Richhill is a planned estate village at the centre of the Armagh orchard belt, set on a gentle ridge between Armagh city and Portadown. Richhill Castle and its demesne anchor the southern edge of the village, with estate walls extensively clad in ivy. The village is surrounded on nearly all sides by Bramley apple orchards — one of the highest concentrations anywhere in Ireland — and the April to mid-May blossom flow is the most important event in the local beekeeping calendar. Hawthorn hedgerows border the orchard margins; sycamore lines the village streets; and bramble on hedgerow margins extends the summer foraging through July and August.
Collectors attend swarms in the Bramley apple orchards on all the lanes around the village, along the ivy-covered estate walls of Richhill Castle demesne, in the hawthorn hedgerows bordering the orchards toward Loughgall and Armagh, in the sycamore and garden trees on the main street and residential areas, and in the eaves and outbuildings of the older farm properties in the surrounding townlands.
Nearest BBKA-affiliated associations to help with swarm collection and local advice.
BT26 6NH· approx. 41 km
LL77 7NX· approx. 194 km
CA24 3HZ· approx. 198 km
Visit websiteAssociation data sourced from the British Beekeepers Association directory via SwarmBase.
Apple blossom in the Loughgall, Portadown and Richhill orchards gives one of the most concentrated early pollination flows in the British Isles. Hawthorn and sycamore follow. Lime lines the Georgian streets of Armagh city. Bramble is dense on the small-field landscape; clover still matters on pasture. The Ring of Gullion and the Sperrins edge contribute bilberry and late ling heather. Ivy on whitewashed cottage walls closes a long, hedge-rich season.
More on beekeeping in County ArmaghReport it in under a minute and a trained local beekeeper will arrange safe collection.
