'flow'

[Bearhouse]

From everything that I have read and learned so far (so much and yet so little, I will never stop learning, hopefully), I understand that a lot of knowledge and understanding can be gained from proper observation of our bees. I love going out there and seeing what colour pollen they are bringing in for example.

What I don't yet understand fully is how we know when there is a nectar flow on? Pollen is easy to see, but nectar isn't (other than seeing what stores there are etc during an inspection).

Any pointers please?

 

[YorkshireBees]

From everything that I have read and learned so far (so much and yet so little, I will never stop learning, hopefully), I understand that a lot of knowledge and understanding can be gained from proper observation of our bees. I love going out there and seeing what colour pollen they are bringing in for example.

What I don't yet understand fully is how we know when there is a nectar flow on? Pollen is easy to see, but nectar isn't (other than seeing what stores there are etc during an inspection).

Any pointers please?

Obviously looking at the amount of fresh nectar in frames in the hive is the ultimate measure of a flow however from outside the hive there are a couple of pointers:-

1.Bees looking like they are landing 'heavy' tails down and not carrying pollen means they are either loaded with nectar or water.
2.Listen to a hive on a warm summers evening and it should sound like an air-conditioning unit emitting a noticeable hum. This is the sound of the bees 'drying' nectar out. You can also gently stick your hand under the hive if you have an OMF (Open mesh floor) and feel a draft as the bees circulate air.
3.Finally during certain flows you can actually smell fresh nectar near hives.

 

[Bearhouse]

That's really helpful, thank you

 

[Poly Hive]

The audible sign is the colony "roaring" which is the word used to describe the sound of all out fanning to dry off the nectar.

PH

 

[wightbees]

You can't miss the smell, it's lovely I think : )

 

[drex]

A definite sign is lots of frames that will drip nectar, when you turn them flat during an inspection. However I usually know beforehand just by watching their orientation coming into land, as in the post above, and the increased number of bees trying to get in

 

[enrico]

Stay low and watch them against white clouds, if there is a motorway to and from one direction, hundreds of bees every minute, you can bet your bottom dollar a flow is on. Now find out what and where and prepare for it next year by building your colony up as much as possible to make the most of it. Many flows other than crops are trees, loads of trees of one type is good.
E

 

[Gaz1]

Stay low and watch them against white clouds, if there is a motorway to and from one direction, hundreds of bees every minute, you can bet your bottom dollar a flow is on.
E

love sitting in me chair watching that

 

[marocco bees]

From everything that I have read and learned so far (so much and yet so little, I will never stop learning, hopefully), I understand that a lot of knowledge and understanding can be gained from proper observation of our bees. I love going out there and seeing what colour pollen they are bringing in for example.

What I don't yet understand fully is how we know when there is a nectar flow on? Pollen is easy to see, but nectar isn't (other than seeing what stores there are etc during an inspection).

Any pointers please?

i have 4 top hive bar in Morocco , and as we have orange farm, i bring them to farm in the end of February , and the begining of mars (first 8 days) i notice that bees bringing pollen , and also i use special barrier to collect pollen about 100 g from each hive.
about nectar its i just look inside the hive, so if bees start to build in feel the free space then it means there is nectar