Sutton Coldfield is a large Royal Town on Birmingham's northern edge, notable for Sutton Park — one of the largest urban nature reserves in Europe. The park's ancient oak and birch woodland, heathland pools and grassland rides give local honey bees a forage mosaic unusual for an urban fringe, supplemented by the garden-rich Victorian avenues of the Four Oaks and Wylde Green neighbourhoods.
Collectors are regularly called to swarms settling in the mature oaks and hollies along the Sutton Park boundary, in the chimney stacks and eaves of the Edwardian villas of Mere Green and Wylde Green, and in the old orchard remnants behind the larger properties on the Lichfield Road and Jockey Road corridors.
Nearest BBKA-affiliated associations to help with swarm collection and local advice.
B74 2YT· approx. 1 km
Visit websiteB13 8QG· approx. 15 km
Visit websiteB91 1LG· approx. 17 km
Visit websiteAssociation data sourced from the British Beekeepers Association directory via SwarmBase.
Spring is carried on blossoming garden cherry, blackthorn and horse chestnut in parks like Sutton, Lickey Hills and Cannon Hill. Urban limes — both small-leaved and hybrid — dominate the June flow, especially along the old tram and canal routes. Bramble is universal on allotments and towpaths, and rosebay willowherb flushes the brownfield and rail corridors through July. The Clent and Waseley Hills give a useful edge of hill forage to colonies in the southern fringe, and ivy closes a long urban season.
More on beekeeping in West MidlandsReport it in under a minute and a trained local beekeeper will arrange safe collection.
