clover

[Murox]

Bell Heather is Erica Cinerea, flowers in July and has bell-shaped flowers. Ling just flowers a bit later its all Calluna vulgaris of course.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I can't really comment about Heather like you Amari I have colonys on heath Heather in three locations this season. I've prepared 10 young colonys now just about to be put up on moorland I'm trying to follow Manleys way of thinking.
All a bit of a gamble but don't shoot me down for trying!

 

[Buzby]

Clover will only produce nectar at the florets when the temperature is reasonably high. Here in mid wales there is loads of white clover in the fields but I've not seen a bee on it.

 

[BoStor]

I scarafied my lawn grass and sowed white dutch clover called Trifolium (mixed with lime) which is supposed to be for honey bees
but so far have not seen much interest. Still early days.

 

[beekeepershens]

I hope it's within reach of my bees too!



Yes, I rarely see bees on the white clover in my apiary field (a plant nursery abandoned 15 years ago). Likely to be 'wild' rather than sown clover.

bees on my white heather, it is old sheep pasture I doubt it has ever been sown with anything ,,,, just what nature provided

 

[Swarm]

We've had the rain, all it needs now is 21 degrees.

 

[The Poot]

We've had the rain, all it needs now is 21 degrees.

Here, we‘re certainly getting the rain - and lots of it. Currently it’s hammering down...️🌧️

 

[elainemary]

The earliest white clover to flower here tends to be the wild stuff on the road verges and the unworked pasture. A lot more farmers are sewing a grass and clover mix as a nitrogen fix for the soil. I have heard people say the same as Curly that some of the commercial clovers aren’t as attractive for the bees but mine work the varieties that are sown here.
I was speaking to a man in his eighties a few weeks ago and he told me that his grandfather ran 15 hives here in the nineteen forties and he thought there was a lot more wild clover at that time. Finally some people comment that my bees should do well on the abundance of red clover here but unfortunately I have to explain that only the bumbles can work it.

Regularly see honeybees working red clover. Pic here

 

[Curly green finger's]

Clover will only produce nectar at the florets when the temperature is reasonably high. Here in mid wales there is loads of white clover in the fields but I've not seen a bee on it.

23c last Saturday and they were working it clover I mean the temp does need to be high.

 

[Swarm]

Regularly see honeybees working red clover. Pic here

Is that 'proper' red clover or a hybrid?

 

[lindsay s]

Regularly see honeybees working red clover. Pic here

Well I stand corrected. After a search of the web you’ll find examples of honey bees on red clover and also the debate on how attractive it’s to honey bees. Up here I have never noticed my bees on the red but the bumbles are working it the whole time even in the cooler weather. I will check with our member who did a pollen survey a few years ago to find out if much was brought in.

23c last Saturday and they were working it clover I mean the temp does need to be high.

In Orkney our bees will work the white clover in the mid to high teens, it’s rare to get many days above 20c. The average July maximum temperature is about 16c !!!

 

[rook66]

Well I stand corrected. After a search of the web you’ll find examples of honey bees on red clover and also the debate on how attractive it’s to honey bees. Up here I have never noticed my bees on the red but the bumbles are working it the whole time even in the cooler weather. I will check with our member who did a pollen survey a few years ago to find out if much was brought in.


In Orkney our bees will work the white clover in the mid to high teens, it’s rare to get many days above 20c. The average July maximum temperature is about 16c !!!

I find that the ideal clover conditions are, sheep grazed pasture so the clover will be short stemmed, high ground temperature, high ground moisture. A bit of a drought then a days rain, and you will need to get the buckets out.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Well I stand corrected. After a search of the web you’ll find examples of honey bees on red clover and also the debate on how attractive it’s to honey bees. Up here I have never noticed my bees on the red but the bumbles are working it the whole time even in the cooler weather. I will check with our member who did a pollen survey a few years ago to find out if much was brought in.


In Orkney our bees will work the white clover in the mid to high teens, it’s rare to get many days above 20c. The average July maximum temperature is about 16c !!!

Maybe the humidity and temp at ground level are different to the air temp etc?
Can I ask was it morning or afternoon when you have seen clover being worked?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Regularly see honeybees working red clover. Pic here

Not just bees

 

[Murox]

Is that a Cinnabar moth ? there lots up here on the old dunes/grassland, the caterpillars have a preference for ragwort, I often see the plant covered in them.

 

[elainemary]

Not just bees
View attachment 26943

Beautiful!

 

[elainemary]

Is that 'proper' red clover or a hybrid?

Hi I’m not sure. I over seeded the meadow originally with seed from a national trust meadow nearby. The RSPB gave me the seed as they were trying to attract more ground nesting Twites (rare little brown bird found in the Pennines). I’ve planted thousands of plugs of other wildflowers over the last 8 years and the red clover, buttercup, eyebright, yellow rattle & ribwort plantain dominate from the original mix. Regularly see bumbles as well as honeybees on the red clover. I’ll have to find out the variety if I can & will let you know if I find out!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Is that a Cinnabar moth ? there lots up here on the old dunes/grassland, the caterpillars have a preference for ragwort, I often see the plant covered in them.

It’s a Five Spot Burnett

 

[lindsay s]

Maybe the humidity and temp at ground level are different to the air temp etc?
Can I ask was it morning or afternoon when you have seen clover being worked?

I’m on holiday at the moment and I trying to get all my colonies sorted and help out other beekeepers before I’m back at work. Yesterday it was about 16c with sunny spells at midday and the hives I was inspecting were very active. Today it’s low cloud and drizzle topping out at 14c, so I’ll give some hives a miss. I agree that after a good soaking of rain followed by warm weather the bees will be flat out working the white clover. You’ll often smell it in the air on a nice day. Unfortunately it doesn’t happen as much as we would like to up here. It’s more common to have long spells of poor weather rather than it being nice and warm. As I said in a previous post my bees missed out on the clover last year due to the weather.
When I said about an abundance of red clover here I didn’t mean that you’ll see field’s full of it but there’s plenty of it growing on the more marginalised land.

 

[Brenda]

I’m on holiday at the moment and I trying to get all my colonies sorted and help out other beekeepers before I’m back at work. Yesterday it was about 16c with sunny spells at midday and the hives I was inspecting were very active. Today it’s low cloud and drizzle topping out at 14c, so I’ll give some hives a miss. I agree that after a good soaking of rain followed by warm weather the bees will be flat out working the white clover. You’ll often smell it in the air on a nice day. Unfortunately it doesn’t happen as much as we would like to up here. It’s more common to have long spells of poor weather rather than it being nice and warm. As I said in a previous post my bees missed out on the clover last year due to the weather.
When I said about an abundance of red clover here I didn’t mean that you’ll see field’s full of it but there’s plenty of it growing on the more marginalised land.

Is Clover, Wild Flowers and Heather your main source of nectar in Orkney, or do the Farmers grow Oilseed Rape? Just interested as I have been up to Orkney sailing and it is a beautiful location.