Merionethshire has deep beekeeping roots. The National Trust's Dolmelynllyn estate at Ganllwyd, near Dolgellau, has 48 bee boles (wall recesses once used to shelter straw skeps), said to be the largest collection on record in the UK. Pen y Bryn Apiary is also at Ganllwyd. Bees arrived on the Edwards family farm in the 1930s, when a swarm landed on a plum tree in the front garden. Today Carys Edwards keeps around 150 hives of Welsh native black bees, sells her honey as Mêl Pur Dyffryn Mawddach (pure Mawddach valley honey) and makes honey jams and marmalades using honey instead of sugar.
The hills around Bala are heather country, and Wainwright's Bee Farm, from near Aberystwyth, takes around 500 hives there for its crunchy heather honey. Beekeepers in the area have their own association, Meirionnydd, affiliated to the Welsh Beekeepers' Association.
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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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