Empingham is the gateway village to Rutland Water, sitting on the north shore above the reservoir dam. The wildflower-rich grassland, willow carr and hawthorn scrub around the reservoir margins — now managed partly as a nature reserve — provide unusual forage in high summer, while the village's limestone hedgerows, garden orchards and the ancient churchyard of St Peter give local honey bees a quiet and varied season.
Collectors attend swarms in the churchyard lime and yew, in the garden apple trees and stone-walled boundaries of the older village properties, along the willowherb-rich reservoir shore path off the Normanton Road, and in the rough hawthorn scrub on the east side of the Rutland Water nature reserve.
Nearest BBKA-affiliated associations to help with swarm collection and local advice.
PE9 4HZ· approx. 11 km
Visit websitePE7 3BN· approx. 30 km
Visit websiteNG318JS· approx. 31 km
Visit websiteAssociation data sourced from the British Beekeepers Association directory via SwarmBase.
The season opens on blackthorn and hawthorn along the ancient limestone hedgerows, followed by sycamore and oilseed rape across the arable fields east of Oakham and Ketton. Lime flowers well in both market towns in June; white clover and field margins carry colonies through July. The reservoir shore at Rutland Water supports willowherb and wild angelica into late summer, and field maple, bramble and ivy on the churchyard walls close the year through October and November.
More on beekeeping in RutlandReport it in under a minute and a trained local beekeeper will arrange safe collection.
