Keeping bees in the UK

Keeping bees is one of the most rewarding things you can do with a corner of a British garden, and one of the easiest to get wrong if you rush it. A honey bee colony isn't a pet you can put down for the weekend. It's 50,000 living animals that need you to know what you're looking at when you lift the lid. The good news? Thousands of ordinary people manage it beautifully, and there's a friendly local association near you that will teach you for next to nothing.

This is our hub for hobby beekeeping in the UK. Start with the beginner's guide below for the honest picture on time, cost and temperament, then work through kit, getting your first bees, the beekeeping year and the health and legal bits that keep you and your neighbours happy. We keep everything UK-specific, so that means National hives, BeeBase, the National Bee Unit and British weather, not advice lifted from an American backyard.