Arnold is a large suburban market town immediately north of Nottingham on the edge of the Gedling borough, with Gedling Country Park and the old Mapperley Plains extending east to the Trent vale. The Nottinghamshire BKA covers the town, and the surrounding landscape — the lime-tree avenues and parkland remnants of Gedling Country Park, the old orchard and garden margins of the Victorian and Edwardian suburb edge, the Ouse Dyke and Cocker Beck watermeadow margins towards Calverton, and the bramble-rich hedges of the Mapperley farmland fringe — gives local bees a varied suburban-edge season.
Collectors regularly attend swarms in the older garden remnants and lime trees of the High Street and Front Street conservation areas, in the parkland and old orchard remnants of Gedling Country Park and Bestwood Country Park, along the Cocker Beck and Ouse Dyke watermeadow margins towards Calverton and Woodborough, and in the chimney stacks and eaves of the older Victorian and Edwardian properties.
Nearest BBKA-affiliated associations to help with swarm collection and local advice.
NG15 9GA· approx. 8 km
Visit websiteDE55 7LX· approx. 23 km
Visit websiteNG318JS· approx. 32 km
Visit websiteAssociation data sourced from the British Beekeepers Association directory via SwarmBase.
Oilseed rape dominates the spring flow on the light sandy soils between Newark and Retford. Sycamore and horse chestnut carry May; lime lights the streets of Nottingham, West Bridgford, Mansfield and Worksop. Sherwood Forest gives a strong sweet-chestnut and oak-honeydew contribution in June. Rosebay willowherb is exceptionally heavy on the ex-colliery spoil heaps — a genuinely distinctive Nottinghamshire flow — and bramble fills every disused rail corridor. Ivy on old cottage walls closes a productive year.
More on beekeeping in NottinghamshireReport it in under a minute and a trained local beekeeper will arrange safe collection.
