Here's my challenge (can't really call it a problem): here in the Southern Appalachians a prime nectar source is the Tulip tree blossom, aka. tulip poplar aka. tulipfera liriodendron. When it hits it's not a nectar flow but rather a flood. Big. Huge. Think multiple thousands of massive, mature trees (many of them Really, Really Big) within easy forage range, and each tree literally dripping nectar from big sticky blossoms covering most of their crowns. And I covet every last teaspoon of the stuff. It makes the most delicious, floral flavored, full bodied honey I've ever tasted. BUT, it only lasts a month, if that—*sob*. I've got about three acres of my own to work with, so I'm wondering what's the most effective way to cultivate these few acres, (i.e., what to plant them with), that will (1.) result in a maximum possible bee population at the start of the poplar flood but still (2.) keep the amount of feeding required throughout the rest of the year to a minimum. I guess what I'm wishing for is a way to suddenly bring comb-drawing/egg-laying activity to a fevered pitch about a month before the flow starts, then just about the time that the flow really kicks in bring all that brood raising effort to a screeching halt. Can't have a gazillion unemployed field workers chowing down on the fruits of their own labor for ten months, now can I? Am I an exploitative, greedy SOB wanting the impossible? Right-O! :-D
Seriously, this has got to be a fairly common issue in regions where there's monocultural agriculture being practiced on a large commercial scale. At least here we don't have to contend with insecticide use.
Ideas anyone?
I don't know the exact timing to do it, but some of the other beeks will probably tell you to pull your queens and set them up in nucs to retain them. Feed them syrup. That will bring your egg laying to the screeching halt you want. The hives will start raising their own queens, and since they don't have anything else to do, put up honey. A lot of honey. Then after the flow, you can pull what honey you want and either keep the new qeens and split or pinch the new queens and recombine back with the original queens.
JC
The poplar flow is heavy and only last for a couple of weeks, but a single flower can fill a bee with nectar on each trip out. hat is why they fill supers so fast with it. Build your bee numbers up in early spring. Keep plenty of empty supers ready with drawn comb in the frames. Let the bees do all the hard work. Our poplar flow is now over but they will still make honey until July.
I hear ya on the poplar honey! Way back when I got my start we had two HUGE old poplars on the back corner of the homeplace. Each was well over ten foot in diameter and at certain times those two giants would absolutely sing with bees. Sadly the F5 Oak Grove Storm of '98 (300mph winds estimated) took out both of them as well as pretty much leveling everything on a half a mile wide path for twenty six miles.
If I were targeting a huge flow like that would probably be the only reason I would even consider ditching my feral stock for the old three band italians I ran way back when. Those crazy ladies would fill a double deep with brood and never let up until they had swarmed themselves out. The key back then was keep cutting cells until the flow had ebbed and split like heck and they would still swarm on me. But that was back in the bad old days of reversing and cutting but I could get some huge stacks. Four shallows on the spring flow was the norm and six or more was not unheard of.
These days I ain't got enough poplar to speak of and I am quite happy with my ferals that fill one deep and know when to shut her down. I ain't cut a cell in years.
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If the trees are poplars, it blooms at same time as early willows.
That nectar must be honeydew on leaves made by aphids. International name is "forest honey". So not floral.
However to catch good yield you need big hives, about 6 boxes.
When bees cap one box of honey, the need 2 more where to rippen the nectar. Then they need 2 boxes for brood and one box pollen. So it goes.
Then when one box is full, exctract and give it back. Don't wait that
you get several capped boxes. then you miss the yield.
If bees have not enough space, they must stop working. Biggest problem is to dry up the nectar.
If hives are not big enough, I join them. My big flows come from canola and fireweed and raspberry.
Quote from: Finski on May 08, 2012, 01:08:31 AM
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If the trees are poplars, it blooms at same time as early willows.
That nectar must be honeydew on leaves made by aphids. International name is "forest honey". So not floral.
In many parts of the USA, they call the tulip tree "poplar"
Tulip Poplar is in the magnolia family:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriodendron_tulipifera (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriodendron_tulipifera)
The true poplar (Aspen) is in the willow family:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populus_tremula (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populus_tremula)
This is From Michael Bush.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesswarmcontrol.htm (http://www.bushfarms.com/beesswarmcontrol.htm)
From What I understand, the way he prevents swarms, also increases foragers. Well you will have to read it
PS: Home Michael Doesnt mind that I link his info