It looks like the golden rod in my area is close to blooming. What else do bees work on besides golden rod this time of year?
Aster
clover
My nerves
What kind of clover? All mine is bloomed out
bw, I've actually saw some GR blooming this weekend in the corner of Autauga, Chilton and Elmore counties. Only a couple but around my place it's budded and the buds are turning yellowish.
smartweed, aster, ragweed, joe pye weed, sedum, basil [blue spice], garlic chives, dutch clover...
That is a bit north of us but along some of the roads I have seen it also around here. I have never been so excited for golden rod and such in my life.
Quote from: bwallace23350 on September 14, 2016, 09:18:56 AM
I have never been so excited for golden rod and such in my life.
I hear you. I love the smell of goldenrod coming into the hives and I can smell it from a long way away. It means my bees are good and working hard. I even like the honey.
We've had good rain here all season long, so there's plenty of nectar in the stuff that's blooming. That doesn't always happen. I might actually see some fall honey this year. Fingers crossed.
Up until 3 weeks ago we had had a very wet summer. I hope we have a lot of nectar
bw: What a difference a few miles make. Until Sunday we were in a drought. I had pretty much wrote off a fall flow. Everything's greened up again. 1.38" Sunday and straight line winds.
It is crazy how much a few miles can make. I live 11 miles from my hive and my house has got much more rain as of late than my hives but we did get a decent couple of tenths the other day and everything has greened up
Quote from: Rurification on September 13, 2016, 06:16:22 PM
smartweed, aster, ragweed, joe pye weed, sedum, basil [blue spice], garlic chives, dutch clover...
Lots of Joe Pye in bloom here. Do bees get much from it?
Quote from: herbhome on September 17, 2016, 12:19:02 AM
Lots of Joe Pye in bloom here. Do bees get much from it?
There are years when I see bees all over the spotted Joe Pye [the really tall ones]. Some years not so much. Might have something to do with what else is or isn't available.
I have seen a few Goldenrod blooms around Birmingham, but not much. Also saw some on the edge of Lay Lake 3 weeks ago, but I think it was an odd case because it was like 5 feet from the water.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: GSF on September 15, 2016, 08:33:16 AM
bw: What a difference a few miles make. Until Sunday we were in a drought. I had pretty much wrote off a fall flow. Everything's greened up again. 1.38" Sunday and straight line winds.
My grass was almost brown here in Gardendale! Rain yesterday and today is a Godsend!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
golddenrod budding her now. will not be long before blooming. raining today real good.
john
Is golden rod pollen a pumking orange? Thats what I was seeing alot of today. If not orange, what is?
Thanks
gww
pretty sure goldenrod is a golden yellow color. Orange could be several plants- marigolds, hostas, phlox, chamomile and tansy come to mind. There are many more and likely locally you have some I don't have here.
We got some really solid rain Saturday. The golden rod is not quite bloomed out but it is starting to yellow up. I hear golden rod honey stinks in the hive so I am ready to open the lid up soon and smell it.
Quote from: bwallace23350 on September 19, 2016, 09:14:41 AM
We got some really solid rain Saturday. The golden rod is not quite bloomed out but it is starting to yellow up. I hear golden rod honey stinks in the hive so I am ready to open the lid up soon and smell it.
If they are collecting nectar from Goldenrod, you will not need to open the hive to smell it once they start. The first time I walked into my apiary when Goldenrod was flowing, I thought I had a serious problem with one of my hives.
Jim
Quote from: bwallace23350 on September 19, 2016, 09:14:41 AM
We got some really solid rain Saturday. The golden rod is not quite bloomed out but it is starting to yellow up. I hear golden rod honey stinks in the hive so I am ready to open the lid up soon and smell it.
if you want to get a heads up on the smell of goldenrod. go into you kids luandry basket a week after they have left their running socks in and take a good wif. you dont have to open the hive like jim said. just walk within ten feet and breath deaply. you will know it.
john
We have had a mild and wet Summer but no rain for the past 3 weeks. Late Friday and Saturday we got about an inch just in time for the goldenrod to start blooming. Was out this morning and many plants were really starting to turn yellow.
I guess that rain Saturday was pretty good throughout Alabama.
bw, If you're down wind of a hive that has GR honey curing you can smell it a good ways off. Even if you've never smelled it you'll know what it is when you smell it.
I look forward tot he smell. Soon my girls are going to be extra busy, I hope.
The really dark orange pollen here is from asters or asparagus [really]. I gotta say, I like the smell of goldenrod honey. I like that you can smell it all over the yard. We have about 10 different kinds of goldenrod around so maybe the majority of it isn't the stinky kind.
I tried to take a picture of the front of my three hives to show how many bees were backing up to get in but the phone pic wasn't good enough to see the bees.
Cheers
gww