Never too late for pollen

[jeff33]

Finally some sunshine and no wind in South Wales, bit chilly at 8C but nice to see the bees out bringing some pollen in!

 

[Curly green finger's]

Finally some sunshine and no wind in South Wales, bit chilly at 8C but nice to see the bees out bringing some pollen in!

Hi Jeff nice to see you posting 8c and collecting pollen blimey.
What colour pollen?

 

[jeff33]

Hi Jeff nice to see you posting 8c and collecting pollen blimey.
What colour pollen?

Orange red ish, not sure where its from.

 

[Woodland bees]

Sounds like gorse if you have any about. Same here, our bees have finally been able to get out over the last couple of days. Nice to see them on the gorse and bringing pollen. Saw a drone as well.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Orange red ish, not sure where its from.

As woodland bees said it could be gorse..
The gorse has flowered really well this year and grown really well.

 

[jeff33]

As woodland bees said it could be gorse..
The gorse has flowered really well this year and grown really well.

It probably is, we have a lot on the hills around the apiary.

 

[Curly green finger's]

It probably is, we have a lot on the hills around the apiary.

It a good source of pollen for us here in the autumn, our girls were foraging on it last week in the mizzle and it was fairly windy at 10c.
Are you finding colonys are still brooding loads Jeff? some of our Italians are munching there stores loads we are even feeding fondant after leaving loads of honey in supers.

 

[jeff33]

It a good source of pollen for us here in the autumn, our girls were foraging on it last week in the mizzle and it was fairly windy at 10c.
Are you finding colonys are still brooding loads Jeff? some of our Italians are munching there stores loads we are even feeding fondant after leaving loads of honey in supers.
[/QUOTE

Not sure, I haven't opened the hives since mid-September and stopped feeding 2 weeks ago. I need to weigh them but a couple of Amm nucs in the garden are getting lighter, interestingly they are the ones bringing in pollen so I assume they are still very active and brooding.

 

[Erichalfbee]

some of our Italians are munching there stores loads we are even feeding fondant after leaving loads of honey in supers.

To me that's a jolly good reason to not keep them

 

[Curly green finger's]

To me that's a jolly good reason to not keep them

The only reason to keep them would be because average honey crop was 75lbs.
All none osr.
Saying that the 8 mixed colonys at random apiary hardly had a frame of honey between them this summer.

 

[The Poot]

The only reason to keep them would be because average honey crop was 75lbs.
All none osr.
Saying that the 8 mixed colonys at random apiary hardly had a frame of honey between them this summer.

It’s been a strange old year....

 

[Curly green finger's]

Poly nucs Jeff? I've been looking at the inspection boards and have also noticed through the clear crown boards and weighing that colonys have more bees and put on weight not through foraging.

Plus two colonys had apivar removed and there was lots of brood when looking down the seems.