Mansfield is a market town at the heart of the former Nottinghamshire coalfield, set on the Maun in the southern Sherwood Forest country with the ancient oak woodland and gorse heathland of the Forest immediately to the north and west. The Nottinghamshire BKA covers the town, and the surrounding landscape — the ancient oak wood and heather heathland of Sherwood Forest, the Maun riverside willows, the old parkland of Hardwick and Newstead and the mixed farmland of the Nottingham coalfield reclamation fringe — gives local bees access to one of the most distinctive lowland oak-heathland forage areas in the Midlands.
Collectors regularly attend swarms in the older garden remnants and lime trees of the Market Place and St Peter's conservation areas, on the ancient oak and heather heathland margins of the Sherwood Forest country park, along the Maun riverside willows and watermeadow margins at Berry Hill, and in the chimney stacks and eaves of the older market-town and colliery-Victorian properties.
Nearest BBKA-affiliated associations to help with swarm collection and local advice.
NG15 9GA· approx. 7 km
Visit websiteDE55 7LX· approx. 17 km
Visit websiteS41 8NA· approx. 20 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.
