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BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: schawee on February 07, 2012, 09:51:47 PM

Title: early spring, maybe , maybe not
Post by: schawee on February 07, 2012, 09:51:47 PM
        the winter down here was crazy,one day you have your coat on ,the next you have a tshirt on.it was like that all winter long.the red maple been blooming a month ago.now i see alot of willow trees and blackberrys blooming.this is early for that to happen.im happy to see this but also worried about a hard frost before february is over.blackberrys are one of the main nectar producers i have.last year we had a bad drought and honey production was way down.the bees been flying all winter long .well i guest we have to wait and see.        schawee
Title: Re: early spring, maybe , maybe not
Post by: AllenF on February 07, 2012, 10:32:57 PM
Ya, I am waiting for a late season snow to hit hard here in the South.   Not your far south though.   
Title: Re: early spring, maybe , maybe not
Post by: splitrock on February 08, 2012, 07:19:48 AM
WE are still waiting for winter to hit us up here. It's starting to look like spring will arrive first.:-)

Joel
Title: Re: early spring, maybe , maybe not
Post by: bud1 on February 08, 2012, 07:28:47 AM
cajun; my remaples blooming and elems. cant wait fo my gps to get here (ben on back order for 2 mo.) then i gona be down yo way
Title: Re: early spring, maybe , maybe not
Post by: hardwood on February 08, 2012, 10:29:17 AM
Bud, when you get that GPS remember to treat her nice or she'll get angry at ya and send you to NY!

Scott
Title: Re: early spring, maybe , maybe not
Post by: JP on February 08, 2012, 11:04:25 AM
Man, Bud that little pond out back ain't that hard to navigate. (According to KathyP)  :-D


...JP
Title: Re: early spring, maybe , maybe not
Post by: Vance G on February 08, 2012, 10:43:52 PM
Four years ago this April 20th, it got down to -17 and killed all kind of trees and the fruit bloom.  That had just been a normal run of the mill winter with things budding at normal times.  That being said, we are in a lot more danger because dormancy is breaking so early all over.  I just hope everybody is living good!
Title: Re: early spring, maybe , maybe not
Post by: caticind on February 09, 2012, 11:48:48 AM
returning this weekend to our all-winter record low of........19F.

my concern is that all this early blooming disrupts the big flows.  a lot of the trees are blooming sporadically and not in sufficient groups at once to encourage efficient foraging.  if half the tulip poplars bloom early and half at the normal time, we'll get a lot less honey.
Title: Re: early spring, maybe , maybe not
Post by: Vance G on February 10, 2012, 01:11:39 AM
Record low huh?  It is 5 here right now!
Title: Re: early spring, maybe , maybe not
Post by: Intheswamp on February 10, 2012, 11:03:20 AM
In Alabama, north of Interstate 10, the prediction is for the lower & mid 20's for Saturday and Sunday nights.

Heading in to work yesterday I spotted a tree completely covered with white blooms...it was at a distance so I'm not sure what it was...it will surely be burned by the cold.  Camillias are about spent so no great loss there but lots of other things are budding or getting ready to bud...in my rookie opinion this isn't good.  :-\

Ed

ETA:  Plus, the little colony behind the house has a couple of frames of brood in it...I'm hoping there's enough bees to cover them all (I think there is).
Title: Re: early spring, maybe , maybe not
Post by: BeeMaster2 on February 10, 2012, 01:12:43 PM
Quote from: Intheswamp on February 10, 2012, 11:03:20 AM
In Alabama, north of Interstate 10, the prediction is for the lower & mid 20's for Saturday and Sunday nights.

Heading in to work yesterday I spotted a tree completely covered with white blooms...it was at a distance so I'm not sure what it was...it will surely be burned by the cold.  Camillias are about spent so no great loss there but lots of other things are budding or getting ready to bud...in my rookie opinion this isn't good.  :-\

Ed

ETA:  Plus, the little colony behind the house has a couple of frames of brood in it...I'm hoping there's enough bees to cover them all (I think there is).

We will be in the 20's on Sunday. There goes all of the blueberries. luckly we have several verities, some have not started to bloom.
It should warm up right after that. shouldn't bother the bees.
Jim
Title: Re: early spring, maybe , maybe not
Post by: schawee on February 10, 2012, 07:04:07 PM
well.this front thats passing now will bring real cold weather.the lows will be in the upper 20's for sunday and monday.it will hurt the blackberry bloom for sure and everything else that's blooming. oh well lets see what happens.        schawee
Title: Re: early spring, maybe , maybe not
Post by: Joe D on February 10, 2012, 11:22:26 PM

yep in 20's next couple of nights and hi's in 40's.  Bud, how are you going to La.
Down 59 give me a shout.  I am south of Laurel, east of moselle and north east of Hattiesburg.   Ovett

Joe
Title: Re: early spring, maybe , maybe not
Post by: schawee on February 14, 2012, 12:23:03 AM
well went look at the blackberrys and all the flowers are done. it got down in the upper 20's and it dont look good.will have to see whats going to happen now.maybe they will do like my fruit trees .they lost all the flowers in a late winter front and they reflowered.           schawee
Title: Re: early spring, maybe , maybe not
Post by: gov1623 on February 14, 2012, 01:25:59 PM
Looks like the blackberry flowers made it down my way. It got down to about 30 but it did not hurt the flowers. Lots of clovers also.
Title: Re: early spring, maybe , maybe not
Post by: JP on February 15, 2012, 12:34:38 AM
Was in Slidell today & bees were working blackberries just fine. It was in the low twenties this past weekend there. Wasn't cold enough long enough, they are fine.


...JP
Title: Re: early spring, maybe , maybe not
Post by: schawee on February 15, 2012, 05:50:18 PM
went and looked at another batch of blackberrys and they are doing fine. dont know why the other blackberrys are not .will keep an eye on it to see what will happen.          schawee
Title: Re: early spring, maybe , maybe not
Post by: JP on February 16, 2012, 08:47:15 PM
Yeah, don't think it was cold long enough. Thank God!


...JP