Honey Bees

iX5 Honey Bees is closely linked to iX5 Pest Control, primarily through our honey bee swarm collection service and the physical live bee extractions we undertake. Often when we collect bee swarms or remove established colonies from properties, we re-home the bees in our apiary which is located deep in the Northamptonshire countryside between Ravensthorpe, Long Buckby and West Haddon. The apiary is in a perfect setting, in a secure location away from all public access. The bees live in traditional wooden hives in a lightly wooded area with a stream alongside. They have a great mix of natural flora to forage and are lucky enough to have the gardens of Althorp House, Holdenby House, and Coton Manor Gardens all within their foraging range of 3 miles. There is plenty of other natural forage in the area, including agricultural crops and domestic gardens, so they are not short of everything they need to thrive. It is the seasonal forage that gives each batch of our honey its unique appearance and taste. No two batches are ever the same, as the bees choose what they wish to forage through the spring, summer and autumn. The local farmers are very happy to have our bees around as they help with pollination of their crops, and assist improve the yield. Since setting up our apiary, the number of hives has gradually increased, and we currently have seven hives. We only take off excess honey from the hives and always leave sufficient supplies for the bees. When we have it in stock, our honey is available to buy. We often carry some with us when we are out undertaking our pest control and other work, so please don’t hesitate to ask. Alternatively, our honey can be pre-ordered for collection from Ravensthorpe by telephoning 01604 328545 or emailing: [email protected]