East Lothian · Swarm collection

Bee swarm in Cockenzie and Port Seton? Help is a minute away.

Cockenzie and Port Seton are neighbouring fishing towns on the Firth of Forth coast east of Edinburgh, their harbours separated by only a short stretch of foreshore. Once among the most productive fishing communities on the Forth, the twin settlements now draw visitors to the harbour, the coastal path and the beach. The gardens of the older fishermen's houses close to the harbour and the amenity grassland behind the sea wall carry white clover and sea thrift through summer; the agricultural hinterland immediately inland provides a strong oilseed rape flow in April, followed by white clover on the improved dairy and arable land of the Forth coastal plain through June and July. Sea buckthorn on the dune margins west of Port Seton gives a distinctive late-summer pollen and nectar source unusual on this stretch of the Forth coastline.

Postcodes we cover
EH32
Where swarms appear in Cockenzie and Port Seton

Typical swarm locations

Collectors handle swarms in the mature gardens of the older fishermen's terrace rows near the harbours, in the amenity grassland and sea-buckthorn scrub behind the coastal path, in the oilseed rape field margins on the inland edge of the settlements, and in the stone wall cavities and chimney stacks of the nineteenth-century harbour-front properties.

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Beekeeping associations near Cockenzie and Port Seton

Nearest BBKA-affiliated associations to help with swarm collection and local advice.

Association data sourced from the British Beekeepers Association directory via SwarmBase.

Forage in East Lothian

Oilseed rape is the defining East Lothian flow: the arable fields between Haddington, Tranent and East Linton carry a mass April–May bloom that fills supers quickly and requires fast extraction to prevent granulation. White clover follows on the improved grasslands and verges through June and July, sustained by the mild maritime influence from the Forth. Sycamore and hawthorn bridge the gap between OSR and clover on the field margins and hedgerows of the River Tyne valley floor. Sea buckthorn on the dune links at Gullane, Yellowcraig and Longniddry Bents provides a distinctive late-summer nectar supplement. The Lammermuir Hills above Gifford and Longformacus carry heather from mid-July into September, and apiaries on the upland edge can work both the arable spring flow and a heather crop in the same season.

More on beekeeping in East Lothian
Nearby towns

Swarm help in neighbouring towns

Seen a swarm in Cockenzie and Port Seton?

Report it in under a minute and a trained local beekeeper will arrange safe collection.