Am i in the beginning of a fall flow

[tom]

Hello

  I am wondering if i may be in the middle or beginning of a fall flow i have alot of weeds that surround my hives and they smell like pepper and before the storm the bees was getting pollen of them but now my hives are going crazy getting pollen from somewhere in the the mornings they are coming in by the handful at my first hive and about half that at my third hive and well my second hive has gone back into a slump of only sending out maybe four to six bees coming and going. And i notice this evening they were not coming in with any pollen but was still working like crazy could it be that they have found a good source of both somewhere the golden rod is coming into bloom and heartsease is blooming but they are not paying any of these plant any mine they are busy but i do not  know where they are getting these items they are flying into the woods and when the wind blows right you can smell something very sweet in the air.

Tom

[Brian D. Bray]

Not having a sense of smell I can peel onions or track a skunk without tearing my eyes.  Getting a scent of sweetness in the air is an impossibility for me.  

Different hives will work different flowers differently.  Meaning some will go ga-ga over a plant that the hive next door gives a ho-hum.  They also seem to have an order of color of preferrability beginning with white, yellow, pink, orange, etc.  Darl red, purple and blue flowers seem to be on the bottom of the list.  Even with all those colors there are flowers within each color group that they seem to ignore or will only work under extreme conditions.
You hives seem to be exhibiting those traits.  Another thing to think about, and maybe chack out, is that the hive that seems so laid back with only a few bees comming and going may actually be the furtherest along on winter stores while the others.   If their stores are low with that type of behaviour the hive needs a little motivation which can range from feeding a quart or 2 of syrup on one end to replacing the queen on the other.

[tom]

Hello

  Mr. Bray i am starting to learn more each time you help me with my problems i also have learned from Mr. Bush and Finsky you gentlemen has helped me with alot. I am keeping a close eye on my hives to make sure they have enough to make it thru the winter the winters here has been somewhat warm and maybe we might get some snow around january and febuary then it starts to warm up and we get our frost mostly before the fruit trees bloom. The wheather has been so wierd the past few years but things will get better soon for us all.

Tom