenRearing
#Beekeeping #QueenRearing

[Bishops Bees @BeesBishops]

Strong National hives on double brood boxes with supers above.

At this time of year, good space management is everything: enough room to expand, store nectar and keep the colony moving well.

[Bishops Bees @BeesBishops]

Drone rearing is an often-overlooked part of queen rearing.

Good queens need good mating conditions — and that means plenty of mature drones available at the right time.

[Bishops Bees @BeesBishops]

Pre-clearing is one of those small hive management details that makes the job calmer and more efficient.

Less disruption for the bees. Easier work for the beekeeper.

[Bishops Bees @BeesBishops]

Adding space doesn’t stop swarming on its own.

Swarming is driven by colony strength, brood nest pressure, queen condition and timing.

Management beats reaction.

#beekeeping #swarmcontrol

[Bishops Bees @BeesBishops]

🐝 Overwintered Nucs Available

Overwintered nucs now available.

Established colonies that have come through winter and are ready to build quickly this season.

Limited numbers.

Details:
https://t.co/pXoG6e9Ilv

#beekeeping

[Bishops Bees @BeesBishops]

Servicing the syrup pump and feeding system today.

This setup is used when colonies need a bit of support if stores run low or the weather turns against them.

A lot of beekeeping happens behind the scenes before the bees ever see it. 🐝

[Bishops Bees @BeesBishops]

What makes a strong colony?

Not just bee numbers.

Brood pattern.
Queen quality.
Food stores.
Colony behaviour.

What’s the first thing you check during an inspection?

#Beekeeping

[Bishops Bees @BeesBishops]

End of the road for this wire brush.

It’s spent its life cleaning welds and prepping steel hive roofs before spraying. After a lot of roofs, it’s finally worn down to nothing.

Sometimes the smallest tools do the most work.

[Bishops Bees @BeesBishops]

👑 Queen revealed.

Abdomen past the wings.
Broader thorax.
Subtle retinue.

Queen finding isn’t luck — it’s pattern recognition.

How long did she take you to spot?

#Beekeeping

[Bishops Bees @BeesBishops]

This is what the course looks like.

Small groups.
Hands-on.
Real colonies.

We cover selection, hygienic testing and deliberate breeding — in the apiary, not just in theory.

Full details:

https://t.co/XXT6O2HPLB

Better standards. Better bees.

[Bishops Bees @BeesBishops]

👑 Find the Queen

👑 Find the Queen.

She’s in this frame.

Longer abdomen. Slight retinue. Blends in well.

Not an easy one.

Reply when you’ve found her — no spoilers.

#Beekeeping #QueenBee

[Bishops Bees @BeesBishops]

Strong brood pattern.
Consistent performance.

This is the result of deliberate selection — not luck.

If you’re ready to move beyond raising queens and start improving your stock properly, that’s exactly what we’ll cover on this year’s course.

Better standards. Better bees.

[Bishops Bees @BeesBishops]

Loaded and heading out.

310 insulated steel Langstroth roofs collected today by Quince Honey Farm.

Loaded and on the move.

#Beekeeping #Langstroth

[Bishops Bees @BeesBishops]

Manage the colony, not the calendar.

Before you add space, split, or intervene — read the brood.

The bees will tell you what they need.

[Bishops Bees @BeesBishops]

@SheffieldHoney It's a Kramer KL14.5, very good loader and spec, also road legal, best bit is it's got a proper cab.

[Bishops Bees @BeesBishops]

More roofs and insulation into the spray shop.

Galvanised for durability.
Insulated for stability.

Strong colonies rely on solid equipment.

#Beekeeping #Apiary

[Bishops Bees @BeesBishops]

Not all good colonies look good at first glance.

50-pin hygienic test in progress.

We’re measuring how efficiently bees remove compromised brood — a key trait in building resilient stock.

Selection isn’t guesswork.
It’s deliberate.

#QueenRearing #BeeBreeding #Beekeeping

[Bishops Bees @BeesBishops]

A brood frame isn’t about perfection.

It’s about balance.

Emerging brood, nectar storage, nurse activity — all part of the picture.

Learning to read a frame properly changes how you manage colonies.

What stands out to you here?

#Beekeeping #BroodPattern