BILL.HEARD
House Bee
Noted today, large numbers of bumblebees, wasps and a few hive bees working the honey dew on my cherry trees, not much else about I guess!
Honeydew from aphids
- Thread starter BILL.HEARD
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richardbees
Queen Bee
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Bill, well observed! I'm near Clapham Common and a quarter of my annual honey crop in a normal year is from honeydew (which is almost black and has a strong Fig smell). I'm hoping recent heavy rain is going to re-boot nectar from flowering plants.
Richard
Richard
OP
BILL.HEARD
House Bee
Hi Richard,
What is the source of your honeydew, are their Pines on Clapham Common, does the honeydew command a high price?
Regards,
Bill
What is the source of your honeydew, are their Pines on Clapham Common, does the honeydew command a high price?
Regards,
Bill
aberreef
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What trees do they normally get honeydew from (apar from cherry
)
My hives have a lovely mixed deciduous wood next to it but there is next to nothing going in for the past few weeks. There's blossom everywhere but obviously nothing they like
. Come to think of it though, it's been raining (showers) for weeks
)My hives have a lovely mixed deciduous wood next to it but there is next to nothing going in for the past few weeks. There's blossom everywhere but obviously nothing they like
. Come to think of it though, it's been raining (showers) for weeksdrstitson
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our bees (and wasps) get a lot of honeydew from figs - they take the drops that emerge from the hole in the bottom.
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Just a newbe here - I always thought bees were really into white clover and my field is covered in it, but they don't touch it - can't make it out!
Clover will not yield nectar till the temperature reaches 27-30˚ for a good week, and it needs a period of rain before it flowers
Any rain after flowering knocks the yield back.
There are good clover years and bad ones
OP
BILL.HEARD
House Bee
One source of honeydew is exuded from aphids which are sometimes kept and tended like cows by ants.
The other main sources are from various trees, balsams, vetches etc which exude it from around the petioles where the leaves join the stem.
Its not usually collected by bees unless there is a lack of nectar or if its very dry.
if its found in combs try and feed it back to your bees before winter sets in as its not good for a winter food.
Honeydew from firs and pines are much prized in some areas of the continent and bee keepers are know to take there hives to those areas, it is used in confectionary.
Honeydew from certain limes can cause a type of bee paralysis
The other main sources are from various trees, balsams, vetches etc which exude it from around the petioles where the leaves join the stem.
Its not usually collected by bees unless there is a lack of nectar or if its very dry.
if its found in combs try and feed it back to your bees before winter sets in as its not good for a winter food.
Honeydew from firs and pines are much prized in some areas of the continent and bee keepers are know to take there hives to those areas, it is used in confectionary.
Honeydew from certain limes can cause a type of bee paralysis
