Somerton is the historic county town of Somerset, a handsome small market town of blue lias and ochre hamstone in the flat Vale of Avalon between the Polden Hills and the Levels. The Somerton BKA is one of the oldest in the county. The surrounding moor and vale farmland carries a long forage sequence: willows and sallow along the rhyne ditches open the year, followed by oilseed rape on the levels, hawthorn in the enclosure hedges, white clover on the permanent pasture and bramble along the moor-edge ditches. Orchards survive in the village gardens of Long Sutton and Pitney.
Collectors regularly attend swarms in the market square lime trees, in the hamstone and blue-lias garden walls of the conservation area around the Broad and Cow Square, along the rhyne-bank willows and alders of the Cary Moor and Northmoor, and in the orchard and barn eaves of the surrounding parishes of Compton Dundon, Huish Episcopi and Langport.
Nearest BBKA-affiliated associations to help with swarm collection and local advice.
TA11 7PY· approx. 0 km
Visit websiteTA13 5HD· approx. 12 km
Visit websiteBA20 1HN· approx. 14 km
Visit websiteAssociation data sourced from the British Beekeepers Association directory via SwarmBase.
The apple orchards of Taunton Deane, Glastonbury and the Tone Valley give an early, intense flow in May; sycamore and hawthorn run behind. Lime scents the streets of Bath and Wells in June; bramble blankets every hedge. The Levels contribute a long late flow on willowherb, loosestrife and himalayan balsam along the rhynes. Mendip provides limestone grassland herbs — wild thyme, marjoram, knapweed — and the Quantocks give a small but real late heather supplement. Ivy closes the year on old orchards and stone churchyards.
More on beekeeping in SomersetReport it in under a minute and a trained local beekeeper will arrange safe collection.
