Bee swarm collection in Oxfordshire

Spring opens on blackthorn, hawthorn and cherry plum along the stone hedges of the Cotswolds fringe and the chalk lynchets of the Vale. Oilseed rape is locally significant in Cherwell and South Oxfordshire. Beech in the Chilterns contributes to a huge honeydew-flavoured June flow some years, while lime avenues fill central Oxford and the larger market towns. Bramble, rosebay willowherb and field bean carry July; ivy along the Thames valley walls and the old college gardens closes the year.

Oxfordshire Beekeepers' Association — one of the oldest in the country — covers the county through branches in Oxford, Chipping Norton, Henley, Wallingford, Witney and Banbury. Collectors regularly handle stone-flagged cottage chimneys, college walls and riverside boat-shed eaves.