Hornsea is a small seaside town on the Holderness coast with a freshwater mere behind it — the largest natural lake in Yorkshire — ringed by reed-bed and willow scrub. The combination of open coast, mere margins and the mixed farmland of the surrounding Holderness plain gives local bees a long and varied season.
Swarms in Hornsea settle on the seafront timber groyne posts, on the willow and elder scrub around Hornsea Mere, in the old chimney pots of the Victorian seafront streets, and on garden eaves backing onto the mere. Collectors here cover the coastal plain between Withernsea and Bridlington.
Nearest BBKA-affiliated associations to help with swarm collection and local advice.
HU17 9BA· approx. 19 km
Visit websiteYO11 3PE· approx. 37 km
Visit websiteDN20 0JR· approx. 46 km
Visit websiteAssociation data sourced from the British Beekeepers Association directory via SwarmBase.
Oilseed rape is the defining early flow across the Wolds and Holderness plain. Hawthorn and field maple line the hedgerows. Lime lights the streets of Beverley, Driffield, Hull (Kingston-upon-Hull) and Bridlington. The Wolds chalk grasslands carry thyme, knapweed and sainfoin; bramble and rosebay willowherb are universal. Coastal sea-buckthorn at Spurn adds a distinctive late-summer flow, and a strong ivy flow on the East Riding's pantile villages closes the year.
More on beekeeping in East Riding of YorkshireReport it in under a minute and a trained local beekeeper will arrange safe collection.
