LimeWatch UK

[Joseph]

My strong colonies seem to be filling out supers in North London, not sure how much longer we have though. Normally things wind down around about now, but perhaps not this year...

 

[enrico]

Yesterday mine were busy on the lime but today the wind has slowed them down. The trees are white with flowers...... Oh the drama!
I think the weather girls idea of 'humid' is very different to mine!
E

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yesterday mine were busy on the lime
E

How wonderful, thanks heavens....after last year's dead loss.
I shall have to order a jar, I had a taste of your honey maybe three years ago and it is sublime

 

[victor meldrew]

My bees have no stores in the brood boxes and are uncapping stores in the supers , we are about 3/4 weeks behind .
Can't feed as don't want sugar in the supers .


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[Swarm]

Mine are pretty much like that, VM. Subsistance foraging, basically living on what they bring in and little or no excess.
Lime is nicely in flower here but won't be a crop this year due to the wind and rain.

 

[madasafish]

Lime buds all tight here.. flowering requires some sun and warmth.
So nothing doing.

 

[BrianO]

Lime out here and 25 degrees but windy today , Bramble just out to our main forage for our Summer flow

 

[Tom Jay]

All Lime buds are still tight here on Tyneside. They've been formed in vast number for nearly three weeks, but I have yet to see one open, let alone secreting nectar. How long can these trees wait for the right weather? Is it already a dead loss for this year?

 

[BeeJayBee]

Lime flowers are open here, but not a single bee anywhere near them!

 

[Tom Bick]

The limes are just about peaking where I am and in the past two weeks there has been some big nectar flows with hives going from getting lighter each week to dripping with nectar and supers almost fully capped in a week.

 

[Erichalfbee]

It's at a time like this that I wish i still lived in teddington

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

It's at a time like this that I wish i still lived in teddington

Don't: I'm not far and the flowers are dry as a bone; that thing of brown dust on the pavement underneath the trees but no stickiness. And not a bee in sight, as has been observed above.

 

[JohnyP]

Here in Zummerzet we are going through the same as Tom B, i.e. from dangerously empty supers to full supers in 10 day, dripping with nectar from the nearby limes (I assume).

 

[Tom Bick]

Don't: I'm not far and the flowers are dry as a bone; that thing of brown dust on the pavement underneath the trees but no stickiness. And not a bee in sight, as has been observed above.

Strange isn't it one area can produce large amounts where another nothing. The trees that are close to a few of my apiaries are definitely producing and in good quantities but then there must be over 25 trees very close to each apiary and who knows how many within flying distance. It will be interesting to see what the hot weather promised for the end of the week and beyond will bring as everything is looking so green and lush. Started to see the first signs of HB this weekend and one apiary can do rather well on that.

 

[madasafish]

Our limes started producing on Sunday.. bees on flow.
It rained today..and it will be all day.. If the better weather comes as promised then

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

It has several sub-varietals. Must have an impact.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Strange isn't it one area can produce large amounts where another nothing.

..... there must be over 25 trees very close to each apiary and who knows how many within flying distance.

There are about a dozen mature (oldish) limes within sight of my main apiary, they're full of open flowers but no sight or sound of any bees on any of them. About half a mile away there is what was probably a posh driveway lined with twenty or more limes that now leads into a housing estate, but they don't seem to be producing anything either.

Last year all the flowers dropped off unopened, this year the flowers are open but don't seem to be producing anything of value to the bees. It's very disappointing.

 

[enrico]

The old beekeeping says that. ' one year in five, lime will fill your hive'
Just hoped it might be two out of three but......
There you go. Mine are still bringing bits in but the wind and showers is making the 800 yard dash to my ancient 18 trees a bit of a hazard.
Never give up. Maybe next week if flowers still there!
E

 

[Joseph]

Privet is still flowering

 

[Swarm]

Someone's bees were filling their boots in St Athan today.