About our bees

Native Welsh black bees, bred to survive here

We keep native-type Welsh black bees, selected for how well they cope with a wet, mild Welsh year, without chemical treatments.

Capped brood on a frame from a native Welsh black bee colony, measured with digital calipers

Where our bees came from

Our stock came to us on its own: wild colonies that moved into empty hives at the end of 2021. They have come through around four years with no chemical treatments, no feeding and no propping up. What survived that is adapted to local weather and mite pressure, and those traits are what we breed from.

They are dark, hardy Apis mellifera mellifera-type bees, selected for local survival rather than for a purity certificate. Our queens are open mated with drones from our own survivor apiaries.

Breeding uses our own queen rearing and naturally captured local swarms. With careful monitoring and record keeping we select for Varroa Sensitive Hygiene (VSH) traits rather than relying on chemicals.

Main apiary: Greenmeadow Community Farm, CwmbranOur scientific and educational apiary
Other sites: Across Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent
Method: Chemical-free, selecting for Varroa resistance
Footprint: Low-impact micro-apiaries of 2 to 8 hives
Registration: National Bee Unit apiary, ID 100414

How we work

Breeding, pollination and bio-security

Genetic resilience

Independent queen rearing and local valley swarms, measured and recorded, to build a bee that thrives in the damp post-industrial valleys of Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent.

A map used to plan where hives are placed for pollination

Precision pollination

Small micro-apiaries of 2 to 8 hives, and larger research apiaries, placed to support community orchards and local nature reserves.

Two beehives inside a secure timber enclosure in a community orchard

Bio-secure sites

All colony work is carried out by Tŷ Mêl, and every apiary site is monitored and protected by a secure timber perimeter.

Services for beekeepers and the public

Taking 2027 reservations