Coalisland is a compact industrial town in east Tyrone with a history of linen weaving and coal mining, set between the Lough Neagh shoreline and the Sperrins foothills in productive drumlin farmland. The Coalisland Canal, now partly restored, runs through the town and its margins carry willow and hawthorn scrub. Dense whitethorn and blackthorn hedgerows on the surrounding drumlins give a generous May flow, with bramble, ivy and rosebay willowherb filling rough margins through the summer. The Lough Neagh shore is within easy reach to the east, where willow, wet meadow and reed-bed habitats extend along the shoreline. Sycamore and lime feature in the older streets.
Collectors attend swarms along the willow and hawthorn scrub on the Coalisland Canal margins, in the whitethorn hedgerows on the drumlin farm lanes toward Dungannon and Stewartstown, along the willow and reed margins of the Lough Neagh drains to the east, and in the eaves and cavity walls of older terraced properties near the town centre.
Nearest BBKA-affiliated associations to help with swarm collection and local advice.
BT26 6NH· approx. 48 km
CA24 3HZ· approx. 203 km
Visit websiteLL77 7NX· approx. 212 km
Association data sourced from the British Beekeepers Association directory via SwarmBase.
Blackthorn and whitethorn drumlin hedges open the year. Sycamore and hawthorn dominate May. Lime is present in Omagh, Dungannon and Strabane. The Sperrins contribute bell and ling heather in August — a dark, thick crop some Tyrone beekeepers work seriously. Bilberry in the oakwoods adds a June supplement; rosebay willowherb is dense on every disused rail line and stone quarry. Ivy finishes the year on whitewashed cottages.
More on beekeeping in County TyroneReport it in under a minute and a trained local beekeeper will arrange safe collection.
