Bee swarm collection in Devon

Few UK counties open as quickly. Gorse and blackthorn flowering on the cob hedges of the South Hams can carry colonies into a strong early build-up, followed by the sycamore and lime flows of the river valleys — the Exe, Teign and Dart in particular. Sweet chestnut dots Haldon and the east Devon coast; Dartmoor's bell and ling heather give a classic, thick, ambercast crop into August. On Exmoor, the north-slope bilberry and late ling heather feed smaller, darker crops still prized by local keepers.

Devon Beekeepers' Association is one of the largest in the country by membership, with active branches in Exeter, Plymouth, Newton Abbot, Barnstaple, Tiverton, Torbay and Totnes. The "Devon brown" native-type bee still has a following here, and collectors work everything from thatched cob cottages to cliff-top chapel roofs.