Garden beekeepers: What are your bees foraging on?

[BlidworthBees]

Plants and Beekeeping by F n Howes is a very helpful book.

 

[Stiffy]

Any of you out there with bee hives in your garden can you please tell me what your little beavers (oops sorry bees!) are using in and around your garden.
I am attempting to make a list to help gardeners to plant honey bee friendly plants Most of the plants that are flagged as bee and butterfly friendly are for bumble bees.
I will need to know your soil type and the region where you live please!
Thanks
Louise

Rain and gale force wind at the moment!
They have been working the bramble more than anything else recently though.

 

[Cazza]

Bees are currently busy on Persicaria Amplexicaulis, Eupatorium and Origanum Laevigatum Herrenhausen.
Cazza

 

[kazmcc]

I have what I am told is a wild geranium. It has geranium shaped leaves, and it is covered in purple flowers what it is in bloom. I have seen the same plant with pinker flowers elsewhere, but mine is purple. Anyhow, every summer it is COVERED in bees. we counted 6 different looking bees once ( I don't know they different types of bee yet, only the difference between bumbles and honeys ) It isn't a big plant yet, probaly only 1m wide, about 3/4 m long, yet it is always covered. It is right next to where my boys play football as my garden is small, but they have never had a sting in my garden ever. Bumbles visit, but the rest where honeys. I am going to divide it and take some to grow on the project

 

[madasafish]

kazmc
Same here, also blue.. Flowers in late May. Bees love it.

 

[Silly Bee]

I have what I am told is a wild geranium. It has geranium shaped leaves, and it is covered in purple flowers what it is in bloom. I have seen the same plant with pinker flowers elsewhere, but mine is purple. Anyhow, every summer it is COVERED in bees. we counted 6 different looking bees once ( I don't know they different types of bee yet, only the difference between bumbles and honeys ) It isn't a big plant yet, probaly only 1m wide, about 3/4 m long, yet it is always covered. It is right next to where my boys play football as my garden is small, but they have never had a sting in my garden ever. Bumbles visit, but the rest where honeys. I am going to divide it and take some to grow on the project

Its probably a geranium. The bigger showy flowers are actually Perlagoniums.

 

[freckledbeck]

Unable to find the link I was looking for but.

Royal Horticultural Society have a current membership offer on, they are giving away the RHS book on bee friendly gardening. Had a quick look through and it had a good useful feel to it. Was at Harlow Carr last saturday (perfect morning out, Claro Bees is next door, I pick up some gear, wife gets an enjoyable walk round Harlow Carr, coffee damned expensive though!).
Harlow Carr has a very high population of bee friendly plants in it's current displays, it also has a very close association with Harrogate&D BKA (who run a couple of hives there and an excellent observation hive - currently active).

You could do worse than contacting them (RHS Harlow Carr) and asking for the book details.

Other books I would suggest (browsed them in their library/shop):

967.65 HOO 2006
The bee friendly garden / Ted Hooper & Mike Taylor

638.13 CRA 2000
Bee plants / Martin Crawford (2nd revised edition)

Another good book is 'Plants and Beekeeping' /F N Howes (1945)

 

[Ewok]

My wife has planted almost every bee friendly plant arround out hives but they normally totally ignore it all, leaving it for the bumble bees.

The only exception to this rule this year was the borrage. We actually watched them ousting the bumbles to work it themselves.

God knows what they're working at the moment, very little pollen coming in but a good nectar flow.

 

[Queens59]

Reading today the writer claimed that bees ignore their own garden at the height of the season - only using it at the beginning and end of the season. At least another beek is gaining. Don't know what mine are harvesting now except that the pollen is bright yellow...lots of sweet chestnuts around though...

 

[Vortex]

Only quick scanned through the thread but I don't think anyone's mentioned Fire Willow (aka Willow Herb).
Going to mug my beekeeping mate in Kent once his apiary sets seed for a supply.
I think mine have been foraging on sweet chestnut but after the recent rains it looks like it's all finished flowering as there are piles of "candles" everywhere.

 

[madasafish]

Another good book is 'Plants and Beekeeping' /F N Howes (1945)..

Free download..
http://www.archive.org/details/plantsandbeekeep031830mbp

 

[HighlandWozza]

I'm not sure what mine are foraging on. There is a lot of variety in pollon colour coming in from 'ear wax' grey to bright yellow. However, yesterday I saw a bee with 'matchstick head' red pollen! Cool.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Not sure, there is grey and bright green pollen going in between showers.
It's rained every day since Friday a week ago when United Utilities instigated a hosepipe ban
Last time the sun was out bees were rolling about in the Meadowsweet collecting pollen.

 

[Cazza]

What's attracting the bees in your garden in August?
Mine like the Echinops and the Eupatorium.
Cazza

 

[Queens59]

Either maize or something else with yellow pollen and then another plant with red/brown pollen

 

[Hivemaker.]

What's attracting the bees in your garden in August?

The remains of fondant on the blue wrappers in the back of my truck.

 

[Cazza]

What's attracting the bees in your garden in August?

The remains of fondant on the blue wrappers in the back of my truck.

Very floral!

 

[Michael 365]

Foraging Bees

My bees are foraging heavily on Himalayan Balsam...there's masses of it around an old mill reservoir about 400 yards from my apiary.

They come back looking like ghosts, or they have white stripes on their backs.

Sorry, not sure of the soil type, but the plant seems to grow anywhere (and everywhere!). For a weed, its quite a pretty flower really....

I always did wonder what marked the difference between a weed and a prized specimen flower!

Regards to all ,Michael

 

[drstitson]

august forage

beans, wild mint, plantain.

 

[Gardenbees]

Sunflowers, red hot pokers, Sedum (ice plant), Himalayan balsam, orange balsam (both alongside the canal), fuchsia, pattypan squash (still flowering and fruiting away - amazing things), marjoram, and the last of the borage, which has re-flowered after I cut back the first lot.

A really good August so far, with loads of foraging and about as much comb building and stores this month as for all of June and July combined.