diff --git a/doc/en/deprecations.rst b/doc/en/deprecations.rst
index fb84647c5..12844265d 100644
--- a/doc/en/deprecations.rst
+++ b/doc/en/deprecations.rst
@@ -89,6 +89,15 @@ Removed Features
 As stated in our :ref:`backwards-compatibility` policy, deprecated features are removed only in major releases after
 an appropriate period of deprecation has passed.
 
+
+``pytest_collect_directory`` hook
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. versionremoved:: 6.0
+
+The ``pytest_collect_directory`` has not worked properly for years (it was called
+but the results were ignored). Users may consider using :func:`pytest_collection_modifyitems <_pytest.hookspec.pytest_collection_modifyitems>` instead.
+
 TerminalReporter.writer
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
diff --git a/doc/en/reference.rst b/doc/en/reference.rst
index 3bc7161aa..eb2370ae4 100644
--- a/doc/en/reference.rst
+++ b/doc/en/reference.rst
@@ -656,7 +656,6 @@ Collection hooks
 
 .. autofunction:: pytest_collection
 .. autofunction:: pytest_ignore_collect
-.. autofunction:: pytest_collect_directory
 .. autofunction:: pytest_collect_file
 .. autofunction:: pytest_pycollect_makemodule
 
diff --git a/src/_pytest/deprecated.py b/src/_pytest/deprecated.py
index 839348282..500fbe2f8 100644
--- a/src/_pytest/deprecated.py
+++ b/src/_pytest/deprecated.py
@@ -30,10 +30,6 @@ RESULT_LOG = PytestDeprecationWarning(
     "See https://docs.pytest.org/en/stable/deprecations.html#result-log-result-log for more information."
 )
 
-COLLECT_DIRECTORY_HOOK = PytestDeprecationWarning(
-    "The pytest_collect_directory hook is not working.\n"
-    "Please use collect_ignore in conftests or pytest_collection_modifyitems."
-)
 
 PYTEST_COLLECT_MODULE = UnformattedWarning(
     PytestDeprecationWarning,
diff --git a/src/_pytest/hookspec.py b/src/_pytest/hookspec.py
index ce435901c..e60bfe9f9 100644
--- a/src/_pytest/hookspec.py
+++ b/src/_pytest/hookspec.py
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ from typing import Union
 import py.path
 from pluggy import HookspecMarker
 
-from .deprecated import COLLECT_DIRECTORY_HOOK
 from _pytest.compat import TYPE_CHECKING
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
@@ -262,16 +261,6 @@ def pytest_ignore_collect(path: py.path.local, config: "Config") -> Optional[boo
     """
 
 
-@hookspec(firstresult=True, warn_on_impl=COLLECT_DIRECTORY_HOOK)
-def pytest_collect_directory(path: py.path.local, parent) -> Optional[object]:
-    """Called before traversing a directory for collection files.
-
-    Stops at first non-None result, see :ref:`firstresult`.
-
-    :param py.path.local path: The path to analyze.
-    """
-
-
 def pytest_collect_file(path: py.path.local, parent) -> "Optional[Collector]":
     """Return collection Node or None for the given path.
 
diff --git a/src/_pytest/nodes.py b/src/_pytest/nodes.py
index 8e3e86a50..addeaf1c2 100644
--- a/src/_pytest/nodes.py
+++ b/src/_pytest/nodes.py
@@ -553,8 +553,6 @@ class FSCollector(Collector):
         for pat in self._norecursepatterns:
             if path.check(fnmatch=pat):
                 return False
-        ihook = self.session.gethookproxy(path)
-        ihook.pytest_collect_directory(path=path, parent=self)
         return True
 
     def _collectfile(
diff --git a/testing/acceptance_test.py b/testing/acceptance_test.py
index d58b4fd03..039d8dad9 100644
--- a/testing/acceptance_test.py
+++ b/testing/acceptance_test.py
@@ -223,13 +223,12 @@ class TestGeneralUsage:
             "E   {}: No module named 'qwerty'".format(exc_name),
         ]
 
-    @pytest.mark.filterwarnings("ignore::pytest.PytestDeprecationWarning")
     def test_early_skip(self, testdir):
         testdir.mkdir("xyz")
         testdir.makeconftest(
             """
             import pytest
-            def pytest_collect_directory():
+            def pytest_collect_file():
                 pytest.skip("early")
         """
         )
diff --git a/testing/test_collection.py b/testing/test_collection.py
index 01dbcc731..12030e56e 100644
--- a/testing/test_collection.py
+++ b/testing/test_collection.py
@@ -257,20 +257,6 @@ class TestCollectPluginHookRelay:
         assert len(wascalled) == 1
         assert wascalled[0].ext == ".abc"
 
-    @pytest.mark.filterwarnings("ignore:.*pytest_collect_directory.*")
-    def test_pytest_collect_directory(self, testdir):
-        wascalled = []
-
-        class Plugin:
-            def pytest_collect_directory(self, path):
-                wascalled.append(path.basename)
-
-        testdir.mkdir("hello")
-        testdir.mkdir("world")
-        pytest.main(testdir.tmpdir, plugins=[Plugin()])
-        assert "hello" in wascalled
-        assert "world" in wascalled
-
 
 class TestPrunetraceback:
     def test_custom_repr_failure(self, testdir):