How long does goldenrod last?

[harvey]

Was wondering how long goldenrod lasts?  Trying to plan when to pull supers and reduce hives.   Chilly this week but suposed to be nicer next week.

[danno]

if you wait until after goldenrod and rob from them they will starve this winter.   I guess you wont have to worry about them robbing from each other because they wont have anything to steal. 

[MrILoveTheAnts]

Depends where you are and what Goldenrods are around. Generally the taller the species is the later it blooms. Solidago canadensis is generally the most abundant species and is flowering now. The taller S. gigantea has yet to bloom and I can vouch will sometimes flower well into November here.

[harvey]

Danno why do you figure the bees will starve?   Do you think they will not store any in the brood boxes till the supers are full?    I am asking cause I don't know.  Bees are realy kicking but right now specially as far as bringing in pollen

[Scadsobees]

It really depends on how much you have around you.  Here I can't plan on much goldenrod.  Especially considering we're almost halfway through september, and things are done by october.

I haven't smelled it yet.

I try to have my supers pulled by mid august.  I've never had an appreciable fall flow.  You may be different, but if they aren't putting in white wax, I'd get those supers pulled as soon as possible.  They tend to store honey from top down, so even if it looks like they are storing honey, there may nothing in the bottom box.

Just make sure they have at least one box full of honey.

Rick

[harvey]

Thanks again Rick,  I know I have a couple of supers full waiting on them to cap it.  The other boxes started drawing a lot of comb once the goldenrod started and I would really like them to pull some of them supers out for spring if they will but also I want them sitting good for winter,  I figure at least two more weeks of goldenrod and the buckwheat flowered about a week ago so they have that for a week or so more also.  I will check sunday and see how they are doing with capping the honey they have in the supers now and I guess go from there.  I was really suprised at how much pollen they are bringing in.  Most I have seen them with all year.

[danno]

Harvey
Sorry for being so blunt in my first post but they will fill the supers first before they put much in the brood chamber.  After goldenrod and aster there is very little left.  Rick had said he had not smelled goldenrod before.  Well I think it smells like a wet diaper that should have been changed a few hours ago.  Others say it smells like sweat socks.  Either way it tastes OK if you can get past the smell.  Aster honey crystalizes within a week so neither of these is worth taking but they make good winter food.  Just remember Harvey they should have 70# for winter.   If they dont you will have to feed.   The problem is is that goldenrod will last well into fall and you wont have much time left before they go into cluster.  I pulled supers the second week of august.  Mite treatments are well underway.  What I'm shoot for is a couple of rounds of young mite free bee's going into winter with a hive heavy with honey.  To check for stores you can go through them but what I do is tilt the hive alittle from the back with 2 fingers.  It it is difficult I know its full.   

[harvey]

Cool Thanks Dano,   I actually like the flavor of the goldenrod honey,  Wondering if I am going to see a difference as I have been planting buckwheat all year and as soon as the buckwheat is done I disc it under and replant.  I have about an acrea of buckwheat right now surounded by almost sixty acreas of solid goldenrod,  Goldenrod started right after the thistle quit!  Should have been a bumper year but almost all my hives are made up of first year swarms from bait hives in the woods.  I think I will keep close watch and when the goldenrod is about half done I will pull all the supers.  Now what do you do with a super that is half full and not capped?

[Grid]

This year the goldenrod started blooming several weeks early around here.  Does anyone know if it will just keep blooming until the temperature gets too cold, or does it bloom for "X" weeks after it starts?

Grid

[danno]

Harvey
let me know how your buckwheat turns out.  I bought seed this year but never got the ground worked up
there is a couple of choises for your uncapped frames
you could extract it and use it up quickly before it ferments
you could make mead with it
you can just set out for all your colonies to rob out
or you could move to the bottom under the brood nest and let them move it up

As for how long goldenrod lasts our sticks around until frost

[Grid]

Not sure if this is representative or not, but I went for a walk and most of the goldenrod I could see is finished or finishing.  Last week it was all yellow, and even had some bees on it.  Looks like I'm feeding this fall.