OSR Pollen?

[Greatbigchicken]

I walked past my garden hive today and out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw wasps on the landing board, looking again there were loads of bees with copious amounts of bright yellow pollen.

I've looked on the pollen charts on line, but there is nothing flowering in spring that's anywhere near the same colour. The closest I can see is OSR, surely it can't be this early, and I've not seen any fields nearby in flower.

Has anyone got any idea what it could be?

 

[Poly Hive]

Charlock possibly?

PH

 

[enrico]

OSR pollen is unmistakeable. The bees will have a big blob right on the front of their head like a giant headlight. It is the wy the flower delivers the pollen. No headlight, not OSR!!
E

 

[Poly Hive]

Really?

All these years on the OSR and no headlights... I wonder what they were working?

PH

 

[Tim1606]

Some of mine have a yellowish green all over them, and i assume it is from the pussy willows near by.

 

[Midland Beek]

Not much else besides hazel/willow at the moment.

 

[Joseph]

Yeah, I'd go with salix catkins too.

 

[justme]

hazel pollen is yellow??? most of ours has now gone over but there must be a bit left somewhere.

 

[fox403]

Daffodils? Mine bringing loads still

sent from fox's moby

 

[gavin]

Too early for OSR. Has to be willow - big bags of bright yellow pollen, a liberal dusting underneath, plus that yellow spot on the head that you also see with OSR. Bees here are piling the stuff in on the warmer days. Picture on the front of Ted Hughes book.

 

[gavin]

Too early for OSR.

I'd best correct myself. Rape is coming out in some places:

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=217359#post217359

G.

 

[enrico]

Come on poly! Wot no headlights? I'll get a photo later this year and send it to you!
E

 

[Queens59]

How about dandelion? Out all around Newton Abbott apparently...

 

[enrico]

Dandelion is supposed to be at its best on st George's day (23 rd April) ...... For wine anyway
E

 

[Winker]

Not much else besides hazel/willow at the moment.

I have loads of cherry trees in full bloom around me, white and pink.

 

[Greatbigchicken]

I've been looking around and the only flowers I and see are Daffodills, but Gavin, I think you are probably right, must be willow (on the pollen charts it seems to be more orange), but some of the bees look like they have been dunked in it, but most just have massive pollen sacks, I've not seen and headlights though.

Gavin - Too early for OSR. Has to be willow - big bags of bright yellow pollen, a liberal dusting underneath, plus that yellow spot on the head that you also see with OSR. Bees here are piling the stuff in on the warmer days. Picture on the front of Ted Hughes book.

Thanks for all you help everyone.

 

[warts]

OSR: the game is a foot!

OSR just starting to flower in two fields near my bees...there are another couple of fields (that I can see at least) that are a little behind this...but bees in one of my hives have found it already and were very busy today.

 

[Teemore]

I was chatting to a friend who has over 40 acres of apple orchards and he predicts that County Armagh will have apple blossom starting to show well in about three weeks time... Like last year, and at a local level, everything seems to be coming into bloom 3 to 4 weeks earlier than it would previously have been expected.

 

[Robbie & Jans Bees]

Bright yellow

Mine are comming home also with bright yellow could be gorse there is lots in flower in are small area of Cornwall?

 

[MuswellMetro]

Some of mine have a yellowish green all over them, and i assume it is from the pussy willows near by.

yes they are coming in covering in it , just done a microscope slide check against the stuff on the Salix Capra Goat willow flower and it is identical

think it can vary from a luminous yellow(salix Kilmarnock) to a green yellow (Salix Capra) depending on the sub species