Argyll and Bute has a special place in Scottish beekeeping. On the Hebridean islands of Colonsay and Oronsay, a Scottish Government order in force since 2014 allows only the native dark honey bee, Apis mellifera mellifera, to be kept – protecting one of the few pure, isolated populations of the black bee in Europe. The islands' bees are kept mainly for honey production.
Elsewhere, honey comes from wildflowers and heather moorland along the sea lochs. Argyll Honey, a family of bee farmers, keeps bees in Cowal. On Mull, Tobermory Honey is made by bees kept around the town and sold by Tim and Sheila Barnard at the Tobermory Producers Market and through Tobermory Fish Co at Baliscate. Heather honey from hives on the moors above the Kyles of Bute, made by the Gateshead-based Travelling Bee Company, is sold at Croot's Country Store at Holy Loch Marina, Sandbank.
Use the listing details to choose how to buy, then contact the producer before travelling.
The directory does not track live stock or harvest dates. Availability, collection, delivery, prices and seasonal varieties can change, so ask the producer to confirm what is currently available.
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