Can Ivy fail?

[beeno]

Hi all,
Sorry to be alarmist, but do Ivy as crop for bees ever fail? So, far I have not noticed any increase in store levels in the hives from Ivy nectar. Presently, of the pollen going in not much is Ivy - white pollen and fluorescent orange (could that be Henbit rather than Dahlia)? I watched some bees on the Ivy yday and they were on the Ivy flowers that had gone over and consequently their pollen bags were empty. Is it simply because the main flow has not started yet as I was looking at a south facing hedge? Any thoughts people?

 

[user 6228]

Hi all,
Sorry to be alarmist, but do Ivy as crop for bees ever fail? So, far I have not noticed any increase in store levels in the hives from Ivy nectar. Presently, of the pollen going in not much is Ivy - white pollen and fluorescent orange (could that be Henbit rather than Dahlia)? I watched some bees on the Ivy yday and they were on the Ivy flowers that had gone over and consequently their pollen bags were empty. Is it simply because the main flow has not started yet as I was looking at a south facing hedge? Any thoughts people?

A lot of ivy here is just opening. Because the habit is to be in the shade of other deciduous plant I would hesitate to take a south facing bush as typical. I will wait until my plant biologist arrives back.

 

[Suzi Q]

Hi beeno, went up to my hives yesterday evening, there was that familiar aroma, stink really! of ivy, so yes, mine must have found some flowering ivy. Had a look around the woods and only saw ivy buds, so if it stays warm should be lots more to come.

 

[enrico]

None of ours is past bud stage yet! Even facing south!

 

[Amari]

None of ours is past bud stage yet! Even facing south!

As I posted a week or so ago: ivy has been out here about a fortnight. Smothered in wasps and hoverflies but scarcely any bees - I can't understand why not because there is no other forage

 

[Rich0909]

Here in Ipswich all colonies have been flying dawn to dusk for the last 10 days or so collecting ivy nectar, definitely a good flow of it on here. Pollen is being collected from several sources.
Don't expect to see bees on every ivy plant, some seem to produce far more nectar than others and the bees don't waste their time on the frugal ones.

Rich

 

[beeno]

Thanks all, that's reassuring. All my hives smell of newly baked sponge cake or caramel, but that is the sugar syrup being dried off isn't it?

 

[victor meldrew]

As I posted a week or so ago: ivy has been out here about a fortnight. Smothered in wasps and hoverflies but scarcely any bees - I can't understand why not because there is no other forage

Are your bees busy?
If so, something's attracting them away from the ivy!
Ergo there is forage around?
VM


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[enrico]

Thanks all, that's reassuring. All my hives smell of newly baked sponge cake or caramel, but that is the sugar syrup being dried off isn't it?

Maybe they have filled up with sugar and no room for ivy!
E

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Here in Ipswich all colonies have been flying dawn to dusk for the last 10 days or so collecting ivy nectar, definitely a good flow of it on here. Pollen is being collected from several sources.
Don't expect to see bees on every ivy plant, some seem to produce far more nectar than others and the bees don't waste their time on the frugal ones.

Rich

Dawn to dusk is about right here too. All my hives are like Heathrow with about a third of the traffic carrying pollen. A look at the ivy has similar departure of laden bees.

 

[itma]

Thanks all, that's reassuring. All my hives smell of newly baked sponge cake or caramel, but that is the sugar syrup being dried off isn't it?

Not unless you were making caramel instead of syrup!

 

[Nige.Coll]

not sure what mine are collecting from atm but the hives weigh 20lbs more than last week.
took a ride round and didn't see much ivy.

 

[Amari]

Are your bees busy?
If so, something's attracting them away from the ivy!
Ergo there is forage around?
VM

Yes, just visited apiary and 2 outlying hives. 18C. All very busy. Lots of ivy. Some all out, some yet to open. Lots of bright yellow pollen entering apiary hives; rather beige pollen entering outliers (which are 2 miles away). Truly I did not see one honey bee at either site, just wasps and overflies.

 

[beeno]

Not unless you were making caramel instead of syrup!

Hi itma,
Can't be my cooking as I only put hot water from the kettle onto sugar and stirred - no boiling. Are you saying that it is not the sugar syrup smelling, but something they are bringing in?

 

[itma]

Well, sugar itself doesn't have any smell of its own.

My hives today are fairly reeking of ivy, and there's masses of egg-yolk pollen being piled in.

Something to bear in mind is that there are lots of different Ivy species, and their timings aren't all the same.

 

[beeno]

Well, sugar itself doesn't have any smell of its own.

My hives today are fairly reeking of ivy, and there's masses of egg-yolk pollen being piled in.

Something to bear in mind is that there are lots of different Ivy species, and their timings aren't all the same.

Thanks itma. Can you describe to me how Ivy smells please - just in case. My bees are all busy, but I can't figure out what they are doing. So different from last year.

 

[itma]

Smell of Ivy? Hard to describe, slightly fungal, slightly medicinal (towards wintergreen) ... best to find some Ivy and have a sniff around the weird sci-fi flowers (when its warm and not raining!)

 

[user 6228]

outside its wet dull and october,
yet the amount of bees flying and out say its june and bright sunshine

 

[beeno]

Smell of Ivy? Hard to describe, slightly fungal, slightly medicinal (towards wintergreen) ... best to find some Ivy and have a sniff around the weird sci-fi flowers (when its warm and not raining!)

Thanks I have a go!

 

[Swarm]

Smell of Ivy? ......Rank should suffice