Follow the Bloom - 2024

[Bob Wilson]

I saw these bees on this water lilly on the Caribbean island of Martinique a few days ago. Their buzzing sounded strange... Until I remembered they only speak in French on the island.

[Bill Murray]

The early flow mustn't be too good because my bees aren't drawing yet.  I weirdly don't seem to have written this down in my records for previous years, but I feel like this is kind of late to not have seen any new comb.

Just my observation. The bees, if in swarm mode dont draw like the bees in preservation mode do. When I see white wax, thats my first sign the bees that I didnt keep up with and were in reproduction mode are ending that cycle, and going into self preservation.

The Blackberry is in full bloom almost over. Spring TiTi, Black TiTi, Buckwheat, Whatever "you" call it is now blooming, quarter way through. galberry is blooming. The chinese tallow looks to be about 2.5 to 3 weeks out. And Im hoping the  Palmetto Gods are good to me this year

[The15thMember]

Just my observation. The bees, if in swarm mode dont draw like the bees in preservation mode do. When I see white wax, thats my first sign the bees that I didnt keep up with and were in reproduction mode are ending that cycle, and going into self preservation.

Sorry, I don't know what you mean by "preservation mode".  Do you just mean the opposite of swarming, like just normal colony operations?  I have some small colonies that definitely aren't in swarm mode right now, and they aren't drawing either.   

[Michael Bush]

Wild plums are in full bloom.  My crabapple bloomed yesterday.  I took bees to an apple orchard Saturday and it was just starting to bloom.

[Ben Framed]

Mr Bush, I know nothing of crabapples for the consideration of bees. Do apples produce a fair amount of nectar for honey? If so is it a light honey or dark honey?

[Michael Bush]

The bees are always all over the crabapple tree in my yard.  They certainly work apples.  I have no idea what the honey is like.  This is the build up.  They will burn it all up raising brood.

[Caashenb]

vetch is all starting to bloom today.

[BeeMaster2]

Saw Low Bush Gallberry in bloom today. High Bush Gallberry has small buds.
Jim Altmiller

[The15thMember]

The crabapples just opened here too.

[BeeMaster2]

I?m seeing High and Low Bush Galleries starting to bloom as well Black Gum (Tupelo) and a week ago I saw palmetto buds were starting. If this is the case all over this area then it will bee a repeat of last year and a very poor honey harvest.
Jim Altmiller

[Bob Wilson]

on photo is of a Compacta Holly, a landscape shrub used for foundation planting. I think it makes a nice 8-10 foot small tree form if limbed up. The bees are all over it today, with its little, almost unnoticeable flowers.
The large flower is from a Tulip Poplar tree in my neighborhood, a very tall, straight woodland tree, and one of the major nectar flow sources in Georgia.

[FatherMichael]

American Baskeflower beginning here.

[The15thMember]

The black cherry is starting here, and I saw open tulip poplars in Cherokee earlier in the week, so ours should be close, if not also open.  My poplars are so large I need binoculars to see the flowers.    Hopefully we'll get some nectar coming in soon.  I had to give two of my small colonies some extra honey today.  Pollen is fine though, I took a pint out of my pollen trap after less than 24 hours!   

[.30WCF]

Blackberries are blooming pretty heavily here.


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[The15thMember]

Blackberries are blooming pretty heavily here.

AAHH!!  Send them my way! 

[.30WCF]

And MiracleGro. Apparently they like that stuff. The last two times I?ve fed the stuff I sprouted, the bees came and drank all the blue water.

There are several 5-6 down in the cups, but you can see one here just getting ready to land in a tomato cup stage left.




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[BeeMaster2]

Blackgum is in bloom. I can hear the bees a fair distance from the tree.
Jim Altmiller

[The15thMember]

The black locust is starting now, as is the multiflora rose, so I might be in the clear.  We'll see what things look like in the hives next weekend.

[The15thMember]

This is turning out to be a smashing year for black locust and the blackberries are just starting to open!    Unfortunately it's supposed to rain tomorrow, so we'll see if I manage to get any inspections in or not. 

[cao]

I noticed a couple day ago that the blackberries(tame) are starting to bloom.  Again, like last year they are early.  This year they are about 3-4 weeks early.  Pretty much everything is early this year.