Heather.

[Hivemaker.]

The first bell started to flower a few weeks ago, now the first of the ling is just starting to flower in a few places, quite early this year, hope it starts to secrete nectar before mid September, like it did here last year.

 

[For want of a better word]

The first bell started to flower a few weeks ago, now the first of the ling is just starting to flower in a few places, quite early this year, hope it starts to secrete nectar before mid September, like it did here last year.

I do so hope it will... and the fireweed ( RBWH) and the H Balsom is yet to start a flow,,, a late crop for the Native black bees that will not have started shutting down for Winter...
Sadly their Mediterranean cousins will be on their second dose of Vita Glue and be stocking up on 2:1 by then!!!

Yeghes da

 

[MuswellMetro]

The first bees with white Mohicans are bringing in nectar here in north london, but I expect it will stop soon as the usual late sumer slash and burn will be raged by the environmentalists along the Dollis Hill Brook and River Colne

 

[Cussword]

I do so hope it will... and the fireweed ( RBWH) and the H Balsom is yet to start a flow,,, a late crop for the Native black bees that will not have started shutting down for Winter...
Sadly their Mediterranean cousins will be on their second dose of Vita Glue and be stocking up on 2:1 by then!!!

Yeghes da

Fireweed? What is that?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Rosebay willowherb

Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk

 

[GlenJ]

Still a super short of a harvest here! Maybe we're going to get something in the next month, but I've never had much after the end of July here before.

 

[Hivemaker.]

but I've never had much after the end of July here before.

That is early for the heather to of finished by, usually don't get much from it after the end of August here.

 

[snelgrove]

No main flow here yet, colonies very short of stores. Looking like end of July for the ling on stanhope moor.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Very heavy honey flow from the heather here, started to secrete heavily about twelve days ago, all colonies filling up fast, even the mini nucs.
Third supers needed and added at several different heather sites today.

 

[snelgrove]

Very heavy honey flow from the heather here, started to secrete heavily about twelve days ago, all colonies filling up fast, even the mini nucs.
Third supers needed and added at several different heather sites today.

Good grief 3 supers, if I get one full super off the heather on my site middleton in teesdale I consider to have done well.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Good grief 3 supers, if I get one full super off the heather on my site middleton in teesdale I consider to have done well.

Many of them started off with three empty supers just to accommodate the number of bees in them.

 

[Into the lions den]

Very heavy honey flow from the heather here, started to secrete heavily about twelve days ago, all colonies filling up fast, even the mini nucs.
Third supers needed and added at several different heather sites today.

Lucky dog. Ling in full flower in many of our places but the weather is still grim. Was up at the heather today ostensibly adding boxes but there was driving rain and 15C....and we have had that for weeks..

However, even in the short window they had today there was significant nectar in the hives so the flow will be very heavy if we ever open up the weather in the north. The very best hives have about 20Kg on them already, but maybe 8Kg will be more normal.

You have had it far better than us and I hope we get a turn soon...the last warm spell that gave the south heat last 18 hours up here then the thunderstorms clattered us big style. The gales last week have some of our access tracks blocked with many fallen trees and a couple of estate bridges to sites near Aviemore have been washed away.

High pressure has been 'just a few days away' since early July now, but when it gets to three or four days away a new system of lows forms up and the hope vanishes. Now looking forward to Sunday and onwards to see if we do get something this time. Supposed to stay quite windy with a risk of torrential rain mid week. We will probably get about three days and the south a fortnight lol!!!

Happy days.

 

[snelgrove]

Many of them started off with three empty supers just to accommodate the number of bees in them.

My hives are the same in that case but there all in one super, crowded to boiling point

 

[Hivemaker.]

My hives are the same in that case but there all in one super, crowded to boiling point

What is the point of trying to crowd three supers packed full of bees into one super?
They sound to me more like the dinks we will be splitting up over the next few weeks to make over wintered nucs from, with new queens, if you can fit them all into a single super.

 

[Truble]

Good grief 3 supers, if I get one full super off the heather on my site middleton in teesdale I consider to have done well.

I think Finman's rules about pasture and distances may comes into play about yields.
Is your heather site situated right within the heather (fall out of hive to feed) or do they have to fly a distance to get to the heather?

 

[snelgrove]

What is the point of trying to crowd three supers packed full of bees into one super?
They sound to me more like the dinks we will be splitting up over the next few weeks to make over wintered nucs from, with new queens, if you can fit them all into a single super.

No point in carting hives with 3 supers to the moors when only one super of honey is obtained . Anyway I find crowded colonies do better on the heather. These so called dinks of mine give a crop of honey on the north pennines no easy feat.

 

[snelgrove]

I think Finman's rules about pasture and distances may comes into play about yields.
Is your heather site situated right within the heather (fall out of hive to feed) or do they have to fly a distance to get to the heather?

100 yards to heather

 

[Hivemaker.]

Still doing well on the heather, many have now filled three supers and needed a fourth, which have been added today, a few more heather sites to check tomorrow to see if any of them need fourth supers, but suspect this flow will come to a juddering halt pretty soon.

 

[Hivemaker.]

but suspect this flow will come to a juddering halt pretty soon.

Now finished here.

 

[maddydog]

First time taking the bees to the heather. Was looking very promising a fortnight ago, removed the supers today and theyve eaten most of it! Still some heather in flower but obviously something has not gone right!