where in the heck are they finding it??

[gmcharlie]

Today is about the first day of spring with temps above freezing.....  tues  we were frozen in...  yet today  3-5  at noon,  my bees are bring in pollen.... and quite a bit of it...... not a darn thing green as of yet and no buds or flower I see...  anybody have a clue?   I am in southern Il......about the st. louis line.....

[Two Bees]

There are usually some kind of weed blooming early.  In January, my bees were bringing in loads of pollen.  I understand that the bees are gathering from some small, low growing plants that we probably overlook as well as aster pollens from last fall.

[CBEE]

Beats me.. I have sat there and watched mine pack it in wondering where in the world it's coming from. I think it is left overs from the fall  :?

[MrILoveTheAnts]

Some type of Maple tree here is blooming, some Willows are in full bloom, Crocuses and Dandelions are blooming now. Something else I think called Skunk Weed or Skunk cabbage is also blooming.

[Damonh]

got to 51 F. here in Girard Pa today. Third time this since November the bees got out to fly. If they are still flying after work I am going to see if they are bringing in any pollen.

[BjornBee]

Not saying they are not collecting from plants, but I've seen bees collect from bird feeders, cattle troughs, and from sawdust piles.

And when it's on the back of their legs, it all looks like pollen.

[gmcharlie]

good point with false pollens...  I can't imagine left overs from last years......  and the only thing green here yet is the pine trees.   the grass is got a cpl spots the are starting to green a bit.....  My yard is full of maples and as of yet they are not budded.....

[ArmucheeBee]

Up your way I believe you may have Alder trees?  Seems like someone mentioned that a couple of weeks ago.  Some of the maple flowers are very tiny and brown, so they are hard to see.

[rast]

 Usually Red Maple is the first in my area.

[sonny]

Hi, I noticed the same thing here today. (WV) I saw both a whitish and an orange pollen. I believe it is red maple and  crocus.
Sonny

[ArmucheeBee]

older beeks here say the greenish color is maple.

[WhipCityBeeMan]

bleep Willows???

[Bobb]

Could be maple. Have you checked the NASA Forage map for your area?

[wouldliketobee]

I have a wild life feeder with cracked corn in it , the last couple of days here in southeast Iowa the honeybees have been rolling in the cracked corn by the thousands .

[ArmucheeBee]

why are they rolling in cracked corn?

[gmcharlie]

corn does have a lot og flutten and protien...  cracked corn would make it accesable to bees....  interesting thought as we feed   yard chickens....   
The pollen I am seeing is very light collored....  red maples may be possible....  not many around  here.   No alders at all......    We will have soft maples blooming in a day or so....  buds grem 3/8 yesterday alone.

No crocus or wild flower yet,  probably by tomorrow....  Just struck me as very odd only 24 hours out of a 3 week below freezing spell...

What is the NASA forage map???

[Bobb]

http://honeybeenet.gsfc.nasa.gov/Honeybees/Forage_info.htm

Lists bloom dates for different regions.

[wouldliketobee]

why are they rolling in cracked corn?

They seem to use it for a pollen substitute ,don't know if its good for them but they roll in it til they are covered and can barely fly.I dumped a bag of corn meal into the feeder and they really went after that.The cracked corn has fine corn dust similiar to the pollen.

[Hill's Hivery]

I haven't seen anything blooming as of yet either, but the maples look like they are going to pop any day.  We also have numerous crocus and other bulb flowers that have buds that haven't opened yet.  Still waiting to see my first dandelion.

[BjornBee]

Went out today....and Pollen! Two types. I actually tasted a dropped pellet, and it's pollen. I looked around and did'nt find anything. But the bees were headed off in the direction of a southern facing ridge with lots of maples.  :piano: