Bee swarm collection in Inverclyde

Sycamore is the dominant May flow tree throughout Inverclyde, lining the Victorian and Edwardian streets of Greenock and Port Glasgow and covering the steeper hillsides above the town in semi-natural woodland. White clover on the amenity grasslands, parks and road verges of the coastal towns is the main mid-summer crop from June through August. Hawthorn on the hedgerows of the agricultural land between Kilmacolm and Inverkip provides a strong May blossom flow. The Renfrewshire Heights above Greenock and Inverkip carry extensive heather moorland from mid-July through September — one of the most accessible upland heather grounds from the Glasgow conurbation, and a traditional destination for beekeepers moving colonies in late July. Himalayan balsam is establishing on the Kip Water and Gryfe corridors. Bramble on old quarry and railway embankment sites around Greenock provides a useful late-summer supplement. Gorse and broom on the hillside rough grazing above the coastal towns provides a sustained spring flow from April. Ivy on the older stone buildings and Victorian tenements closes the calendar in October.

Inverclyde is served by the Renfrewshire Beekeepers' Association and the Ayrshire Beekeepers' Association for the southern parts of the council area, both affiliated to the Scottish Beekeepers' Association. The steep transition from coastal town to moorland plateau is a defining feature: beekeepers in Greenock and Gourock can access the Renfrewshire Heights heather ground within a short drive, and the Clyde shore provides a mild microclimate that allows colonies to be active early in spring.