What's flowering: Queensland

max2 · August 10, 2019, 04:25:41 AM

The Wild Pear has just started to flower.
I did not record a date last year - should have so I can compare.

We had some good gusts and I found a branch of tallowood - flowering and still a lot of buds.

The Brazilian Cherries are also heavily budding.

Bees are busy here.

eltalia · August 10, 2019, 07:18:36 PM

Well there ya go Max... the difference in Latitude, eh.
Ours (BC) show no sign, tho' being away for the week I'll get up the back
and check them later on. The bottlebrush(s) on the driveway are
just covered in bloom. Deepest red, they look great!
[later]
Found the Darwin Weeping Willow in bloom and alive with bees.
In contrast to the bottlebrush you have to look for the flowers as
you'll hear the bees first.

Cheers..

Bill
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Bee North · August 11, 2019, 12:00:13 AM

Fantastic Bill...good days. Love seeing flowers and SUNSHINE!!

eltalia · August 11, 2019, 04:41:13 AM

Quote from: Bee North on August 11, 2019, 12:00:13 AM
Fantastic Bill...good days. Love seeing flowers and SUNSHINE!!

Coming out of a blustery NSW to this..?...!! we is spoilt rotton! Haa Ha!

/rumba/

Bill

max2 · August 11, 2019, 06:26:50 PM

These Bottle Brushes are looking great!

max2 · August 13, 2019, 09:32:38 PM

14. August - the Paulownias are out and the bees are working them.
The first of the Clover is out as well. Looking positive

max2 · August 16, 2019, 01:54:40 PM

16. August - I checked the brood on 12 of my singles.
A different story to the doubles.

There is a lot of brood there - lots of eggs and also capped brood. Very busy hives and new honey too. Lovely to see the white cappings. Clover, I guess.
All hives had some drones, nil queen cells but they will be readdy in a few weeks to split.

I have not heard of any swarms locally as yet.
Witta, Maleny and Palmwoods are always a week or a little more ahead of us..
I note that the Liquid Amber was flowering on the 26. August last year - 10 days from now.
I will keep an eye on them.
Some very warm days with a few cool ones to follow predicted. Spring is just around the corner.

max2 · August 22, 2019, 06:12:44 PM

I went to see a beekeeper who has bees near Maleny. He mentioned the Yellow Stringybark flowering. It is a tree I don't recognise.

I did note a lot of very yelow pollen in his hives.

Not sure if there is a connection - I need to do some research.

max2 · August 23, 2019, 12:18:59 AM

" Early on Friday morning, the temperature dipped to a low of 8.9 degrees at Cairns Airport. This was the site's lowest August temperature in 56 years."

I can hear Bill shivering

Bee North · August 23, 2019, 01:10:43 AM

Ha ha...

According to my wife up the hill in Kuranda was only 2.0 !

Bamboo · August 23, 2019, 04:27:28 PM

According to my wife up the hill in Kuranda was only 2.0 !

WHAAAT!
That aint no Winterless North.

Bee North · August 24, 2019, 12:18:49 AM

Crazy isnt it. She may have been stretching it a bit but we are usually about 3 degrees under Cairns, as we are about 400m above sea level.
All this cold weather....dont know how you Southerners cope!

max2 · August 25, 2019, 01:22:08 PM

I went to have a check on the Liquid Amber yesterday - it had bud burst last year on the 26. August - and , YES, it had just budburst a matter of a day or two before.
The flowers will be out in a couple of days and the tree will be buzzing with bees.
The Wild Pear is in full bloom too.

I went for a walk earlier in the day to the back of the property and the bees were busy in the Tallow Wood..

A quick look at some hives too: not many drones but there is honey coming in. We are supposed to get some rain later in the week and this would help the Clover.

Bee North · August 25, 2019, 08:07:20 PM

Hi Max

Im trying to learn more about flora so i googled Liquid Amber and aren't they beautiful in Autumn. I read they have copious pollen. Do you know if they provide much nectar?

Adam

max2 · August 27, 2019, 04:12:29 AM

Hi Adam,

the lovely Autumn colour is only displayed if the Winter temps are low enough. Here our Winters have become very mild - no real frost anymore.

As far as I have observed bees are only getting pollen from Liquid Amber. - it seems lots of it.

Bee North · August 27, 2019, 04:23:58 AM

Thanks max!

max2 · August 30, 2019, 04:47:05 AM

30.August . 2019 - White Cedar - Budburst!

max2 · September 03, 2019, 09:07:28 PM

4. September - we need rain! The clover is flowering quite well and the morning fog keeps it all going.
We can be thankfull for all the Cobblers pegs which have not been frosted this winter: great pollen and the bees really need it at the moment.

I made-up the first hadfull of splits- nice a strong hives with plenty of eggs, larvae and capped brood. Good nuc's.
I can't get any queens as yet so I make my own. Takes longer but so be it. Just shows that queens are good value!

max2 · September 05, 2019, 01:20:57 AM

5. September - Crofton Weed ( locally also known as Mistweed) is flowering and the bees are on it. The pollen is not of high quality but as it generally grows in the shade during this hot spell it maybe what bees can find. see here: https://www.honeybee.com.au/Library/pollen/riparia.html
The native Rasberries are also flowering.

max2 · September 08, 2019, 10:10:09 PM

September 9 - The Jaboticabas are if full bloom this morning ( last year it was on the 15. September)
We are experiencing rather strong winds here for the last few days and some bushfires not far away and the bees are not working the trees as they usually would. The wind is supposed to ease tomorrow.
We need rain!!