Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: matthewstiles on April 14, 2014, 08:36:38 PM

Title: Bees collecting ash
Post by: matthewstiles on April 14, 2014, 08:36:38 PM
Was heading inside and passed the ash pile and saw many bees were collecting wood ash. Any thoughts? I've never observed this behavior but am also only in year two of this.

(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/15/yhyvemun.jpg)
Title: Re: Bees collecting ash
Post by: drlonzo on April 14, 2014, 08:48:41 PM
Is this wood ashe or trash ashe?  If it's wood ashe they may be after salts to cure honey with or possibly after rosin for their propolis..
Title: Re: Bees collecting ash
Post by: matthewstiles on April 14, 2014, 10:32:20 PM
It is wood ash
Title: Re: Bees collecting ash
Post by: BeeDog on April 15, 2014, 08:08:03 AM
Quote from: drlonzo on April 14, 2014, 08:48:41 PM
Is this wood ashe or trash ashe?  If it's wood ashe they may be after salts to cure honey with or possibly after rosin for their propolis..

Do bees also collect trash ash?
Title: Re: Bees collecting ash
Post by: BeeMaster2 on April 15, 2014, 08:56:02 AM
Was the ash wet? They may have been collecting water. If there was no pollen, they may have been collecting the ash but it seems like the wrong time of year.
Jim
Title: Re: Bees collecting ash
Post by: matthewstiles on April 15, 2014, 03:46:07 PM
The ash was dry. Pollen in the area appears to be pretty sparse right now only just had most of the snow melt off this past week.