Willenhall is a Black Country town in the borough of Walsall, historically famous for producing the majority of England's lock-making industry — a heritage recorded in the Lock Museum on New Road. The town sits between the Wyrley & Essington Canal and the green corridor of Fibbersley Local Nature Reserve, whose meadows and scrub carry hawthorn, blackthorn and elder in spring, white clover and bird's foot trefoil through summer, and ivy into autumn. Sutton Coldfield & North Beekeepers and Hagley & Stourbridge Beekeepers both cover this area. The canal towpath between Willenhall and Walsall is a well-known local corridor for swarm movements in May.
Swarms in Willenhall settle on the canal-side hawthorn along the Wyrley & Essington Canal near Bentley Wharf, in the meadow-edge scrub at Fibbersley Nature Reserve, in the chimneys and eaves of the older brick lock-maker's cottages near the town centre, and on the lime trees in Willenhall Memorial Park.
Nearest BBKA-affiliated associations to help with swarm collection and local advice.
B74 2YT· approx. 15 km
Visit websiteDY9 7PU· approx. 15 km
Visit websiteB13 8QG· approx. 18 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.
