Highland · Swarm collection

Bee swarm in Aviemore? Help is a minute away.

Aviemore is the outdoor resort town of the Cairngorms — a modern-ish service centre set in the heart of the Cairngorm National Park, where the River Spey runs through Caledonian pine forest and the great moors open above. The Rothiemurchus and Abernethy pinewoods flanking the town are among the finest remnants of the Caledonian forest, and the heather understorey carries bell heather from July; ling follows from late July through August, giving one of the most celebrated hill-heather flows in Britain. The Spey valley gives willows, elder and marsh plants; wild raspberries in the forest clearings are an unusual early crop. The Cairngorms heather honey from this area is widely regarded as among the best Scottish heather honey produced.

Postcodes we cover
PH22
Where swarms appear in Aviemore

Typical swarm locations

Collectors attend swarms in the Rothiemurchus and Abernethy forest heather and bilberry understorey, along the River Spey willows and bankside scrub, on the Cairngorm lower-slope ling heather above the town, in the Aviemore residential gardens and hotel-complex planted areas, and in the eaves and outbuildings of the older Strathspey properties at Lynwilg and Kincraig.

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Beekeeping associations near Aviemore

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 Highland

The season arrives late — gorse and broom on the Moray coast and sycamore in sheltered valleys begin May. Raspberry (cultivated and wild) on Easter Ross gives a substantial early flow. The Highland defining crop is ling heather on the huge moors of the central, eastern and western Highlands — the finest UK heather honey with a distinct red-amber set and jelly texture, still commercially worked. Bell heather, bilberry and upland herbs supplement. Coastal sea-thrift and ivy on lochside cottages close a short, high-quality year.

More on beekeeping in Highland
Nearby towns

Swarm help in neighbouring towns

Seen a swarm in Aviemore?

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