Le Rucher de l'Ours, passion for bees and honey since 1975 !

Le Rucher de l'Ours is a very nice small company which has its roots in the 70's back-to-the-land movement. Today we keep focusing on ecological values, solidarity economy and responsible consumption.

Created in 1975 this massive multi-regional gives a living with full-time work to 4 people...
Recently, a significant investment, with many hours of work and training, has been initiated for the development of direct selling with the creation of this website. Our ultimate goal is the complete independence of the company in commercial matters.

Le Rucher de l'Ours exists since 1975. Today with 300 beehives in the Pyrenees mountains we produce around 10 tons of a wide variety of honeys. When the production is not sufficient and in order to meet the demand, we appeal to the colleagues around, but absolutely remain in the qualitative line that has brought us here for over forty years. We exclusively sell French honey.


Le Rucher de l'Ours' new team (2022)

Ph weibel Apiculteursylvie la vraie patronnelaurent apiculteurFrancine les colis c 'est moiAgathe-notre-traductriceJéromesylvie-au-ruchergeorges apiculteursylvie-au-ruchergeorges apiculteur


From left to right

Philippe WEIBEL:
Beekeper, photographer, mechanic, sweeper, accountant, seller, computer beginner, passionate about bees and honey for 48 years and about this small company and incidentally leader of Le Rucher de l'Ours. Still working but slowly...... at 66 years old ... His obsession: to ensure that the Rucher de l'Ours continues.....
Sylvie: She was given an inexhaustible energy, she takes care of everything and the rest, she was hired as a secretary but she prefers the work of honey, she puts in jars, prepares the orders and the invoices, answers the phone, welcomes you at the shop... and always smiling! We owe her the commercial success of this website!
No change still active...
Laurent: He has been with us for more than 26 years, unfortunately a spinal operation no longer allows him to go see the bees but he is still with us.
Francine: Affected by the disease too, she is doing the best she has been with us for so long...
Agathe The daughter of the house, she preferred to fly with her own wings, but she has been part of our development. As she speaks 6 languages she has translated this website, and now she excels in photography, music... she is always present.
Jérome: He has been there for 2 years, he has taken over Laurent's place from the bees, always optimistic and in a good mood
Ophelie: On top the new secretary!! the phone, the bills, the bank, the customers, the shop, it hits quickly and sends heavy ....
Georges: Our friend and colleague beekeeper, main supplier when our bees haven't worked enough. Georges is a force of nature with a matchless knowledge about bees and a local man with a huge heart.
Boris: We needed young blood! He has just returned to the Rucher. A local guy, climbing instructor, .. very motivated We are confident...
Franck: He makes the seasons with us, a salesman, you will find him in the little chalet at the Bouillouses roundabout and on the Christmas market in Perpignan.....
Mana:Our super saleswoman on the steps of cerdagne and capcir!!! Too bad, it's only summer, she has another job the rest of the year.

Le Rucher de l'Ours' old team (2014)

Ph weibel Apiculteursylvie la vraie patronnelaurent apiculteurFrancine les colis c 'est moiAgathe-notre-traductriceJéromesylvie-au-ruchergeorges apiculteurFrom left to right :

Philippe WEIBEL , 
Sylvie, Laurent, Francine, Agathe, Jérome, Georges.

Honey production.

We are located in Axat, a small village in the upper Aude valley. At the foot of the mountains, on the road to Font-Romeu, close to the coast line, the location is ideal for migratory beekeeping.
Our beehives hibernate near the coast, where they benefit from a milder winter climate and an earlier spring vegetation. Which saves us having to feed them, since our bees consume their own honey.

In coastal scrubland, Rosemary is in bloom from march, followed by Wild Lavender, and White Heather with its characteristic perfume.
After the first spring harvests, we move the hives to the moutains during May to produce Acacia honey, Linden honey, Raspberry honey, Rhododendron honey up to 1700 m of altitude. In order to harvest mono floral honeys, we move the hives before and after flowering.

Quality of our honeys

la miellerie
We are now a little cramped in our 200m2 building, a project of a new honey house is on the agenda, 2015 will bring many changes for sure.

Although we are not member of an organisation issuing statements, we have always worked with the spirit of our deepest convictions: the greatest respect for nature, bees and their products.

  • Our bees eat their own honey.
  • We do not treat our bees with antibiotics.
  • We do not use chemical repellents while harvesting the honey.
  • Our honeys are cold-extracted and cold-conditioned and never mixed.
  • Our honeys crystallise naturally. We use a mechanical mixing process to make them creamy.



Allez-les-filles.jpgl'apiculteur, on dit toujours que les patrons travaillent dur...



"We always say that bosses work hard! Allow me to doubt it..." It is true that we can spend time watching the bees going in and out of the hives, tirelessly, a bit like a fire in the fireplace or a wave that spins in the back of a boat...


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