Musée du miel et des abeilles

About the museum

The Lobbes honey museum is the fruit of intensive work by volunteers passionate about bees and nature. Whether or not they are beekeepers, they offer the public a space for discovering bees, with a teaching and very practical approach: visits always take place in the presence of beekeepers ready to answer questions, and observing a fully glazed hive makes it possible to follow the life of the colony.

The museum explains how the bee and the colony live, how honey is made, what the different hives are and how the other products of the hive are harvested. At certain times, between June and mid-August, honey extractions are held in public; their dates depend on the weather and the beekeepers' calendar and cannot be planned in advance.

The ASBL that runs the site, founded in 2012, aims in particular to offer a space for discovering bees and to house the beekeeping section of the Royale Amicale Sylvain Thibaut, founded in 1888 and probably the oldest beekeeping section in French-speaking Belgium. The site is also used for training and information for beekeepers, with a training apiary, lectures and a shop selling beekeeping products.

Highlights

• Fully glazed hive to observe the colony
• Display of old hives and beekeeping equipment
• Honey house and extraction room; public honey extractions from June to mid-August, depending on the season
• Visits always accompanied by beekeepers
• Honey tasting; hive products on sale on site

Permanent exhibitions

• Ruche vitrée et vie de la colonie – Observation of a fully glazed hive and explanations of the life of the bee and the colony.
• Ruches anciennes et matériel apicole – Display of old hives and of the equipment beekeepers used in the past and use today.
• Miellerie et salle d'extraction – Extraction room that meets regulatory standards, where visitors can watch the honey harvest during the season.

Operated by

ASBL Espace de découverte du Miel et de l'Abeille et de formation en Apiculture – Royale Amicale Sylvain Thibaut

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Individual visitors are welcome free of charge. For groups, CM Tourisme lists visits for 8 to 30 people and up to €3 per person.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum has an activity area for little ones and welcomes classes from nursery to the end of secondary school; honey tasting is among the activities offered to school groups.

Getting there & parking

Address: rue Fontaine Pépin 12, Lobbes. According to CM Tourisme, a car park and a coach park are available.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Shop selling beekeeping products (honey, sweets, jellies…) and the museum's own beer; the site also has a lecture hall, a projection room and a library.

Events & venue rental

There is a seminar and conference room in the building (rental conditions not published).

Plan your visit