looks like the flow is over

10framer · May 29, 2014, 05:48:08 PM

what's everyone else in the south east seeing? looks like i'm done for a while.

rookie2531 · May 29, 2014, 06:24:47 PM

I'm not sure, but here in East Ky the honeysuckle is just now blooming. I don't know what the flow consist of though.

biggraham610 · May 29, 2014, 07:00:33 PM

Poplars and blackberries are about done here, white clover kickin. G

10framer · May 29, 2014, 07:41:47 PM

i'm really hoping they'll work sumac this year and that goldenrod is as good as it was last year.

biggraham610 · May 29, 2014, 07:45:16 PM

Last year was my first but the goldenrod was massive here. sumac too. we had alot of rain throughout till the end of July. I got several acres of buckwheat just comin up so that should give em a boost as things dry up in earnest.

jayj200 · May 29, 2014, 08:27:44 PM

10framer
what about the palm trees the flow is still on here. not as much but still going
then ya know a second flow here around sept
jay

Joe D · May 29, 2014, 09:03:28 PM

I'm not sure what all is still blooming, rain a couple of weeks ago knocked the hedge blooms. Sumac is about to open, and one beek told me yesterday that he had seen some popcorn, I haven't yet. So far pretty good here, that swarm that moved into an empty hive I had this spring, I got a half super of mediums and a shallow off them yesterday. I had some hives with 3 supers above the 2 for the brood chamber, and most were full of capped honey, some brood and some uncapped honey. Good luck to all

Joe

10framer · May 29, 2014, 09:05:55 PM

no palm trees up this way.
i've got some buckwheat that i planted about two weeks ago that's up.
sumac bloomed here last year but my bees didn't touch it. all kinds of solitary bees and other local pollinators but no honeybees.
it's funny, i get extremely light honey here that i'm sure a lot of people would want but i'd rather have the sumac and poplar any day.

10framer · May 29, 2014, 09:07:39 PM

joe, sumac won't open here until around august if it goes like last year. in town there is a different variety that looks like it's about to bloom. i'm going to get some seeds this year and plant it here this fall or start some in containers under lights this winter.

GSF · May 29, 2014, 10:38:41 PM

Very small percent of privet bloom left. Magnolia. strawberries, and Maypops (wild passion flower) are about the only bloom I see now. I put out some formulated sugar water in a 1 gallon chicken water thing and they were on it pretty good. I'd imagine in another week or two my squash will start blooming.

Dallasbeek · May 30, 2014, 12:23:17 AM

10framer, I planted some buckwheat about a week ago. How long before I can expect to see it come up? Does it reseed freely, or do you have to replant every year? And what kind of sumac are you guys talking about? My wife is from Connecticut and when we go to New England she points it out to me and calls it poison sumac, but I know there's all kinds of sumac, some of which is good sprinkled on ice cream (hope it isn't poison). I don't think we have sumac here in Texas, but not sure.

biggraham610 · May 30, 2014, 02:39:08 AM

Quote from: Dallasbeek on May 30, 2014, 12:23:17 AM
10framer, I planted some buckwheat about a week ago. How long before I can expect to see it come up? Does it reseed freely, or do you have to replant every year? And what kind of sumac are you guys talking about? My wife is from Connecticut and when we go to New England she points it out to me and calls it poison sumac, but I know there's all kinds of sumac, some of which is good sprinkled on ice cream (hope it isn't poison). I don't think we have sumac here in Texas, but not sure.

I plant Buckwheat every year to cover ground until I am ready to plant perrenials in the fall. It will re seed itself but not as strongly as the original planting. Thats my experience with it. This will be my first year with bees up there, hope they like it. I will have 3-4 acres staggerred planting a couple weeks apart. I planted my first last friday and wed. my Father told me some was breaking the earth. I expect it will be up good tommorrow. G :chop:

Better.to.Bee.than.not · May 30, 2014, 04:30:35 AM

buckwheat is a tricky thing evidently when it comes to honey bees. I have seeded it as a cover crop, but honestly I am not a huge buckwheat honey lover. I do like it ok though, and everyone loves the fruity honey better around here for the most part.

but here is a interesting discussion thread about it I found, they also have a few videos posted:

http://www.honeybeeworld.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=260

jayj200 · May 30, 2014, 08:39:47 AM

down here we have
Florida bee keeping management Calender

This gives a good idea of whats flowering in your area. Georgia has to have one too
you'll see
jay

10framer · May 30, 2014, 11:47:44 AM

dallas, mine was up in about 5 days. it came up in 3 or 4 days last year and was blooming at about 21 days if i remember right.
i'm with better to bee, i don't like the taste of it. i use it for ground cover (it controls weeds and improves soil) and hope that the bees work it during the long dearth we seem to have here.
i'll disc it under around mid july and plant milo for the wild life and erosion control.

johng · May 30, 2014, 01:00:23 PM

Yep, it's about over here in North Florida too. We are still getting just a little bit from the Palmetto and Tallow but, its defiantly on the back side of the flow. Cabbage Palm won't start blooming good here until mid July

BeeMaster2 · May 30, 2014, 01:10:41 PM

John,
I have a large palmetto bush in my back yard. It just started to open yesterday. It has lots of buds. I have not checked out at the farm yet but I was expecting it to be the same. I will check tomorrow. I do not actually have any palmetto bushes on the farm. The cows eat every one and will not let them grow at all. The forest is full of them since the eco's made the state stop letting the ranchers graze in the forest. They did not have to do controlled burns when the cattle ran the forest.
Jim

Dallasbeek · May 30, 2014, 01:27:51 PM

Thanks, 10framer. I guess I'll plant a second time. The first planting hasn't come up.

Gary

10framer · May 30, 2014, 01:38:38 PM

have you had any rain since you planted?

Dallasbeek · May 30, 2014, 05:36:09 PM

It's just a small patch that I irrigate as part of my drip irrigation system, but it has been drier than usual here -- well, I guess it's about normal for the past few years -- but maybe it hasn't gotten as much water as it needs. I'll step up the frequency of watering thst area. There's a large park near my house that's mostly wild -- wildflowers, wild animals, you name it. I wanted to try a test in my yard and then maybe put in about 10 pounds of buckwheat seed in the park area if I saw I could get it to grow here. I've read it reseeds pretty well in some places and kind of naturalizes. The lepidopterist society meets in this park almost every month that butterflies are active and birdwatchers frequent the place. We've seen coyotes, foxes, lots of raccoons and possoms and think there may be a bobcat there. Outdoor cats don't last too long in my neighborhood. One coyote wanders around our street in daylight as nonchalant as can be.