The Apiary of the Cliffs

Nestled on the heights of’ Etretat in Normandy in a green setting, Marie-Laure presents her apiary where pretty ancestral bees forage., they are adapted to our climate and our local flora, called “l’ Black Bee”.
Beekeeping, a consuming passion



In constant contact with flora and fauna, I share with my husband Jean the passion for bees. For several years, I observe them in order to understand their way of life punctuated by the seasons, the environment around them, their different pathologies, the law of natural cycles. If the bees are foraging alone during flowering, I ensure their good health and the maintenance of their habitat all year round.. It is clear that’ Being a beekeeper cannot be improvised. You have to acquire a lot of knowledge and precise know-how to raise bees in the best way and it takes a lifetime.
My role and priorities :
- Save the bees, essential link to biodiversity. These little foragers are essential for the proper functioning of our ecosystem;
- The practice of traditional beekeeping in a natural environment;
- Cold grinding and extraction of honey to preserve all their qualities and flavors;
- A direct vending process, from consumer to producer in order to guarantee an authentic product.
- Ensure the smooth running of the various stages leading to quality production;
Raising our bee colonies, populations vulnerable to climate change and pollution by protecting them from diseases and potential predators.
The habitat of small foragers
My first swarm was introduced into a type hive WARRE : It owes its name to its inventor Father Emile Warré who was passionate about beekeeping. He tried several types of hive while observing the behavior of the bees. He then designed a hive that offers them living conditions close to their natural environment. He was betting on profits rather than profits.
Their characteristics : the elements are placed one under the other and the bees build the combs on them. In order to fully observe the colony and its evolution, we have installed windows on the back or front of the elements. When harvesting honey, no need to use an extractor since we grind the honeycombs manually.

La Ruche DADANT
In 2017, the Apiary has expanded thanks to the installation of new colonies resulting from swarming in hives of the type “DADANT”, the standard model among beekeepers and the most used. Its available volume makes it possible to produce more’ bees and grow larger harvests.



the Australian Hive
The apiary also has an Australian hive, “FLOW HIVE” (literally translated as "flow hive"). This one is innovative and was developed by two Australian beekeepers. They wanted to find a way to facilitate the harvest of honey. The latter works thanks to a system of preformed alveoli. Once the bees put their honey there, a mechanism makes it possible to split these cells (without damaging the wax seal) and let the precious nectar flow. Then simply realign the cells to allow the bees to fill them again with honey. The bees instantly adopted this new habitat.
