Honiton Show 2025

The 134th Honiton and District Agricultural Association Show was held on Thursday 7th August 2025 at the Stockers Farm site as usual. This year we were lucky as the weather was warm with only the odd shower. Visitor numbers in the Bees and Honey marquee were high with the public engaging with our many displays and attractions.

At the entrance we had the main Honey Competition display with competition classes catering for all ages and skill levels, from novices and school children to skilled honey producers, bees wax modelling and honey cake baking.

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. If you liked the flavour of a particular honey, you could buy some on 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, and the behaviour of the workers towards the queen, cleaning and feeding her, was very noticeable. Young children especially were fascinated to see the foraging bees do their waggle dance, telling other workers where to find flowers with lots of nectar.

Also on the video stand was the Children’s Art display.

The observation hive with free flying bees kept two stewards busy throughout the day, pointing out the queen 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 Meg with bee (inset) was declared the winner. Congratulations to Annie Layzell.

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 Products from the Hive. The display showed information about nectar, pollen, bees wax, propolis (a gummy resin collected by bees), Royal jelly and bee venom (used in bee allergy treatment). For such a small insect they have so many amazing things they can do.

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 Jayne Meade. We are grateful to the judges for their time and expertise. The prizes were presented by Liz Westcott, President of Devon Beekeepers’ Association.

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