Leatherhead is a market town in the Mole valley between the North Downs and the Surrey commuter belt, with the chalk downland of Box Hill and Mickleham Downs a mile to the south and the open grazing of Leatherhead Common to the north. The Mole valley willows, the lime-lined streets of the town and the ancient orchard gardens of the Downs-foot villages give a well-balanced season from early sallow right through to late ivy.
Collectors here regularly handle swarms in the mature garden trees of the Randalls Road and Fetcham areas, on the riverside willows and alders of the Mole below the town, in the walled kitchen gardens of the old estates around Mickleham and Norbury Park, and in the chimney stacks and roof spaces of the Victorian and Edwardian properties of the town centre.
Nearest BBKA-affiliated associations to help with swarm collection and local advice.
RH3 7BQ· approx. 8 km
Visit websiteKT17 2AF· approx. 8 km
Visit websiteKT8 0AG· approx. 11 km
Visit websiteAssociation data sourced from the British Beekeepers Association directory via SwarmBase.
Spring builds fast on blackthorn, hawthorn and horse chestnut along the North Downs scarp, then leans heavily on field maple, sycamore and the urban lime avenues of Guildford, Dorking and Woking. The lowland heaths — Chobham, Frensham, Thursley — give a late bell heather crop in good Augusts that colonies here can count on, supplemented by rosebay willowherb across the MoD training land. Bramble is dense from Box Hill to the Surrey Hills AONB, and the old walled churchyards carry a strong ivy flow into autumn.
More on beekeeping in SurreyReport it in under a minute and a trained local beekeeper will arrange safe collection.
