Bee swarm collection in South Lanarkshire

Sycamore is the dominant May flow tree throughout South Lanarkshire, heaviest on road margins, estate policies and river gorge woodlands. The Carluke orchard belt adds cherry and apple blossom in April, earlier than most of Scotland. Hawthorn and blackthorn on the Clydesdale field hedgerows extend the spring flow through late April and May. White clover is the main mid-summer crop on the improved grasslands of the Clyde and Avon valleys, peaking in June and July. Himalayan balsam is heavy along the Clyde between Cambuslang and Lanark from July to September. The upper ground above Strathaven, Lanark and Biggar carries heather and bilberry from late July on the Southern Uplands fringe, giving migratory beekeepers access to an upland crop. Bramble is prolific on former colliery and quarry sites across the region; ivy closes the foraging year on estate walls and stone houses in October.

Lanarkshire Beekeepers' Association serves both South and North Lanarkshire and is affiliated to the Scottish Beekeepers' Association. The association supports members managing the sycamore and white clover flows on the Clyde plain, and some members move colonies to the Tinto Hill and Coulter Fell heather ground above Biggar in late July. The Clyde gorge below Lanark and the Chatelherault estate at Hamilton are well-known local forage landmarks.