Nature-based Beekeeping in Morecambe Bay

At Morecambe Bay Honey Bees, our nature-based approach follows the recommendations of leading bee researchers and entomologists. By focusing on natural behaviour and resilience rather than intensive management, we help honey bees thrive in ways that reflect current understanding of bee health and disease transmission.

Honeybee colonies naturally live in ways that promote their own survival and reproduction: raising brood, foraging, and storing honey and pollen. In managed beekeeping, however, the emphasis often shifts heavily toward honey production. Over recent decades this has contributed to a number of health challenges for bees, including the spread of diseases, genetic weakening, and altered behaviours.

Recognising this, many entomologists and bee-researchers now encourage a “nature-based” approach to beekeeping – one that allows honey bees to express more of their natural behaviours and build resilience. Since the 1980s, awareness has grown of how disease transmission, imported stock, intensive apiary layout, and large continuous brood-rearing can weaken colony health. By applying the following principles, we aim to align with the best current thinking in bee-science and provide colonies the best chance of thriving.

Darwinian Evolution Versus Managed Colonies

Allowing honey bees more space to evolve and express natural behaviours supports the development of traits beneficial for survival. Studies show that wild colonies – those which are subject to natural selection and live in more naturalised conditions – often have better survivability than highly-managed ones. This is largely because they retain advantageous genetics and engage in lifestyles that help counter disease pressure.

In practice, nature-based beekeeping means enabling bees to behave more like they would in the wild, so they can more fully deploy their survival skills and become more resilient.

Wild vs Managed Honey Bees – Key Differences

Natural (wild) conditions

• Bees genetically adapted to their location (local survivor stock)

• Colonies widely spaced – typically around one hive per square kilometre in woodland

• Smaller nest cavities (swarm-friendly) with natural brood breaks

• Cavity walls coated with propolis, which has antimicrobial properties

• Full drone-comb production and natural drone numbers, supporting genetic diversity

• Hive entrances often high above the ground

• Wide variety of forage and pollen sources

• Natural disease resistance encouraged rather than continuous treatment

Common managed conditions

• Imported or artificially bred queen bees

• Multiple hives clustered together, increasing disease and robbing risk

• Large hive volumes and continuous brood rearing

• Minimal propolis envelope or thin hive walls

• Reduced drone-comb production

• Low or ground-level entrances

• Limited or uniform forage areas

• Frequent use of treatments, which may reduce natural resistance

Guidelines – in line with leading researcher recommendations

Inspired by the work of Thomas D. Seeley and other bee-health researchers, these guidelines support natural bee health and resilience:

1. Use locally adapted survivor bees rather than imported stock.

2. Choose smaller hive volumes (around 60–80 litres) to reflect natural nest size.

3. Space hives widely within and between sites to reduce robbing and disease spread.

4. Encourage the development of a propolis envelope by roughening wood surfaces or using propolis-collection screens.

5. Allow drones from strong colonies to reproduce, maintaining natural selection.

6. Maintain nest structure and avoid unnecessary disruption to reduce stress.

7. Position entrances appropriately for the environment while providing mouse guards.

8. Minimise chemical treatments wherever possible to allow natural resistance to develop.

Distributed Beehives

We prefer to place one or two hives at each widely-spread location. This mirrors how honey-bee colonies naturally distribute themselves and aligns with research showing that widely spaced hives reduce disease transmission via shared flowers and lower robbing risks.

If you’re interested in arranging hosting or locating a hive in your area, please contact:

Mark Cullen – 07899 951 664

By following these nature-based practices – based on the recommendations of leading entomologists and bee researchers we aim to support colonies that evolve naturally.