what is going on. my bees are bring in pollen, it is the end of nov.
we should have a lot of snow by now.
Mine are still bringing in a bit but then they were doing that well into December last year due to the mild weather. In the 50's today and they were out in force.
I believe the culprit here is either a fall blooming Crocus or something called a Colchicum, which mostly bloom in the fall time and sporadically afterwards, sometimes into spring. They either produce nectar or a bright orange pollen, passably black. Other then that the only thing I can think of is someone's greenhouse with one of the sky lights (if you can call it that in a greenhouse) left open. There is one near me that I can think of in the Cherryhill and I suspect the owners to be beekeepers because they have some great bee plants there. And even some of the stranger ones like Pansies I see bees on at their store. Every time I go there I see bees absolutely covering some plant of theirs, and it's usually a strange thing like a Mum, I'll buy it and bring it home and my bees won't touch the dam thing. Had great success with their dark Sedum though.
Any who, fleshy plants such as Crocus, Tulips, Alliums, basically bulbs and corms, tend to all come from colder climates and easily grow during colder times of the year. Thought they usually only bloom once it's above 50F when pollinators are active.
Quote from: budsbee on November 25, 2007, 10:13:39 PM
what is going on. my bees are bring in pollen, it is the end of nov.
we should have a lot of snow by now.
There are usually some type of flower in bloom almost continually all year around, you just need to do a little investigation in order to discover the particular plant(s) that's in bloom in your area right now. For me the Crocus are coming on for the 4th time this year, the roses are still blooming (roses can be kept blooming if the wilted flowers are removed), and a few mums have resurected themselves in the cold weather and are blooming too. IF the weather is warm enough to allow cleansing flights during the winter the bees can almost always find a pollen source.
Update your profile. It will help us answer these type of questions. I get pollen year round where I live.
Sincerely,
Brendhan
My bees are bringing in so much pollen...wow, I can't figure out where they are obtaining it! :shock:
My bees are too. I have a few dandelions blooming, still some borage, a few double bloom azalea/rhodo hybrids, heather and few weeds too. Not a lot of pollen, but real thick and dark mustard yellow. I also let them clean out some cappings wax yesterday as they were flying for about three hrs in mid-day.
Quote from: Understudy on November 25, 2007, 11:34:56 PM
Update your profile. It will help us answer these type of questions. I get pollen year round where I live.
Sincerely,
Brendhan
i concur, getting tons of it now :-D
Yep, mine are bringing in yellow pollen. Well, they were a few days ago at least. It snowed and froze last nite so I imagine I wont see as much as lately. The main flower we had lately is called Broomweed. Tiny yellow flowers. Being a Newbie I just assumed this was just the way it is.
yalls friend,
john
8-) Update your profile. ok i just did it. today i had to go and buy them some little coats, they look cool with them on. ha ha
My bees are addicted to pollen, they are always briging it in. They like nectar too. :-D
Here it is cold now. 8º-15º C. Bees are harvesting pollen. I can´t see flowers, but the bees are working. The Atlantic coast where I live it is not so warm as the Mediterranean, where beekeepers are harvesting loquat honey.
If it blooms & if it is warm enough to fly, these amazing little ladies will find it. :-D
I was listening to a radio show and he mentioned a few plants that flower in the late fall.
http://www.mpbonline.org/radio/programs/GestaltGardener/index.htm
(I find his southern accent a tad strong but it wouldn't surprise me if he read off a recipe for sweet possum any day now.)
Eleagnus flowers and Sweet Olive - Osmanthus fragrans.