Does anyone know about nectar flows that occur in my region? I don't get home to my hive from school until next weekend, so what have I been missing?
The berries and poplar are about to bloom..
http://www.ento.vt.edu/~fell/apiculture/HoneyPlants/flower.htm
O that's a good site to know. Thanks!
That's a great site. I've bookmarked it.
I'm just up the road from AlanJ (okay about 30-40 miles, but you know what I mean), but a little higher up, elevation-wise. The poplars are just about to go any minute now. I was checking my berries last night. It might be another week or so before they go.
Mark
I have a ton of Honeysuckle which does not show any signs of blooming.. and I also have a lot of American Holly.. going to keep good records so I know better next year.
Honeysuckle :?
Can bees get to the nectar of honeysuckle?
haven't noticed any, although it was late when i watched, but the "neck" of the flower seems to long for a bee. but you just gotta love the intense smell of it!
I like pulling out the style of the honeysuckle and tasting the nectar: sweet and delicious. :-P
It depends on the type.. mine are all Japanese honeysuckle which is worked by the bees. The flower is smaller than the other types.
My Japanese Honeysuckle is just starting to bud flowers, full flowering is probably a week or 2 away. The Lilacs on the other hand are just starting to burst out all over. I planted 4 butterfly bushes and a self pollenating peach tree this week. I now have 16 fruit trees to go with the 100 flowering fruit trees next door. Next year should be an early bonanza for my bees. Over 300 fruit trees with a quart mile radius and lots of maple and alder in the 1500 acres of forest lands that start a block to the south. The 300 fruit trees are those in peoples yards, I'm not counting the wild cherry and apple trees in the woods.
The filberts will take a few more years to develop as they are only 8 inch shoots at the moment so I don't count them amoung my fruit tress. Bees love filbert (Hazlenut).