Partnerships
Film and photograph at our South Downs beehives.
A working apiary. Live bees. And someone who knows how to keep both calm on a film set.
Film and photograph at our South Downs apiaries - twenty minutes from Brighton, ninety from central London, with a qualified beekeeper on set.
Bees are one of the most photogenic subjects in the natural world, and one of the most difficult to shoot. Thirty thousand of them in a single box, all with an opinion about your lighting rig.
We are a family beekeeping business working with over 60,000 bees in hundreds of colonies across the South Downs, and we host brands, agencies and production companies who need the real thing on camera. Not a rented prop hive with nothing living in it - working colonies, at a working apiary, with a qualified beekeeper alongside your crew for the whole day.
We're twenty minutes from Brighton and around ninety from central London, and we're set up for anything from a two-person stills shoot to a full commercial unit.
What you can shoot here
The bees. Colonies opened, frames lifted, comb drawn and capped, bees in flight, a queen found and marked. All of it real, all of it happening at the pace the bees set.
The landscape. Rolling chalk downland, blossom-heavy hedgerows in spring, rapeseed in full flower - wide, uncluttered horizons with almost nothing modern in frame.
The craft. Hands, smoke, hive tools, wax, honey drawn straight from the comb. Close, tactile, and easier to light than you'd expect.
The people. A working family beekeeping business, on camera, without a script.
Common questions
Is it safe to film around live bees?
Yes, with a beekeeper present and everyone suited. We've hosted full crews without incident. Tell us about sting allergies in advance and we'll plan around them.
What time of year should we shoot?
[FILL: months] is when the colonies are most active and the site looks its best. Outside that window the bees stay in and there's much less to film.
What if it rains?
Bees don't fly in rain or cold, so we'd move the day. Every booking includes one free postponement.
Do you provide bee suits?
Yes, in a range of sizes, included in the location fee. We can hire in more for larger crews.
How much does Can we use the footage in paid advertising?cost?
Yes. Commercial and advertising use is priced differently from editorial- tell us how it'll be used and we'll quote accordingly.
Tell us what you're making
Send us the outline - dates, crew size, what you need in frame and how the footage will be used - and we'll come back with a straight quote and an honest view on whether the bees will cooperate.