Meet Our Rescue Bees

Once settled into their new home, our rescue bees are cared for throughout the seasons. We monitor their health, provide additional food when nature requires it, and manage the colonies responsibly so they can flourish. In return, they reward us with beautiful local Shropshire honey, fragrant beeswax and the opportunity to share their incredible world through our beekeeping experiences and Apitherapy Shed.

Every time you visit Topsy Cottage Honey, purchase a jar of honey or enjoy one of our experiences, you’re helping to support the care and conservation of these amazing colonies.

We believe every bee deserves a home, and every rescued swarm deserves the chance to thrive

At Topsy Cottage Honey, every colony has a story to tell.

Many of our bees began life as wild swarms that had settled in gardens, trees, chimneys, walls, lofts and other buildings across Shropshire. Instead of these colonies being destroyed or left in unsuitable locations, we carefully collect and relocate them to our apiaries, where they can thrive in a safe environment.

We like to call them our “Rescue Bees” because we’re giving these remarkable colonies a second chance. Swarming is a completely natural part of a honey bee colony’s life cycle, but when a swarm chooses to make its home inside a building or somewhere it could become a problem, it often needs to be removed. Wherever possible, we use our experience to carefully extract and rehome the bees, preserving the colony and allowing it to continue its important role as a pollinator.