Advice on bees on lowland heather?

[dickndoris]

Hi all

Looking at moving a couple or 3 hives onto or very near to lowland heather here at the edge of the village. The site I have in mind is next to a couple of large ponds and 100 meters or so from the start of the heather. It is 2.7miles from the apiary which might be a little close but the heather is between the apiary and where they will be so I am guessing they wont over fly all that to get to where they were? Or will they? I have never moved my bees as I think it gives them undue stress but they are having a bad year and of course I wouldn't mind a little cut comb heather honey.
So my questions are....

Might they fly home?

Would it be best to put them into the heather? (Don't think I would be able to do this without problems of cattle,sheep,kids,dog walkers, theft!

If doing cut comb frames....use starter strips? Bare frames? Extra thin foundation? Extra thin foundation starter strips?

Thanks in advance if anyone has experience of this.

R

 

[Luminos]

If the heather is within the "3-mile radius", won't the bees find it without you moving them?

 

[dickndoris]

If the heather is within the "3-mile radius", won't the bees find it without you moving them?

If they have, they are not bringing it home or at least not much of it. They have to over fly the village which I guess has lots of distractions and the start of the heather would be 1.2miles approx. Bringing in bright blue, yellow, a little brown pollen.

 

[Foxylad]

Ive got bees on the heather and there mostly ignoring it bring in willow herb.

 

[keith pierce]

I have about 15 hives on a permenant site with about 10 acres of lowland heather beside it and i have never seen the bees working it.

 

[dickndoris]

I have about 15 hives on a permenant site with about 10 acres of lowland heather beside it and i have never seen the bees working it.

WOW! really?! Is lowland heather different to highland heather? Had better google.
They are working the willow herb and balsam but slowly.

 

[Poly Hive]

I am not sure what you mean by lowland heather but it is getting very late for a successful heather crop.

From what I saw in the Scottish Highlands up there the heather did not look good nor were the reports on it I heard.

Personally I would not move mine at this late stage to an untried site. Maybe test it next year, but get there a month earlier.

PH

 

[stoneleighhouse]

I put mine on the Derbyshire Heather Moors on August 10th when it had only just started to flower ,,about two weeks later than normal.. now bringing it in hammer and tongs

 

[Poly Hive]

Excellent. Not lowland though?

PH

 

[dickndoris]

I put mine on the Derbyshire Heather Moors on August 10th when it had only just started to flower ,,about two weeks later than normal.. now bringing it in hammer and tongs

The common has been in flower for about 10 days now. I know as I travel to work through it every day. Still waiting for confirmation on the site. I think maybe I have missed it but we will see. The bees will only be in the car for 10-15 mins max.

 

[stoneleighhouse]

no Poly but very late this year just wondering how long it will last. Is Lowland Heather Ling by the way?

 

[dickndoris]

Strensall Common is a northern example of acidic lowland heath and is one of only two
extensive areas of open heathland remaining in the Vale of York, the other being Skipwith
Common.
The complex mosaic of sands and clays give rise to an equally diverse vegetation comprising
wet and dry heath, woodland and wetland. The dry heath, dominated by heather Calluna
vulgaris, is noted for petty whin Genista anglica and bird's foot Ornithopus perpusillus, whilst
extensive areas of purple moor-grass Molinia caerulea and cross-leaved heath Erica tetralix
characterise the wet heath. The Common also has significant populations of the very local
marsh gentian Gentiana pneumonanthe, other species of note including narrow buckler-fern
Dryopteris carthusiana and long-leaved sundew Drosera intermedia. Drainage has reduced the
extent of the wetland vegetation which includes permanent pools with great reedmace Typha
latifolia, fen dominated by common reed Phragmites australis and extensive areas of soft rush
Juncus effusus; species associated with the wetlands include marsh cinquefoil Potentilla
palustris, bogbean Menyanthes trifoliata and uncommon species such as marsh St. John's wort
Hypericum elodes.
Frequent heathland fires have restricted the development of birch Betula sp. woodland which is
less extensive than at Skipwith. Elsewhere on the heath oak Quercus robur occurs and Scot's
pine Pinus sylvestris has been planted.
The entomological interest of the site is considerable with several rare moths Lepidoptera and
bugs Hemiptera present.

 

[Poly Hive]

Good start, there is Ling and Tetralix there, but will it flow this late on?

Given the year, and it has here just finished a right thunder cloud burst or to be more accurate three of them this evening, as I said I'd be inclined to give it a miss this year and move to it in July next year and see if the tetralix performs then before the Ling comes on, if it does.

PH

 

[dickndoris]

We have had a couple of bursts here too! Funny to see some of the bees return after totally covered in white! I mean they were total albino white

Thanks for the advice all.
I still might move 2 PH just to see. Probably very early morning and nice and steady. I have a hive now bursting with bees after putting two colonies together. Hope to see the farmer tomorrow and confirm a second site.

 

[protheroe]

some of my bees are half mile or less from heather but not touching it,theres too much balsam about which they definitely prefer

 

[george]

The problem with low lying Heather seems to be the soil rather than the plant . Every time I have tried hives on a local heath they have come back lighter rather than heavier .
If the soil is dry there is a restricted nectar flow and the bees ignore it .
Well I say local, 30 odd miles away . Not much heather in South Bucks .

 

[keith pierce]

Walked my site where i have my bees on low land heather this morning. I know it was early in the morning, but all i could find was one honey bee working it.

 

[dickndoris]

A pretty shiny bum bee. Nice pictures.

 

[poshpikey]

Visited a friend this morning who keeps bees commercially. He was taking the supers off to extract and then replace as he says the ling heather flow is about to start and he doesn't want the ling honey mixed up with anything else. (I think there has already been bell heather honey.)