Picture diary.

[huntsman666]

While it's nice to take and keep pictures, they can serve another purpose.

I went for a walk just now and the ivy is not yet in flower. However I've just looked at my pics and this one was taken last year on the 12th. October, so so still some way to go.

 

[Tom Bick]

Nice photo I will have to sort myself out a camera to do that one day.

The smell of the ivy in full flower along the tow path in the south east at the moment is very strong.

In its own right it’s a great plant not only for our bees but just about every other flying critter the bushes in full sun are alive with insects.

 

[Swarm]

It's still early for ivy in these parts ... or usually is. Who knows what this weird year has left in store?

 

[stubee]

Ivy just started round these parts leaving supers on 5 hives on allotment to try a crop of Ivy honey. cheers stubee

 

[stubee]

Sorry forgot great photo.

 

[Easy Beesy]

Stubee - are you really planning to tale a crop of ivy honey? At ivy time of year would you not leave it for the bees? In my area I leave them anything they collect after 1st September.

Eb

 

[rockdoc]

Stubee, I would urge you try Ivy honey before you take it all off. It very definitely an acquired taste. I'm fine with it and a lot of chefs swear by the stuff, but it is quite strong and may be best left for the bees.

 

[stubee]

I have tried ivy honey and liked it and I keep being asked for darken honey with a stronger flavour by some of the foreign operatives at work. If it does sell well can feed it to back to the bees at later date. Stubee

 

[keith pierce]

bees were working ivy here a week ago

 

[justme]

You'd be surprised how many like it when tasting it blind. A collegue of mine had some for tasting at a flower show last year, while I was there helping for part of the day 40 people tried it, 38 liked/loved it. Most bought a jar, a few bought 2. (The other 2 disliked it intensely). All our family likes it.

Great piccie:.)

 

[Haughton Honey]

Is it worth blending ivy honey with something that's perhaps more bland?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Is it worth blending ivy honey with something that's perhaps more bland?

Like water perhaps,and turning it into booze.

 

[chickendave]

To all of you that extract ivy honey how do you get it out of the comb?
It always seems to set hard before I have a chance to extract it and the bees don't even bother to cap it