Flow

[Itchy]

Everyone bangs on about it...but what is it and how doe one recognise it?

 

[MuswellMetro]

Everyone bangs on about it...but what is it and how doe one recognise it?

Bees coming in heavily laden with nectar, rear legs out stretched to balance a heavy honey sac, lots of them ,crashing into the landing,and supers filling fast, younger bees and pollen colecters promoted to collect nectar,

Oil seed Rape flow is a typical example, loads of nectar, perhaps a super filled in three days (10kg), wheras at other times, they are collecting just enough to tick over

 

[Suzi Q]

Didn't you noticed it this year? I suppose it is when good weather coincides with flowering of your local forage inducing nectar to 'flow'.. Bees will dash back and forth and supers will fill rapidly.

 

[Itchy]

"rear legs out stretched to balance a heavy honey sac, lots of them ,crashing into the landing"
Thanks. As all my colonies were very small, it was hard to tell.

 

[Goran]

When is some strong flow, colonies in top form, conditions right believe me no one must tell You it is flow. I wish You have that at Your apiary. Now I remember when is acacia in blooming ( Robinia pseudoacacia) the whole area ( not just apiary) is like one pulsating buzzing ( don't know how to give a picture - rhythmic sound like one organism). You almost can feel that energy ( to me it is something wonderful).
Then freely can remove complete front entrance to ease the bees traffic..

Ehhh, now I will go into nostalgia..

 

[Itchy]

Ha! Thanks Goran, I'm sure I'll see it next season

 

[Michael Palmer]

Often, when there is a flow on, you can smell it. A quick shake test will confirm the suspicion.

Pull a comb from the edge of the brood. Is there liquid in the cells? Hold the comb horizontally over the open hive and give a shake. Nectar will rain out if there is a flow. If there is a great flow, it becomes difficult to hold combs horizontally, without getting nectar all over your boots.

 

[Itchy]

Thanks Michael

Enjoyed your talk about nucs....frantically trying to learn after a crash landing into bee keeping.

 

[Itchy]

My assumption is that a flow would be evident where there are lots of flowers open locally, such as hawthorn and bramble

 

[Michael Palmer]

But not necessarily.

 

[Itchy]

I'll carry out some careful observations next season.

 

[Goran]

Often, when there is a flow on, you can smell it. A quick shake test will confirm the suspicion.

Pull a comb from the edge of the brood. Is there liquid in the cells? Hold the comb horizontally over the open hive and give a shake. Nectar will rain out if there is a flow. If there is a great flow, it becomes difficult to hold combs horizontally, without getting nectar all over your boots.

This picture is from last year, early spring. This frame is with such nectar which is collected recently and will drop down when holding horizontally. Nectar is mainly from Salix caprea -goat willow. When I was around the hives I could smell the willows and when opened the hives.. I breed with full lungs..
This year wasn't good weather when goat willow flowered but we got great wild cherry - Prunus avium. Also smelled great.
When acacia ( Robinia pseudoacacia) flower its smell cover the whole area by itself ( also smell great), not only by the bees.

All this sounds like some inhalation treatmant..

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hawthorn doesn't yield regularly. You get hawthorn years.
When there is a flow on I notice bees leaving in large numbers straight out of hive at speed....no hanging around the landing board or edge of hive with a "where shall I go look"

 

[Luminos]

You know when the flow is on, because they're too busy to sting you

 

[Michael Palmer]

When our goldenrod flow is on, the smell can gag you it's so strong. Not a bad smell, just strong and sickly sweet.

I once had a farmer approach me in my apiary on his land. Wanted to know if my bees were sick because of the smell. I immediately thought AFB. Said the odor was the worst thing he's ever smelled. With some questioning, I realized he was smelling ripening goldenrod nectar.

Imagine a dairy farmer saying ripening goldenrod nectar was the worst odor he's ever smelled. Really!?

To me it's the best odor of Autumn. Means less feeding for winter. Ka-ching, ka-ching.

 

[Goran]

When mention bad smell.. When is great flow of common dogwood ( Cornus sanguinea) You can smell around the hives and in the hives like a mouse p!ss.. After while it lose some of this scent..

 

[MuswellMetro]

my main summer flow is Lime Trees (Linden), A long line of very tall trees on the approach road to the old mental hospital orchard where I have my bees

~ I can hear them as I am walking to the beehive, almost a deafening hum above my head, normally on a warm day after rain when the lime trees are producing nectar and it gives greenish thin honey

In barren years they raid the Ragwort, Jacobaea vulgaris It stain the frames bright yellow now that's a smell I don't like and i keep that honey for 6mths before jarring up

 

[Swarm]

When mention bad smell.. When is great flow of common dogwood ( Cornus sanguinea) You can smell around the hives and in the hives like a mouse p!ss.. After while it lose some of this scent..

Now that must be bad!!

 

[For want of a better word]

When our goldenrod flow is on, the smell can gag you it's so strong. Not a bad smell, just strong and sickly sweet.

I once had a farmer approach me in my apiary on his land. Wanted to know if my bees were sick because of the smell. I immediately thought AFB. Said the odor was the worst thing he's ever smelled. With some questioning, I realized he was smelling ripening goldenrod nectar.

Imagine a dairy farmer saying ripening goldenrod nectar was the worst odor he's ever smelled. Really!?

To me it's the best odor of Autumn. Means less feeding for winter. Ka-ching, ka-ching.

EUCH !... Solidago... filthy smell of cats pee to say the least !

Friend of SWMBO bought some honey at Tavistock Farmers market last Autumn and brought it to me as she could not make out the strong odour.. totally disgusting stuff... paraquat seems like best option to destroy the plant!.. all in MOVLO of course.
Perhaps you have a nice smelling variety over the pond?

 

[victor meldrew]

Lovely smelling variety around here .,
Your not mixing it up with ragwort ?
VM


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