Wye Valley Apiaries

Wye Valley Apiaries is a family-run beekeeping operation based at Mill House, Upper Redbrook, near Monmouth in Monmouthshire, Wales, owned and managed by Gareth and Bernice Baker. Their bees are seasonally sited along the Welsh border, following the River Wye for almost a hundred miles from its source on the Heather Moors above the Elan Valley to the sea at Chepstow. This migratory approach exposes the bees to a wide variety of forage environments, ranging from broadleaf woodland in the south, through large fruit orchards and fields of white clover, to purple heather moorland in the north. The result is a diverse and distinctive honey range that varies from almost clear to extremely dark, with a wide spectrum of flavours and textures. Spring honey, harvested around the end of May, draws from cherry, apple, raspberry, strawberry, dandelion, hawthorn, and sycamore blossoms, and forms the base of their popular creamed honey. Summer honey blends fruit orchard nectars with lime, sycamore, chestnut, lavender, sage, and thyme. The business has received recognition at the True Taste Awards as one of the best foods in Wales. Wye Valley Apiaries also participates in conservation efforts, working with the Welsh Pollinator Task Force to increase bee and queen production in the UK, and operates a teaching and production apiary at Bakers Field Apiary in Redbrook. Honey is available year-round through regional shops and outlets.