Follow the Bloom 2016

herbhome · August 10, 2016, 01:27:17 AM

Can they make any honey from Devil's walking stick?

Jaimes36 · August 10, 2016, 08:30:55 AM

They do make honey outta walking stick. Not much though, once I've seen em almost fill a super. Really sweet light honey gotta pull it before the goldenrod. I just let em stack it up for winter. The blooms look great this year! Best I've seen it in years! Deer also love the purple berries they produce.

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herbhome · August 10, 2016, 01:46:21 PM

Quote from: Jaimes36 on August 10, 2016, 08:30:55 AM
They do make honey outta walking stick. Not much though, once I've seen em almost fill a super. Really sweet light honey gotta pull it before the goldenrod. I just let em stack it up for winter. The blooms look great this year! Best I've seen it in years! Deer also love the purple berries they produce.

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Blooms haven't quite opened here. Any day now!

bwallace23350 · August 16, 2016, 02:13:22 PM

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Does anyone know what this plant is? My bees are all over the open blooms of this plant.

GSF · August 17, 2016, 08:58:29 AM

Jaimes, Per chance do you know the germination rate for the prickly ash, aka devil's walking stick? I've seen some around here and wanted to plant it.

I saw a type of goldenrod blooming in central Chilton county (central Alabama) this past weekend.

bwallace23350 · August 25, 2016, 11:05:34 AM

I saw some golden rod two weeks ago blooming up in Huntsville. It should soon be down around our area

Duane · August 26, 2016, 03:12:57 PM

Quote from: bwallace23350 on August 16, 2016, 02:13:22 PM
Does anyone know what this plant is? My bees are all over the open blooms of this plant.

Do you have clearer pictures of just the flower? Over all, it reminds me of a poinsettia genus.

Jaimes36 · August 27, 2016, 09:28:17 PM

GSF I'm not sure about the germination rate or if the seeds need some type of cold stratification ? If transplanted some of the root of a larger shrub and have had success GL ! NC bees working asters-beans-cotton...Goldenrod still not open, decent flow happening now

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bwallace23350 · August 30, 2016, 05:58:00 PM

I don't have a clearer picture but I just went and looked and the plant is still loaded with bees.

bwallace23350 · September 16, 2016, 09:10:02 AM

My plants are no more as the state came by and cut them all down off the side of the road

Jaimes36 · September 16, 2016, 11:03:18 AM

NC we have aster and goldenrod coming up! Goldenrod won't start to fill up with nectar until it's about 2 weeks into bloom. And that's it y'all be ready ur bees need 60# of honey for 1 deep brood box

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herbhome · September 17, 2016, 12:13:06 AM

Bees are going nuts over a patch of perilla and knotweed here. The blooms are so small can they get anything from this?

gww · September 17, 2016, 01:00:02 AM

I have the korean perrilla in my garden and it is getting worked hard. I don't know what they get but they think it is the best thing around.
gww

BeeMaster2 · September 17, 2016, 07:44:53 AM

Quote from: herbhome on September 17, 2016, 12:13:06 AM
Bees are going nuts over a patch of perilla and knotweed here. The blooms are so small can they get anything from this?

Here in N FL, most of our main honey producers are from small flowers. Our big honey producers are Gallberry, palmetto, and Black Gum. They all have small flowers. Black Gum flowers are so small, if you don't know what to look for you wouldn't know there were flowers in the tree if it was not for the loud buzz of the bees.
Jim

herbhome · September 18, 2016, 01:26:44 AM

sawdstmker,

I know thats logical, it just seemed odd to me, all the fuss over such a tiny flower. Took out some time today to watch closely and I saw a couple with full pollen baskets so I guess they know what's best.

BeeMaster2 · September 18, 2016, 07:10:19 AM

Are all of the bees that you see working this flower collecting pollen? If so it may be just a good pollen producer. Check with your Ag agent to see what the bees get from this flower.
Jim

Jaimes36 · September 18, 2016, 09:35:53 AM

To get a rough idea of what's coming into the hives I will stand right in front of the entrance board and back up the bees. Then watch closely as they flood in. This gives me a rough pollen & nectar count.

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herbhome · September 19, 2016, 01:17:03 AM

Quote from: sawdstmakr on September 18, 2016, 07:10:19 AM
Are all of the bees that you see working this flower collecting pollen? If so it may be just a good pollen producer. Check with your Ag agent to see what the bees get from this flower.
Jim

Only two of about fifty had pollen,FWIW

BeeMaster2 · September 19, 2016, 12:22:15 PM

Quote from: herbhome on September 19, 2016, 01:17:03 AM
Quote from: sawdstmakr on September 18, 2016, 07:10:19 AM
Are all of the bees that you see working this flower collecting pollen? If so it may be just a good pollen producer. Check with your Ag agent to see what the bees get from this flower.
Jim
Only two of about fifty had pollen,FWIW

That sounds like a good nectar producer.
Jim

bobsim · September 25, 2016, 01:52:13 AM

Hi Folks,

I'm curious, no one has brought up golden rain trees yet. I'm in N FL and have two very large ones in neighbors yards that are starting to bloom. One is to the north and the other is west of me, seems to be the two main traffic patterns for the bees when I watch them.

Same time last year I took some honey from an active bar and it was a light color (delicious too) so I assumed it was from the rain trees.

Driving around I see the trees all over the place but no mention here?

BTW, I may have the wrong name for the tree. Maybe it's Chinese Lantern? Obviously I'm not a tree guy...