Hamworthy is a peninsula on the western shore of Poole Harbour, connected to the town centre by a lifting bridge and bounded on three sides by the harbour's sheltered waters. The area carries industrial and residential land backing onto the harbour's reed margins and the Rockley Park caravan and leisure complex; Upton Heath Nature Reserve lies immediately to the north, providing the closest heathland forage in the western Poole conurbation. Bramble, gorse and bell heather on the heath boundary give hives in Hamworthy a genuine late-summer supplement.
Collectors are called to swarms in the gardens of Hamworthy Park and the residential streets off Lake Road, in the harbour-side scrub at Rockley Sands, and in the Upton Heath gorse and heather on the urban fringe to the north.
Nearest BBKA-affiliated associations to help with swarm collection and local advice.
BH18 8AH· approx. 5 km
Visit websiteBH22 8SS· approx. 10 km
Visit websiteDT11 0SF· approx. 27 km
Visit websiteAssociation data sourced from the British Beekeepers Association directory via SwarmBase.
The season opens on gorse at Turbary Common and Canford Heath from February; blackthorn in the chine hedgerows follows. Lime in Bournemouth's public gardens — the Central, Upper and Lower Gardens along the Bourne chine — delivers a fine late-June flow. The Hengistbury Head headland and Stanpit Marsh carry sea-lavender, sea-aster and coastal scrub into August. Bramble is dense in the chines and on the heath edges. Bell heather and ling on Canford Heath and Turbary Common give a late-July to September supplement that few coastal UA areas in southern England can match. Coastal ivy on cliff-face gardens and older bungalow walls closes the year.
More on beekeeping in Bournemouth, Christchurch and PooleReport it in under a minute and a trained local beekeeper will arrange safe collection.
