Burray is a small island between South Ronaldsay and the Orkney Mainland, linked to both by the Churchill Barriers built across the eastern approaches to Scapa Flow between 1940 and 1945. The island is compact and mainly agricultural — improved pasture on the low-lying ground, rough grazing on the higher ridge — with a small scattered village around Burray village itself on the east shore. The Italian Chapel on the adjacent island of Lamb Holm, created by Italian POWs, is one of Orkney's most visited landmarks and sits on the causeway between Burray and the Mainland. Local bees on Burray work the clover pastures of the island and the coastal rough ground of the inshore Scapa Flow margins.
Collectors attend swarms in the garden enclosures and stone-dyke field boundaries of the farm and croft properties around Burray village, on the rough coastal grassland and gorse scrub of the Burray Ness headland on the south shore, in the stone farm buildings and steading yards of the island's agricultural properties, and on the Churchill Barrier embankments and the rough ground of Lamb Holm above the Italian Chapel.
Nearest BBKA-affiliated associations to help with swarm collection and local advice.
NE65 9QH· approx. 406 km
Visit websiteNE12 8EH· approx. 435 km
Visit websiteNE46 3NB· approx. 435 km
Visit websiteAssociation data sourced from the British Beekeepers Association directory via SwarmBase.
White clover on the rich improved pastures of the Orkney Mainland is the defining honey flow, running through June and July and producing a light, mild honey characteristic of the islands. Oilseed rape is grown on the better arable ground around Kirkwall, Finstown and the Stenness basin and provides an important April-to-May spring flow. Phacelia, now widely sown as a bee-friendly cover crop by Orkney farmers, extends the arable season into summer. Heather on the moorland ridges of Hoy and the western Mainland fringes from mid-July through September gives late-season colonies a valuable top-up flow. Hawthorn in sheltered croft enclosures and gardens is an important May source, earlier than it opens on the Scottish mainland. Sycamore in the sheltered town gardens and school grounds of Kirkwall and Stromness drives the May urban flow. Gorse on rough grazing ground and cliff edges flowers from March and provides early pollen for spring build-up. Bramble on disturbed and fallow ground through July and August, and ivy on older stone buildings and dykes in October, close the season.
More on beekeeping in Orkney IslandsReport it in under a minute and a trained local beekeeper will arrange safe collection.
