hives full of honey

[catfishbill]

hello all,i was helping out my mentor yesterday and we found some supers full of honey.is it normal for a small flow right now?bees did not seem to be hungry and they were bring in pollen.temps have not stabilized around here yet.and nothing is blooming yet except for butter cups.honey had that golden rod taste to it.thanks bill

[johnnybigfish]

hey Catfish!
Thats peculiar...I was just telling someone here that I opened my hives and had a LOT more honey than 3 or 4 weeks ago! I even took some!
your friend,
john

[yoderski]

I also had the same experience this winter.  My 3 hives were full of goldenrod honey at the conclusion of the fall, and went into the winter with a full super and hive body.  I just checked last week, and the hives were bursting with bees, but the goldenrod honey was basically untouched in the top super.   For some reason, they had survived on what they could glean over the winter, I guess, but I have no idea on what.  I do know that we had a bumper crop of wild turnips with some fields yellow with their flowers, and the bees were working them like mad on the days the temp got up into the 60s or so.  So it leaves me with the unpleasant prospect of extracting 3 supers of goldenrod honey, which I don't particularly care for, or hoping they eat it sometime this spring while making me some of that delicious popcorn tree and holly honey....What do you all advise about the leftover goldenrod honey?

[reinbeau]

What do you all advise about the leftover goldenrod honey?

I'd extract it and put it in my tea  :)

[catfishbill]

yoderski,i talked to him again this evening its about 6 med supers full.i think he is going to extract most of it and sell it later this year.temps we about 65-70 yesterday and bees were working hard.front moved throught last night got about 1/10 inch of rain and temps dropped to 30 to 35 today with strong north wind.no activity today at all.

[Brian D. Bray]

Mine bees are bringing a pollen from Willow, Alder, and Maple right now.  Alder and Maple are good sources for nectar early in the spring--it is usually the initial kick off for overwintered hives.