PHILOSOPHY
Hi. I’m Jem, and I run Jem’s Bees®.
In the photo on the home page, I’m holding some scraps of cardboard that are about to go into the smoker. Cardboard might seem mundane, but I’ve done some interesting things with it, and it reflects how I approach life, work, and Jem’s Bees®.
I’m a beekeeper, designer, maker, amateur gardener, and recycler. DIY and make-your-own have always been second nature to me, and grow-your-own came into my life in my twenties. Now, alongside beekeeping, growing my own food has become part of my routine. It’s satisfying to see the savings on my food bills—and I feel better for it too.
Recycling and reuse are challenges I take on consciously, but they’re also fun for me. During my career in children’s book publishing, I built slot model kits and pop-up book sculptures out of scraps of cardboard. Old materials sparked new ideas, and I loved that process. I also ran BrilliantBuilds at family-friendly festivals, a workshop where I encouraged others to get creative by recycling stallholder cardboard waste. That work later inspired a book called Out of the Box, republished as Cardboard Activity Lab in 2023. I ended up on Blue Peter in my 30th year as part of the book launch—and got the badge too!
Recycling and reuse are default settings for Jem’s Bees®. Whether it’s the old plant climbers you see on my stall or the recycled boxes and packaging in your order, it’s all part of how I run things—practical and integral.
Honeybees are resourceful and frugal, working with what they find. With biomimicry more on my mind than ever, I try to mirror this behaviour in my own life and work.
A good honey harvest is never guaranteed. Challenges like weather, habitat loss, pests, disease, and even my own aptitude as a beekeeper all play a part. To take the pressure off honey sales, I use my design expertise to diversify what I offer to my customers.
I'm fortunate to have customers—both old and new—who understand the various challenges that bees and beekeepers face, and I’m truly appreciative of your support, patience, and curiosity.
I’m committed to keeping Jem’s Bees® practical, resilient, and responsive to change—adapting and evolving, just as bees do.
Jem
Just bee-ing
