LimeWatch UK

[thorn]

"Strategic bombing"?

He's eliminated the local competition.

 

[Tom Bick]

"Strategic bombing"?

yes its cleaver this predictive text to clear at times especially for my eyes and brain to register the same thing.

 

[Tom Jay]

Here on Tyneside the first lime buds have burst open today. Not seen any interest yet but I guess the flowers take a day or three to get flowing?

 

[enrico]

Yes yes yes....it's open and the bees have found it.......please don't get cold.....please give me nectar!
E

 

[bontbee]

Fingers crossed for you, Enrico

 

[YorkshireBees]

Just started to flower and give a flow!

 

[YorkshireBees]

Trees in full flow now.

After finishing with the hives I walked up the field and stood under one of the trees and despite the noise from the breeze you could hear a fair buzz from the tree top. Honey bees, bumblebees, wasps etc. working the trees!

Funny that I hadn't realised until this year how many Lime trees are along that field!!

 

[BrianO]

Seem to be at different stages here, prob same everywhere.

Some gone over some still in main flower, though windy and only 15-17 degrees, seen no honeybees on them locally. Pity

 

[richardbees]

My local Limes have been and gone, relentless dry weather and low humidity, zero 'honey flow'....too late, we've just about 2 inches of rain

 

[MuswellMetro]

My local Limes have been and gone, relentless dry weather and low humidity, zero 'honey flow'....too late, we've just about 2 inches of rain

yes, same in north london, long since over.

I extracted a dozen supers from an apiary that usually produces a nice light greenish ooloured lime honey and there is nowt but dark mix flora honey this year :-(

 

[enrico]

Oh dear, failed here too. All the right weather came at the wrong times, maybe half a dozen frames out of seven hives! I knew I shouldn't have sold so much of last years. I should read my own post when I tell people to keep two years worth of honey! Now I may have to eek it out till next summer! Luckily I bought sugar when it was cheap for winter feeding. Hey ho.... These things happen, onwards and upwards!
E

 

[Tom Jay]

Hey ho. Limes on Tyneside have been so heavy with flower two weeks and ... it's been too cool for the nectar to get flowing. Hardly a bee on them. I guess it's too late now.

 

[BrianO]

Hey ho. Limes on Tyneside have been so heavy with flower two weeks and ... it's been too cool for the nectar to get flowing. Hardly a bee on them. I guess it's too late now.

Ditto !!! Killer to see, last of them just gone over , so many local trees , some huge and were covered in flowers , not a honeybee to be seen on them .

Weather crap , strong winds and 14 degrees today and not a glimpse of the sun.... Ahh well I know 2016 is going to be great !

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Well the verdict is in on the basis that my mixed honey is many shades darker than last year and no hint of lime.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Excellent Basswood (Lime) flow over here. Good thing. Cold and wet and empty supers until late June when the Sweet Clover/Lime flow hit hard. Supers all full now and looks like a nice harvest coming up.

 

[BrianO]

Excellent Basswood (Lime) flow over here. Good thing. Cold and wet and empty supers until late June when the Sweet Clover/Lime flow hit hard. Supers all full now and looks like a nice harvest coming up.

How to make us suffer !!!

Still praying to the Gods of nectar flow for a late surge before the " Ivy Train " arrives in town

 

[Islandbees]

Bees all over the lime trees here in north west Scotland for the last few weeks. It's a great noise to hear when you step outside. It's a couple of weeks later than last years flow though.

 

[Ambodach]

Took off 80 lbs from 2 hives last week; in terms of how cold it has been all summer in the east of Scotland I was astonished to find so much good capped honey.

Even more astonished to find it is almost 100% lime.

Rob

 

[enrico]

Sigh!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Last year's honey was light and floral typically bramble and rosebay.
This year the half supers ( top half of each frame capped earlier with typically old cappings the bottom half eaten) extracted a couple of weeks ago are definitely spring honey, dark and treacly. There was not much in the way of Sycamore which got frosted and blown away but the bees went ballistic on the masses of holly and gorse we have here.
I might take some to Llanelwedd to the pollen workshop.