Honiton Show 2026

135th Honiton Show August 6th 2026

The 135th Honiton and District Agricultural Association Show was held on Thursday 6th August 2026 at the Stockers Farm site as usual. The weather was warm and dry with visitor numbers in the Bees and Honey marquee brisk at times. The public were actively engaging with our many displays and attractions rather than just looking.

At the entrance we had a large display showing all the attractions in the marquee: the Honey Competitions, ‘Taste of Honey’ stand, Children’s Art, ‘Inside the Hive’ video, Bee Photography competition, face painting, live bee Observation Hive, Roll-a-Candle stall, Asian Hornet Information, plus the Beekeeper’s branch display.

The Honey Competition caters for all ages and skill levels, from novices and school children to skilled honey producers, bees wax modelling and honey cake baking. The images show the main honey section followed by the Novice section of the display. The latter was particularly well supported with exhibits to a high standard.

Moving round the marquee, the ‘Taste of Honey’ team were doing a roaring trade with their selection of local honey samples for visitors to taste with scones and cream. If you liked the flavour of a particular honey, you could buy some from the Honey Sales display.

Next to ‘Taste of Honey’, the Tech team had set up a video of the inside of a live bee hive. Visitors could see all the comings and goings of the bees as if they were in there with them. The queen bee could easily be picked out (by a white spot on her back), and the behaviour of the workers towards the queen, cleaning and feeding her, was very noticeable (see picture). Every now and then a foraging bee would do a waggle dance, telling other workers where to find flowers with lots of nectar.

Also on the video stand was the Children’s Art display. Each year, children from schools in the area are invited to enter the Bee Poster competition.

The observation hive with free flying bees kept two stewards busy throughout the day, pointing out the queen (also with a white spot on her back) and the various other activities taking place within the hive. This is always a favourite with children, and adults too. Despite the heat, the colony was remarkably calm, coming in with pollen loads on their back legs and honey stomachs full of nectar, just like they do in their normal hive. Visitors were amazed to see the queen laying eggs in the comb every few minutes! Thanks to John Easton for transporting his ‘flying hive’ from Exeter, giving us the chance to observe them up close.

The Photo Competition was well placed in the centre of the marquee, with visitors being asked to vote for their favourite picture. At the final count, the picture of bees round a thistle flower head was declared the winner. Congratulations to Alasdair Bruce.

The Honey Sales display was beautifully laid out as usual with dozens of different samples from around the region showing the variety of honey types and colours available. Sales were brisk, with cut comb selling out quickly.

‘Roll Your Own Candle’ is a favourite attraction, especially for children. Warm weather makes it so much easier to handle the wax. Essentially, this is a workshop where participants get to learn how to assemble the parts and engage with the texture and smell of the beeswax. There is a wide range of coloured wax sheets to choose from. Football fans often choose the wax sheet colours of their favourite team! Result…. a great sense of satisfaction.

East Devon Beekeepers have their own stand at Honiton Show. This year the theme was How can we help our bees? The display gave information on planting pollinator-friendly plants in your garden to the work being done by farmers and land owners to help create safe ecosystems that also produce a diverse, all year round food supply. For such a small insect, bees have many benefits for us humans.

Our final display was the Asian Hornet Information stand. This non-native species is not yet established in mainland Britain, but beekeepers and public alike need to be aware of the dangers it poses. Free identification cards were available.

The stand attracted many visitors and East Devon Asian hornet reps did a magnificent job manning the stand all day. As a charity, part of East Devon Beekeepers’ remit is to help educating the public about the importance of pollinators and the dangers this predator poses to wildlife. The model, made by Anita Rossiter, cleverly displayed the essential defining characteristics of the insect.
Additional information on the Asian hornet page.

Honiton Show may only be a one-day event but it takes a huge amount of organisation to stage successfully. The Bees and Honey Committee, made up from members of East Devon and Exeter branches, should be congratulated for their work over the preceding months to make the Show reflect the vibrancy and popularity of our craft.

The Honey Competition entries were judged by Jack Mummery and the Cake Competition entries by Helen Bithrey. We are grateful to the judges for their time and expertise. The prizes were presented by David Packham, a long-serving member of Exeter Beekeepers and a retired Seasonal Bee Inspector.

Our thanks to the many organisers and stewards who helped on the stands and interacted with the public. The Show would not work without you!