E.H. Thorne (Beehives) Ltd

E.H. Thorne (Beehives) Ltd Thornes are the leading manufacturer and supplier of beekeeping equipment and candlemaking supplies.

05/08/2026

Keep your honey processing organised and your supers protected🐝

It's honey harvesting season. Whether you are preparing for the end of the season or simply keeping your beekeeping equipment in top condition, having the right storage solutions makes all the difference.

Our storage bags are designed to keep your supers clean, dry and protected while in storage, shielding them from dust, dirt and pests. The full length zip around the top flap provides easy access while ensuring your supers remain securely stored.

Pair them with our tidy trays, to make handling and storing supers even easier. Tidy trays provide a stable, clean surface for supers during inspections, extracting, or storage, helping to keep your workspace organised and reduce mess.

Whether you are looking for a tidier way to work in the apiary, or packing away equipment after harvest, these practical essentials can save time and help keep your equipment in good condition.

🐝🐝🐝

SHOP NOW:

Storage Bags: https://www.thorne.co.uk/hardware-clothing/hive-hardware/miscellaneous/super-storage-bag.html

Tidy Tray: https://www.thorne.co.uk/hardware-clothing/hive-hardware/miscellaneous/tidy-tray.html

04/08/2026

From Hive to Honey 🍯🎥

We have created this video using the HiveKeepers Micro Honey Harvester, showcasing how simple and efficient it makes small scale honey harvesting. A great tool for beekeepers who value precision and ease, and a lot of fun too! 🐝✨

Also featured in this video, is our super/brood body storage bags - available to shop on our website!

SHOP NOW:

Micro Honey Harvester: https://www.thorne.co.uk/processing/extraction/extractors/hivekeepers/micro-honey-harvester.html

Storage Bags:
https://www.thorne.co.uk/hardware-clothing/hive-hardware/miscellaneous/super-storage-bag.html

03/08/2026

Observabee Update! 🐝☀️

A small change with a big impact!

We’ve switched the Observabee colony to an English Feeder.

When the colony was still building its strength, we used a contact feeder to give bees easy access to syrup. Now that the hive is thriving, they’re ready for the next step with an English Feeder.

It’s a great sign that the colony is growing stronger and healthier every day! 💛 … you may notice that they are even strong enough to fight off wasps!

Our Scotland SALE Day is this Week!💸As well as our usual bargains, we will be offering our wax exchange service at our S...
03/08/2026

Our Scotland SALE Day is this Week!💸

As well as our usual bargains, we will be offering our wax exchange service at our Sale Days too!

You don't want to miss it!🐝

01/08/2026

Nature never fails to amaze 🐝🦋

One of the remarkable visitors we've recently spotted at our Rand branch in Lincolnshire is the hummingbird hawk-moth. This extraordinary pollinator hovers just like a hummingbird as it feeds on nectar, making it a fascinating sight. Its presence is a wonderful reminder of the rich biodiversity that thrives across our site and why protecting habitats for wildlife - large and small - is so important.

Every species has a vital role to play in supporting healthy ecosystems 💚

Why not come and see for yourself? Visit our Rand site, enjoy a drink or a meal in our on-site restaurant, and see our two observation hives in action.

The True Value of a Spoonful of Honey 🍯🐝A worker honeybee lives for around six weeks. During the first three weeks of he...
31/07/2026

The True Value of a Spoonful of Honey 🍯🐝

A worker honeybee lives for around six weeks. During the first three weeks of her life, she works tirelessly inside the hive, cleaning cells, feeding larvae, and caring for the colony. Only in her final three weeks does she leave the hive to forage for nectar.

In that short foraging career, a single honeybee produces just 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey—less than 4/1000 of a teaspoon per day. That means it takes around 252 bees working for a full day to produce just one teaspoon of honey.

A worker bee can collect approximately 1.4 millilitres (0.05 oz) of nectar each day. While that may seem small, thousands of foraging bees working together gather an incredible amount of nectar, which is transformed into the honey we enjoy.

To put that into perspective, one teaspoon of honey weighs around 7 grams. Since one bee produces only about 0.6 grams during her lifetime, it takes the work of approximately 755 bees to produce one pound (453 g) of honey.

A strong honeybee colony might produce a 60-pound surplus of honey in a good season. That's the equivalent of around 45,000 worker bee lifetimes devoted to foraging.

The next time you enjoy a spoonful of honey, remember—it's the result of thousands of tiny journeys, millions of flowers visited, and the extraordinary teamwork of an entire colony 🍯🐝

Throwback Thursday!Edgar Henry Thorne. To some this may be a well known fact, but for those who don't know...Edgar Henry...
30/07/2026

Throwback Thursday!

Edgar Henry Thorne.

To some this may be a well known fact, but for those who don't know...

Edgar Henry Thorne (pictured), was the founder of E H Thorne ltd.
He began his career as a local joiner for the Wragby community, until 1913 when the headmaster of Wragby School, also a beekeeper, asked him to make a beehive.

Edgar did this and was immediately captivated on the art of beekeeping. The headmaster soon became his beekeeping mentor, leading to Edgar beginning a small independent business, manufacturing and retailing beehives, to run alongside his normal day job.

Edgar continued to expand his business, and 13 years later he developed the wedge type top bar (probably the most widely used top bar today).

It began with curiosity, and grew through shared passion – this is why E H Thorne stands as it does today.

The Yellow-Legged Asian Hornet, Vespa Velutina, is a highly effective predator that poses a serious threat to honeybees ...
24/07/2026

The Yellow-Legged Asian Hornet, Vespa Velutina, is a highly effective predator that poses a serious threat to honeybees and other pollinators.

A confirmed sighting has recently been reported, just over the border in Norfolk, serving as a timely reminder to remain vigilant to the presence of this non-native species and report any suspected sightings immediately.

Following a report from a Norfolk beekeeper, the National Bee Unit (NBU) attended the site the same day, confirmed the identification and successfully tracked the hornet to its nest.

You can read the full details in this post from Norfolk Beekeepers:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/norfolkbeekeepers/posts/27989940937302717/

If you think you have spotted the Yellow-Legged Asian Hornet, please report it immediately so that experts can take quick and effective action to locate and eradicate nests before the species can spread further. When making a report, a clear photo is very important to determine the insect seen. Reports without images are much less likely to be investigated.

Report any sightings via the Asian Hornet Watch app:
https://www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/citizen-science/asian-hornet?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21647389615&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvvLRgpLrlQMVxZBQBh306AP2EAAYASAAEgINvPD_BwE

If you are monitoring for the Yellow-Legged Asian Hornet, please remember to use monitoring traps, not kill traps. The NBU relies on live hornets to track them back to their nests. Using monitoring traps, instead of kill traps, also allows you to release any non-target bycatch, helping to protect our native pollinators and biodiversity.

Address

Beehive Business Park, Rand
Market Rasen
LN85NJ

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9am - 5:30pm
Friday 9am - 5:30pm
Saturday 9am - 12pm

Telephone

+441673858555

Website

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