Ivy Watch

[dlawr42103]

First flowering ivy of the year seen this evening in oxfordshire.

6:45pm lots of bumbles, wasps and a couple of hornets hunting amongst it.

Only patches, less than 5% actually in flower.... Time to get the last of the honey off quick for me!..... Last year was 5th Sept for me when first seen.

Huge amounts again this year.

 

[deanrpwaacs]

Lots of ivy about but we need some rain . It is looking very dry . All of my hives are very light so am feeding and will keep an eye on them . Lots of big yellow pollen sacks coming in .

 

[Harley1]

Started flowering here (Romney Marsh) on Tuesday. I love listening to the noise from the bees all over it.

 

[Swarm]

Breaking here, tomorrow's weather will have it out. Oh well, I guess the party's over

 

[Erichalfbee]

Bring it on. The bees need the pollen. Balsam is yielding nothing but white bees

 

[thenovice]

I saw the first buds breaking in Canterbury last Saturday! Lots of Ivy bees on them. Anyone knows where they hide the rest of the year?

 

[thenovice]

I saw the first buds breaking in Canterbury last Saturday! Lots of Ivy bees on them. Anyone knows where they hide the rest of the year?

just wiki'd it. in the ground apparently

 

[Gilberdyke John]

My ivy is a few weeks off but the Coralberry bushes are heaving with bees.
There are a few bumbles about and some wasps but not as many as last year.

 

[Scammell]

The recent rain has managed to get the Ivy flowering in South Bedfordshire now.... Bees loving it so far and masses still to come....

 

[tonyofarr]

I must admit I view the ivy as a mixed blessing because it granulates in the frames. Many years ago I lost a colony to starvation in the early spring because it was full of crystallised ivy honey, since then I have made sure that I feed the bees when the ivy is flowering so their winter stores are a mixture.

Just out of interest, has anyone ever tasted ivy honey?

 

[Eyeman]

since then I have made sure that I feed the bees when the ivy is flowering so their winter stores are a mixture.

Those of us who are on the Balsam will get a mixed flow when the ivy starts to flower.

 

[beeno]

I
Just out of interest, has anyone ever tasted ivy honey?

Lots of us have and most of us don't like it!

 

[Scammell]

My hedges are covered with ivy and several close by trees are awash with it....

All three hives absolutely "Buzzing" today with lots of pollen going in...

A few pictures of the bees on the ivy.....

 

[Swarm]

Hasn't progressed further here and lovely weather so decided to give it another week before removing the supers. Balsam doesn't seem to be offering much though.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

still hammering the balsam - but not a massive amount coming in with them. Although most of the ivy is tight shout, I've noticed one or two flowers opening, so it won't be long.

 

[coatesg]

Most of the local ivy I've looked at is still shut, with only the odd flower open, but the bees know otherwise - at 11am they were piling in dirty yellow ivy pollen (and a bit of balsam too). Big clouds of bees all around the hives!

 

[tonyofarr]

Hasn't progressed further here and lovely weather so decided to give it another week before removing the supers. Balsam doesn't seem to be offering much though.

We have 2 apiaries near the Tamar where they have not yet removed the balsam, the bees have been coming in white with balsam for a month but it has not yielded much, in fact we have just removed 3 supers that have been eaten rather than added to.

After the rubbish summer I was hoping for some late honey (we have had it before from the balsam), I now have Heather Honey envy on beeks that are lucky enough to have good sites on the heather.

 

[B+.]

My hedges are covered with ivy and several close by trees are awash with it....

All three hives absolutely "Buzzing" today with lots of pollen going in...

Amazing the difference a few miles can make. There isn't much open around my apiaries

 

[daroco]

Amazing the difference a few miles can make. There isn't much open around my apiaries

On the verge of opening just down the road too - although the ones near the clappers are still bringing in a lot and the ones in the garden were foraging pretty furiously yesterday.

 

[madasafish]

Ivy does not flower before October here. By then it's often too cold to forage much.