William’s beekeeping hobby is a hive of activity

It’s a hobby that’s gone bee-yond expectations and kept him buzzy. 

Since retiring from accountancy and corporate finance in 2021, Flaxby’s William Elliott has been well occupied looking after his bee colonies. 

Sweet success ... William's honey is a hit with buyers.

He started with a single colony at his niece’s farm at Nun Monkton, building up to a dozen depending on the season and whether he has split or merged any. Populations rise and fall with the seasons. In winter, a colony holds around 10,000 bees but this begins to rise around March as the queen starts to lay eggs again and the eggs “hatch” into larvae that pupate and emerge as new bees, continuing through the spring and boosting this number to between 50,000 and 60,000.

Inspecting a frame from one of the several hives.

William has already developed a reputation as a honey producer. Production began to take off in 2024 with over 200lbs jarred and sold and around 40lbs left in each of his hives to see the bees throughout winter and into the following early spring. This year, he expects the colonies to produce a similar quantity of honey which translates into over 260 12 oz jars.

Sales have increased with repeat buyers telling friends and families. For a few weeks each year, the utility room at his home is commandeered and honey processing swings into operation.

Although the honey is a successful and welcome byproduct, it’s the bee management and awareness-raising that William enjoys. There’s a connection with nature and the seasons, the sense of doing something meaningful, and the fact that the hobby is so absorbing and relaxing.

Using smoke to encourage
the bees into the lower hive
for inspection.

He’s treasurer of the Leeds Beekeepers Association and talks about bees and conservation to local groups and schools, explaining their crucial role in pollinating the plants that sustain food supplies and biodiversity. He’s been known to rescue a swarms where they have settled in people’s gardens. 

He attributes his strong connection with nature to being raised in a family that farmed for six decades in Northumberland.

And has he been stung? At least a hundred times but he’s used to it, now.

For enquiries about honey or talks, contact William at william.t.elliott01@btinternet.com.