OREGON WASHINGTON FLOWS

[BEE C]

Hey there ladies and gentlemen across the border :D How are your Blackberry bushes right now.  I have seen a few flowers still on ours BC, but mostly over.  For the life of me I can't seem to interest my bees in anything other than still...I have echinacea, bee balm, lilies, coreopsis, gallardia, daisies, passion flowers, hops, honeysuckle, white and pink clover, etc, etc, all covered with bumble bees.  I've been looking too because I'm trying to catch a photo of a HB on a flower for my labels.  Its my first year but I can't believe the length of flowering for what I thought was just a thorny weed plant.

Milk thistle is even more attractive than my culitivars!

[Kathyp]

my black berries are done.  they seem to have finished off the small patch of fireweed i have.  they don't touch the thistles or the shasta daisies.  that's about all i have left. lots, and lots of bumble bees on stuff.  they don't seem to be a picky  :)

next year, i'll encourage the fireweed and go back to killing the thistles and daisies!

[Brian D. Bray]

Too many times our weeds are bees treasure.  The bees always seem to flock to the plant my wife is weeding out of the garden.  Honey flow wise it seems I'm about two weeks behind Boring, Oregon and one week ahead of West Vancouver, B.C.

[Kathyp]

seems I'm about two weeks behind Boring, Oregon and one week ahead of West Vancouver, B.C.

we are at around 900 ft here.  last frost was mid may.  last rain was mid june.  i used to live up your way.  all i remember was wet, wet, wet!  when i think about how bad oregon is, i remember my time in wa.

we also had 3 spells of very hot weather.  went over 100 in may and several days in july.  also many days in 90's.  with no rain, it didn't take long to fry everything.

[AdmiralD]

Kathy,

I think I know the general area where you are at...While it is residential, being a subberb of Portland and all, you are still out in the farming community, right?

How was the honey flow during the last month? Bees making lots of honey???

The reason I ask is that I am in Medford. It was hot, Hot, HOT! here...Temps were 105-110. And I was literally out of the country for that month.

I bought 4 nucs and set them in 2 story hives before I left.  My four hives were bearly establishing themselves during that month.  The black berrys are past but there is little stored honey.  

My hives are located near starthistle, blackberry, and poison oak.

Anyway, just curious if the honey flow stopped during the hot spell?

[Kathyp]

i am east of gresham.  it used to be really rural, but now it's starting to build up.  i fail to understand why people move to condos so that they can "live in the country", but maybe that's just me.  they don't seem to like country things much.  early morning tractor work and the smell of horse manure seem to be at the top of their objections.  being the sadistic person that i am, i do my best to be on my tractor by 0600 sunday morning  :lol:

early last month was great.  the black berries were really thick and the bees were having a blast.  by 3rd week or so, the heat was on and things were drying up.  we have no had much rain since may.  some in early june.  that has not been much of an issue because we had so much rain late winter and early spring.  we have had three spell of +100 degree weather.  the first two were only a couple of days.  this last was longer then stayed in the 90's for several days.

everything is about done now.  raspberry fields, black berries, even most weeds.  all that's left that i can find are peoples gardens.  i do see that the bees are coming back loaded with pollen.  it is the color of my squash flowers, so i think they are hitting gardens now  :) .  i also pulled some frames yesterday and found as much pollen packed in as honey.  it's in the super i'm leaving on for fall feeding, so not a big thing to me.

[Brian D. Bray]

Fireweed is where you find it right now.

[Kathyp]

even my fireweed is done.  blowing seeds all over the place!

[BEE C]

Ah, I just figured out what the heck fireweed is....I thought it was a short grass,  I guess I have A LOT of it out here, and yes thats where I found the bees... :D