Bee Museum | The Oaks

A Commitment to Biodiversity

Our honey is more than a sweet indulgence — it’s part of a broader mission to support biodiversity. Bees are essential pollinators for the natural world, and healthy bee populations reflect healthy ecosystems.

At The Oaks, we’ve created a haven for pollinators by planting native wildflowers, preserving hedgerows, and managing our land with sustainability in mind. Every jar of honey you enjoy helps sustain this delicate, beautiful balance.

Located within the grounds of The Oaks estate, you will also find our private museum which offers guests an immersive journey into the complex world of Hymenoptera. The collection is designed with a purpose: to educate visitors on the biodiversity of our native pollinators, the biology of their survival, and the immediate threats they face.

"An award-winning immersive experience, located on-site and free for all overnight guests."

Zone 0: The Oaks Apiary (The Living Exhibit)

The foundation of our collection: a working apiary producing hyper-local, raw honey. The Bee Museum is in fact where we spin our honey.

The Provenance: Our active hives are nestled among the rewilding meadows and orchards of The Oaks estate. Unlike commercial blends, our honey is a "time capsule" of the Oxfordshire landscape—its flavour profile shifting seasonally based on the native wildflowers, fruit trees, and hedgerow blossoms our bees forage.
Raw & Unfiltered: We practice ethical beekeeping in line with British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) standards. Our honey is never pasteurised, preserving the natural enzymes, pollen, and propolis that are often lost in mass production.
Taste the Landscape: Guests are invited to experience this "living exhibit" firsthand. Our raw honey is served daily at breakfast and available for purchase, directly supporting our biodiversity projects.

Zone 1: The Invasion Front (Current Threat)

A dedicated educational zone focusing on the greatest modern threat to UK pollinators: the Yellow-Legged Asian Hornet (YLH).

The Invader: Specimens of the YLH - the Yellow-Legged Asian Hornet (Vespa velutina) displayed alongside our native European Hornet. We teach guests how to identify the YLH.
The "Heat Ball" Defence: A dynamic display illustrating how Asian Honey Bees (Apis cerana) swarm invaders, vibrating their muscles to raise the core temperature to exactly 46°C—cooking the hornet alive while the bees survive by a margin of just one degree.

Citizen Science: Join the Fight! Our bees are unable to defend against YLH. As active members of the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA), The Oaks supports the national eradication effort. We encourage all visitors to download the official 'Asian Hornet Watch' app to report sightings directly to the National Bee Unit.

Zone 2: Giants & Myths

Separating media hype from biological reality, featuring the largest and most potent insects in the order.

The "Murder Hornet": A rare specimen of the Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia). Visitors can compare this massive insect directly against the invasive Yellow-Legged Asian Hornet to understand the difference.
The King of Wasps: The Garuda Wasp (Megalara garuda), displayed to showcase the extreme diversity of island gigantism.
The World's Largest Bee: Wallace’s Giant Bee (Megachile pluto), a living legend of entomology, thought extinct for decades until its rediscovery.
The Sting: The infamous Bullet Ant (Paraponera clavata), used to illustrate the evolutionary link between ants and wasps and the physiology of pain (ranking 4.0+ on the Schmidt Sting Pain Index).

Zone 3: Body Snatchers (Nature’s Grim Reapers)

A look at the complex, often macabre reproductive strategies of the insect world. These are the real-life inspiration for science fiction horror.

The Real-Life "Last of Us": A rare specimen of a wasp infected by the Cordyceps fungus. This parasitic fungus hijacks the host's brain, compelling it to climb to a high point before consuming the body from within and sprouting a fruiting body to release spores.
The Zombie Maker: The Emerald Cockroach Wasp (Ampulex compressa). Interpretive panels explain how this jewel-toned wasp performs "brain surgery" on a cockroach, stinging it in a precise neural spot to remove its free will before leading it to a burrow like a pet on a leash.
The Tarantula Slayer: The Tarantula Hawk Wasp (Pepsis grossa). A display highlighting the sheer power required to hunt tarantulas, dragging them to a burrow to serve as a living larder for a single egg.

Zone 4: Adaptation & Disguise

A study of how species survive through deception and theft.

The Honey Thief: The Death’s-head Hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos), famous for the skull-like marking on its thorax. Displays explain its mastery of chemical camouflage, allowing it to slip past guard bees and raid hives for honey.
The Perfume Collector: The iridescent Orchid Bee (Euglossini), showcasing the species' unique behaviour of collecting scents from rainforest orchids to create complex pheromone blends.
Evolutionary Mimicry: Interpretive displays on Batesian and Müllerian Mimicry, demonstrating how harmless species (like hoverflies) gain protection by visually mimicking the warning colours of dangerous wasps and hornets.

Zone 5: Natural Enemies

A study of the species that hunt bees, featuring diverse media from historical taxidermy to sculptural interpretation.

The Butcher Bird: A rare Victorian taxidermy specimen of a Shrike (with provenance), displayed with interpretive text on its behaviour of impaling prey on thorns ("The Larder").
Avian Specialists: A mixed-media display featuring taxidermy Bee-eaters alongside museum-quality artistic recreations of the Honey Buzzard and Hoopoe, illustrating the specialized adaptations birds use to safely consume stinging insects.
The Mammalian Threat: A commissioned sculptural interpretation of the Honey Badger, highlighting the brute-force predation strategies used against hives.

Visitor Information

The Oaks Guests: Unlimited guided free entry is included for all overnight guests of The Oaks.
General Public: Open by prior appointment 2-4pm on Sat/Sun (£10 entry).
Schools & Research: We welcome educational visits by prior arrangement.

Trustees of the Museum