Honey, Bee farms, ceiling wax and string

[Richard]

please can anyone tell me if there are any 'bee farms' in the area around Hastings/St Leo's?
I need some beeswax supplies and would like to source it locally.

[moonjiver]

At first, this seemed like a very long shot of a question for us townies, like going to the City of London and asking if anybody knew a place where you could get new-mown hay!

However, an idea came to me. Trinity Wholefoods in Trinity Street has quite a selection of organic foods etc. from all over, even organic washing-up liquid (whatever that is). Caroline, one of the older hands and a charming one, might well know about this. I'll ask her if you like on Monday. Not sure if sources of honey (amd beeswax) would be local or further afield ..

[Richard]

Thanks a lot moonjiver,

I am not in Hastings for a while now and would appreciate that.
It would be interesting to know the nearest local honey producer.
The nearest bee farm I have found is from honey jars saying:
Paynes Southdown Bee Farms Ltd, Bentley Cottage,Wickham Hill, Hassocks, West Sussex.

[gingham]

Try

http://www.honeybeehive.co.uk/honey/suppliers/

one in Polegate.

[Richard]

gingham, many thanks.

[moonjiver]

I was in Trinity Wholefoods yesterday, asked Caroline about this. Their honey comes largely from local producers, although it seems that there aren't any close to Hastings. However, the supply chain is very much under threat since there has been a massive decline in the bee population (I researched this a bit on the internet and the situation re: insect populations, wild flowers etc. is almost too depressing to read).

Consequently, locally sourced beeswax is almost unobtainable. Caroline has been asking one of her suppliers for beeswax for six months!

I wonder when polticians will properly address the harm we are doing to the countryside around us, instead of slinging mud at each other and trying to score points?

[Richard]

Thanks for this moonjiver,
I have heard stories about 2014 being a bad year for bees in general, in the U.K.
Beeswax is being sold on the internet but when I have asked questions about its purity and origin I find it is being brought in from other countries to meet the UK shortfall.
It's hard to know for sure whether it is being 'watered-down' with other substances such as paraffin wax.
The good news is that African wax is normally organic as it is not harvested on a large scale or adulterated.
Chinese beeswax is sometimes seen as undesirable.