Scent of hawthorn

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Checking supers today, the scent was intense. I don’t have much of a sense of smell but boy, could I get a load of that.
Like JB says, the hawthorn is pretty much over here and the hives were a lot less busy today than during the last week.
Brambles are budding up in the hedgerows now.
 
Maybe it's post-Covid-jab euphoria but the local hawthorn is magnificent this spring and still out. Problem is, I never see honeybees on it and I have a poor sense of smell so nothing different as I checked my supers today (Almost invariably I take off the first spring crop (OSR) in the first couple of weeks in May but this year honey is 25% capped and not yet ripe - 20+% water - hope to take it off in a week's time. Approx two supers per productive colony. Two other Beeks in the village are selling their spring crop already!).
 
I think it's starting to go over here already - it's as if a tap was turned off last night. Hopefully, seeing that the range is at a higher altitude it will last a little longer up there
One or two bushes are looking a bit pinkish and raggedy but some have another flush of petals and are looking more like a vibrant white plump feather pillow with quite a bit more to give.
Brambles have leapt forward after the recent rain but still some way off yielding anything by my estimation.
June gap to start in four or five days in the river valley and a week later in the hills my crystal ball is suggesting.
I'm busy preparing everything for several hundred supers to come in, get spun out and go back out, half term a week too early here for the boys to be much help 😓
 
The hawthorn is going strong here and there are still a few trees coming out, the holly is also in flower. The blackberries are close to flowering and there is white clover coming out on the drier stony ground, not in the fields yet. I don't think we will get a June gap but we do need some dry sunny weather.

My wife has a very acute sense of smell and after checking bees the other day she said that the scent of the hawthorn was overpowering.
 
Depends where you live I suppose, mine were all over the Hawthorn in the yard before 9:30 ;)
Another myth... Really good Harwthorne flows around every 7 years?
I went to look at some production colonys today and the honey is being capped only maybe 20 supers it's a start any way reshuffled some a bit.
 
I've got hawthorn all over and can smell it in the air. In the past my colonies have piled in stores when it is in flower however on the basis of what others have said on here about hawthorn honey being dark and strong tasting (and only being taken up by bees every few years) I'm not certain I've ever had a harvest from it
 
Another myth... Really good Harwthorne flows around every 7 years?
I went to look at some production colonys today and the honey is being capped only maybe 20 supers it's a start any way reshuffled some a bit.
How long have you been beekeeping and how often have you had hawthorn honey? Anyway the 7 years is used to illustrate that the conditions have to be just right for the flowers to yield much and considering the vagaries of the English weather that’s not often. A bit like Lime. These pages are full of the moans of beekeepers with hives sitting under avenues of Limes yet not a bee on them. So not a really a myth.
 
Rowan in full flower looking spectacular, have about 25 trees in our small wood plus several mature large hollies covered in flowers and humming so loud yesterday I thought a swarm was imminent. Both my colonies at home are queenless as been cell raising, so not sure if they will fly as urgently to collect forage as when queenright? Both have capped cells, waiting for emergence. Anyone know?
 
I saw lime in full flow 2 years ago... Never seen trees so buzzing before.. Made me wish i had hives near
 
How long have you been beekeeping and how often have you had hawthorn honey? Anyway the 7 years is used to illustrate that the conditions have to be just right for the flowers to yield much and considering the vagaries of the English weather that’s not often. A bit like Lime. These pages are full of the moans of beekeepers with hives sitting under avenues of Limes yet not a bee on them. So not a really a myth.
Not Severn years, 2016 I started.
My spring honey up here has always been light you had some last year.
I've got hawthorn all over and can smell it in the air. In the past my colonies have piled in stores when it is in flower however on the basis of what others have said on here about hawthorn honey being dark and strong tasting (and only being taken up by bees every few years) I'm not certain I've ever had a harvest from it
If you think dandelions, slows, alot of blossom come before the harwthorne and if you have osr close or even not so close : my point your harwthorne is going to get mixed maybe that's what's happening, you could extract before or put fresh supers on when your harwthorne flow starts maybe.
 
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