York is an ancient walled city at the confluence of the Ouse and Foss, its medieval streets and Minster quarter enriched by some of the finest mature urban tree cover in northern England, including lime and sycamore in the Minster precincts and Museum Gardens. Rowntree Park and the riverside Esplanade gardens carry hawthorn and ornamental plantings along the Ouse, and the City Walls circuit brings ivy and elder into the heart of the old city in late summer. York and District Beekeepers is an exceptionally active society with collectors covering all YO postcodes in the city.
Collectors attend swarms in the Minster precincts and Dean's Park lime and plane trees, in the Museum Gardens mature sycamore and hawthorn, in the Ouse riverside willows from Skeldergate to Lendal Bridge, on the medieval City Walls ivy and elder, and on the Victorian and Georgian residential eaves and chimney stacks in Bishopgate and Bootham.
Nearest BBKA-affiliated associations to help with swarm collection and local advice.
YO19 5UF· approx. 5 km
Visit websiteLS25 6HH· approx. 18 km
Visit websiteYO61 3AG· approx. 19 km
Association data sourced from the British Beekeepers Association directory via SwarmBase.
Oilseed rape on the Vale of York arable fields around Dunnington, Poppleton and Skelton opens the season from early April. Hawthorn is dense on the field-boundary hedgerows all around the city fringe. York city centre is defined by its lime flow in June — Museum Gardens, Dean's Park, the Knavesmire lime avenue and the Victorian residential streets of Bishopthorpe Road and Bootham all contribute. Bramble is prolific on the railway embankment and Strensall Common edges; willowherb and himalayan balsam follow on the Ouse riverside. Bell heather on Strensall Common gives a modest but genuine late-July supplement. Ivy on the City Walls, churchyard walls and older suburban gardens closes the year.
More on beekeeping in City of YorkReport it in under a minute and a trained local beekeeper will arrange safe collection.
