How's your summer flow doing?

[Stiffy]

Apart from hives on heather, almost stopped here. Planning on clearing soon before they gobble it up
S

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Sod all here as far as I (and the bees) can tell. Emergency feeding started. Had a decent spring though so not all bad, but will get nothing this summer.

 

[whizzwheels]

Harvested some honey mid July, checked on the hives today and they have hardly any new honey in the supers. Will wait a couple more weeks then take off the honey supers and start the winter prep.

 

[nantmoel]

Summer flow! its just not happening here in Wales, I took honey off in early July, since then it has been cold and has rained most days.

 

[Anduril]

Took honey off in early June, dandelion honey, which has crystallised, took honey off end of July, took a small amount off today and now waiting for my Cardiff honey to refill, still a flow down there.

 

[colinc]

What little has been stored since extraction in Early July has been eaten.


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[preyingmantos]

Same. All eaten.

 

[Helen]

Mine are still busy collecting. There's a field nearby which has been sown with something that is flowering right now - yellow. Not sure what it is. The field is in fallow, so not a food crop. I think they may be hitting it.

 

[Jambo]

Mine are still busy collecting. There's a field nearby which has been sown with something that is flowering right now - yellow. Not sure what it is. The field is in fallow, so not a food crop. I think they may be hitting it.

Does it look like oil seed rape? May be one of its cousins being used for a cover crop, honey will be similar to OSR.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Mine are still busy collecting. There's a field nearby which has been sown with something that is flowering right now - yellow. Not sure what it is. The field is in fallow, so not a food crop. I think they may be hitting it.

Does it look like oil seed rape? May be one of its cousins being used for a cover crop, honey will be similar to OSR.

Could be mustard - sown as a fertilizer crop - sets rock hard like OSR

 

[Helen]

Possibly mustard? It's about half the height of OSR, and the field is not solid yellow - more like a dusting of yellow.

I'll go take a closer look next weekend when I get time.

 

[Eyeman]

Balsam along the Mersey valley is coming up trumps again. Mixed with the Willow herb they can't get enough of it.
Weather doesn't seem to both them - they must be nipping out between the showers.
Still got just over 2 weeks before supers come off and varroa treatment starts.
Fingers crossed for another 1000lbs from the main summer flow.

 

[Zante]

Looks like after last week's rain my bees might be collecting enough to put some away. Until now I was on the verge of feeding them.

This year many crops are being written off here: tomatoes, green vegetables, many small growers are likely to not bother picking what little olives are available, peaches are also touch and go, and also honey, this year, is likely to be written off as a non event.

 

[olriley]

I live in Hertfordshire and was out walking on the weekend, saw them working great willowherb, thistles, some garden plants. Still seems to be lots of activity after the recent rain but I am not experienced enough to predict how much will translate to stores. I have two late-developing colonies (one swarmed and it's swarm if that makes sense) neither of which have produced much surplus so far. They were still brood-building when the clover and blackberry was flowering strongly in July.


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[Eyeman]

Balsam is coming in thick and fast. Faster than I can get the supers off judging by the honey packed brace comb.

 

[gregior]

View attachment 14658
Balsam is coming in thick and fast. Faster than I can get the supers off judging by the honey packed brace comb.

Same here excellent balsam flow timed perfectly for some swarms i got in May and have now built up strongly with a good young workforce.

 

[Eyeman]

Same here excellent balsam flow timed perfectly for some swarms i got in May and have now built up strongly with a good young workforce.

Funny how others report little or no flow from the Balsam. Folks come from miles around to the Mersey valley to get some of that Balsam action.

 

[Swarm]

Funny how others report little or no flow from the Balsam. Folks come from miles around to the Mersey valley to get some of that Balsam action.

For the past four years, mine have ignored it whereas I used to remove supers in September. They have just started working it but there is nothing else for them to work, everything flowered early. I reckon I have a two week window before Ivy is out, the buds are already in Sputnik stage. Barely more than a dribble of anything since the start of July.
Strange how some people report a wonderful harvest while it's been rubbish for others.

 

[drex]

Just been through my supers, getting ready to put clearer boards in at weekend. Going to be a poor crop. They are bringing in lots of pollen, but I am sure they have been eating the honey.

 

[preyingmantos]

Im actually getting a less than expected average over my 300 production hives (now around 400). 80lbs average, well below our long term average of 100lbs (northamptonshire - > worcestershire).

40lbs spring, 40 lbs summer. I think it was the dry spell that brought the flowers on early and they crashed and burnt out by the end of june. Basically have bought no surplus in for the last 6 weeks. Some sites pretty good, some pretty poor. I believe access to clover was crucial.

We brought a few to wales for the heather, but it was a half assed effort.

I havent really seen a huge stand of Balsam around by us. Shame really because it seems its a good yielder.

I thought at one point we were in for a huge crop this year. Alas it wasnt to be.