IvyWatch UK and Ireland

[Erichalfbee]

You'll have to look out for these Ivy Bees

 

[dlawr42103]

1st fully blossomed ivy I have seen today in Oxfordshire. Looks like there is going to be a massive crop of it this year. Reckon another week or two before the bees start bringing it in in volume.

 

[pargyle]

1st fully blossomed ivy I have seen today in Oxfordshire. Looks like there is going to be a massive crop of it this year. Reckon another week or two before the bees start bringing it in in volume.

Well .. it's Ivy but not sure what type it is ... those leaves are not what I consider to be traditional English Ivy leaves ... but let's just be grateful for whatever it is ... it's about to bloom and the bees will need it.

 

[BrianO]

Anyone seeing it ( smelling it ) coming in to Brood boxes or supers yet ??

Standing next to an Ivy plant yesterday ( Italy ) the smell is incredible and Bees working furiously

 

[BrianO]

Still not open here, about to though, looking forward to seeing the bees working it !

 

[Cussword]

It's opened all down the side of our house, neighbours asked if I had beehives there were so many insects.

 

[biglongdarren]

bringing in ivy pollen here in the last week.

Darren

 

[Roola]

Still waiting on buds to burst here in north London! Really need it to get a sizzle on... colonies really need some pollen.

 

[Hawklord]

The ivy was covered with insects yesterday, no bumbles or butterflies though.

 

[bpmurray]

Strong smell around my hives, north of Dublin. My sister visited yesterday to pick blackberries and when I went into the field behind my place, there were huge swathes of blackberry flowers and even buds, with the bees all over them - really odd to have them working blackberry and ivy simultaneously.

 

[BrianO]

Yeah noticed that too, some still in flower, albeit a lot less than 3 weeks ago, but still some, noticed some Ivy ope too but most still closed

 

[Tom Jay]

Here in North East England first buds of ivy opened two days ago. Honeybees on it today. Just the beginning, as the mass of flower buds is enormous.

 

[beeno]

At last lots of Ivy pollen going in.

 

[bpmurray]

Here in North East England first buds of ivy opened two days ago. Honeybees on it today. Just the beginning, as the mass of flower buds is enormous.

Yep, it really is enormous - every bit of ivy appears to be covered in buds - I suspect that it's going to be a bumper year, although I'm probably wrong!

 

[thenovice]

last weekend, when the sun was out here, there were more bees on 1 bush of ivy than in my hives. beautiful sight. nectar coming in nicely. hopefully weather and flowering will be timed favorably next week...

 

[BrianO]

Yeah... got the feeling this is gonna be a fantastic help.

Starting to open and weather forecast for next week is above average temps, dry and calm/sunny.

Should really help the winter build up !

 

[deanrpwaacs]

Piling in the pollen and nectar today but still slowing down by 3.30/4.00 as the temp dropped pretty quick .

 

[BrianO]

Not opened here yet, but this weather should see it come to flower in next couple days, looking forward to seeing them on it !

Might even super to try some, if flow and weather combine , tasted last year and thought tasted OK.

 

[44Whitehall]

A bit of a mixed bag here - about a third is open and two thirds set to burst.

My five year old and I watched some ivy this morning and it was teeming with life - bees, a couple of different types of hover fly, wasps, butterflies, bluebottles and ladybirds. Fascinating to watch this last banquet of the season underway.

The flowers which we were looking at seem sticky with nectar but a bit light on pollen - on balance is the ivy more of a nectar source than it is a source of pollen or perhaps I was just looking at bald flowers?

 

[einsteinagogo]

Some, ivy open here, and lots of activity on the ivy from wasps, honey bees, flies, and hover flies today at the allotment.

lots of yellow pollen going in to hives today at 3.00pm.