How's your summer flow doing?

[Haughton Honey]

Just a quick post to see how everyone's summer is developing.

Over here the white clover has pretty much burnt off, there's a fair amount of rosebay out but the top flowers are nearly open and a smattering of HB in various places.

At this rate it'll all be over bar the shouting in a week or so.

 

[Swarm]

The Ling is beginning to colour up on the Brecon Beacons.

 

[thenovice]

Here ticking over but no real flows anymore. there is still some blackberry and the clematis is in full flower so some nectar is coming in. The sweet chestnut is flowering but have not seen bees on it this year. Maybe after the rain from yesterday? Next thing is honeydew or straight into ivy.

 

[enrico]

I have been really lucky, a local farmer planted an acre of borage and phacelia. Bees have been working it like mad. Just as well because the lime was non existent. Blackberry nearly over and clover lacking water. Not taken any off this year yet but hopeful for the next couple of weeks. New house, new pastures so can't wait to see what Somerset honey is like!
E

 

[Dadnlad]

THe 'June gap' flow seems to have eased off, but still ticking along - at least they aren't eating it

Hopefull of another super off each by the end of the month, and that might be it for this year

 

[preyingmantos]

largely over in the south i would say.

surely the ling cant be coming out this soon?

 

[preyingmantos]

My initial observations are a little better than average spring crop followed by a little bit below average summer crop (and got very little flow later than the end of June)

A average year i would say. Pleasant weather conditions to do inspections, generally aggressive bees, well mated queens.

I'm low on energy to take bees up to heather just yet... but its going to be a long dormant phase otherwise.

Too dry a spring for Ling maybe. Never been any good at predicting heather flows but we usually find its between non existent and 25lbs average. That's probably due to our aged queen stock, flagging worker force and poor location selection though...

 

[Millet]

Everything is still going strong here especially the thistles in the wild meadow fields that seem to last forever once they start coming into flower.

 

[Beefriendly]

surely the ling cant be coming out this soon?

Bell heather is in bloom all over the North Yorks moors at the moment, many mistake it for ling. Currently no sign of Ling blossoming, it's some weeks away...usually August 1st is the traditional time for taking bees to the heather round here.

 

[B+.]

Everything is still going strong here especially the thistles in the wild meadow fields that seem to last forever once they start coming into flower.

Yes. There is a nice patch of thistles near one of my apiaries. I am hoping that the farmer hasn't noticed them until after the bees finish working them. Blackberries that are in the hedgerows that run alongside ditches are still flowering but not much else. Things seem to just tick along here at this time of year. The main rush of late spring is over and the wasps start rearing their heads again.

 

[Millet]

Yes. There is a nice patch of thistles near one of my apiaries. I am hoping that the farmer hasn't noticed them until after the bees finish working them. Blackberries that are in the hedgerows that run alongside ditches are still flowering but not much else. Things seem to just tick along here at this time of year. The main rush of late spring is over and the wasps start rearing their heads again.

I forgot about the brambles along the railway embankment, the thistles here are never touched and there is roughly around 30 acres of untouched meadow land with several rescued horses enjoying the rest of there days on the land half of that land is full of thistles that are that thick you can not walk through them and they are covered in bees of all kinds.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Last of the bramble.
Clover goes up and down as farmers cut for silage but there is still plenty about.
Rosebay across the valley where half the hillside was felled last year.
Balsam just starting
Supers not capped enough to take any off

 

[Tim.S]

Spring was rubbish here due to more than 6 weeks without rain and no rape crop this year. Summer slow to start but it seems to be going nicely now with a few hives with around 100 to 150 pounds on at the moment. Clover still going quite well, brambles (not blackberries) in full bloom and thistles as others have noted. I am going to have to start extracting soon as I am running out of boxes!

 

[protheroe]

Bell in flower.took eleven hives up early as three of my neighbours aren't happy with constantly being set upon by my bees everytime they're in the garden.just got two carnie hives there now and 25 mini nucs.hope removing the large colonies will sort the neighbour problem out.
I think I'll take another 20 hives to heather at the end of this month

 

[B+.]

hope removing the large colonies will sort the neighbour problem out.

Have you considered taking the neighbours and leaving the bees? ;-)

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I forgot about the brambles along the railway embankment, the thistles here are never touched and there is roughly around 30 acres of untouched meadow land with several rescued horses enjoying the rest of there days on the land half of that land is full of thistles that are that thick you can not walk through them and they are covered in bees of all kinds.

I wonder what the rescue horses think about the state of the grazing?

 

[madasafish]

Just a quick post to see how everyone's summer is developing.

Over here the white clover has pretty much burnt off, there's a fair amount of rosebay out but the top flowers are nearly open and a smattering of HB in various places.

At this rate it'll all be over bar the shouting in a week or so.

Better than last year: only a few miles from you..

Washout summer in 2016,no lime. Spring flow as last year, but some lime this.

My strongest colonies have 1-2 capped supers which I am extracting as we go.. 94lbs so far.. But the usual mix of half of colonies weak at start of year and only now starting to collect in volume. Still very busy on good days..no idea what...No sign of willowherb or balsam pollen in any quantity..

Concentrating on improving the weather with raindances seems to be my last option

Two weeks of near continuous rain in June and half this week does not help..

 

[For want of a better word]

Bramble and RBWH still providing a strong flow..... Budlea bushes and sweet bryony? massed with bees this afternoon, Black bees filling the OSB boxes as quick as they can go.... 12 nucs that were slow on the 21st June are in need of hives.... running out of kit again!!!

Bell is just going purple at the back of Kit Hill.... will move some colonies up there later as I have now been granted permission!


Yeghes da

 

[protheroe]

Have you considered taking the neighbours and leaving the bees? ;-)[/
Well that would certainly give them something else to moan about.abducted and dumped on a mountain.

 

[drex]

I am lucky, in that my hives are right on the edge of a small town, but it has been very dry here. Plenty of OSR in the spring, Bramble still going strong, and plenty for them in the gardens if they fly into town. All hives very busy.