Omagh is the county town of Tyrone, set at the confluence of the Camowen and Drumragh rivers where they form the Strule — a wide, willowed river valley cutting through the southern Sperrins foothills. The town retains a Georgian market-town character with lime-lined streets and older whitewashed cottages thick with ivy. The Sperrins AONB rises immediately to the north and east, with ling and bell heather dominating from August across the open moorland above Gortin Glens Forest Park. Drumlin farmland to the south carries dense whitethorn hedges, bramble and blackthorn — productive from May through autumn. Bilberry grows in the oak-birch fringe on the lower Sperrin slopes.
Collectors attend swarms along the willow and alder carr of the Strule and Camowen riversides through the town, in the whitethorn hedgerows on the drumlin farm lanes south toward Dromore, in the bracken-and-birch fringe on the lower Gortin Glens slopes to the north, and in the eaves and garden hedges of the older residential streets near the town centre.
Nearest BBKA-affiliated associations to help with swarm collection and local advice.
BT26 6NH· approx. 87 km
CA24 3HZ· approx. 242 km
Visit websiteLL77 7NX· approx. 245 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.
