Peeblesshire has a beekeeping heritage out of proportion to its size. Willie Smith of Innerleithen, thought to be one of Scotland's first commercial beekeepers, ran up to 150 colonies single-handed and designed the Smith hive, still the usual hive across much of northern Scotland; the museum at St Ronan's Wells in Innerleithen has a display about him. The Peeblesshire Beekeepers Association was established in 1919.
The long valleys and steep hills have helped local bees stay close to the native dark bee, and since 2014 the association has asked members to use locally bred bees rather than imports. In one isolated valley, at almost 300 metres, a group of beekeepers has been building a small reserve of native dark bees from Colonsay stock.
Beekeeping here is small-scale, with most members keeping fewer than ten colonies and no commercial beekeepers, and the few who move hives take them to the moors for heather honey. Local honey is therefore limited and seasonal: Hayden's Peebles Honey sells blossom and heather honey, in jars and in the comb, from bees kept around Peebles.
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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