Weather Lottery

[Teemore]

Apple growers in County Armagh are expecting the trees to be in blossom within the next two weeks or so thus it is a slightly different scenario for me...

It is amazing how much leaf has appeared on raspberry and blackcurrant bushes and apple trees over the past few days. My bees are building up at the right time to take advantage of an early nectar flow (with no stimulative feeding). Presently I am supering for bees but given that I saw nectar being stored when I went through my 'home' colonies at the weekend, I have to take that into account in the way I manage my apiaries. I also have to bear in mind that in 2011 the apple blossom was largely finished by the end of April and in places, OSR was also tailing off.

Acquaintances who would normally have taken a crop from the apples and then moved on to OSR for another crop got virtually no honey last year and also ended up with a lot of queenless colonies.

I can only hope that if the weather turns, it will be after the Spring nectar flow.

 

[Luminos]

Blackthorn in bloom here - and I heard a cuckoo this morning

 

[Erichalfbee]

Blackthorn just starting but the cuckoo is a month away yet.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Blackthorn in bloom here - and I heard a cuckoo this morning

Not much blackthorn here yet - quite a few cuckoos though - it's local election time!

 

[BBG]

Girls in bikinis in Devon & Dorset.

 

[YorkshireBees]

Working overseas for a week I have watched with interest the data from my weather station at home where the temp has hit highs of 20+ degs C during the day and sunk to 0 degs C at night!

Will be interesting to see how my hives are when I get back tomorrow!

 

[mexbigshow]

Working overseas for a week I have watched with interest the data from my weather station at home where the temp has hit highs of 20+ degs C during the day and sunk to 0 degs C at night!

Will be interesting to see how my hives are when I get back tomorrow!

should be orayt yorkshire mine are really busy all day and bringing loads of pollen and nectar in, its been like summer through the day but very cold at night still

 

[Erichalfbee]

Not much blackthorn here yet - quite a few cuckoos though - it's local election time!

How come you have Hawthorn flowers out before Blackthorn?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

How come you have Hawthorn flowers out before Blackthorn?

Not much of either here at the moment truth be known.
My reference in an earlier post was for Kent, but then I might be getting the two mixed up!
Took one lot of bees to a friend's parent's orchard this morning, two of their damson trees have started flowering, and saw just a little blackthorn blossom in a hedge on the way back - hawthorn leaves just starting to open now.

 

[Erichalfbee]

We could do with some open here. When they do in a week or two it will be raining

 

[Holly Bees]

blackthorn in flower OSR fields 5% in flower 800 ft AMSL in the Pennines!!

 

[circe]

masses of blackthorn here on north coast, and it is about 17 oC - but it looks like the weather will be cooling off next week, and a bit of rain may be on the way. The bees are certainly doing well on gorse, willow, and blackthorn at the moment. It's certainly been an odd winter/spring.

 

[mojomoo]

The may is out, around here anyway (herts)

 

[peteinwilts]

masses of blackthorn here on north coast, and it is about 17 oC - but it looks like the weather will be cooling off next week, and a bit of rain may be on the way. The bees are certainly doing well on gorse, willow, and blackthorn at the moment. It's certainly been an odd winter/spring.

one of the long range weather forecast sites was suggesting snow in the second week of april.

my apiaries are about 150m above sea level. willow is out and being worked enthusiastically and the blackthorn is thinking about it, but not quite out.

 

[FreeFall]

willow is out and being worked enthusiastically and the blackthorn is thinking about it, but not quite out.

Same here, I guess we're not too far from each other. Although I noticed today while walking the dog in the adjacent field, that the very uppermost branches of the taller blackthorn were just starting to flower.

Nick

 

[Erichalfbee]

Lots of willow out here. The bees have abandoned my hellebores leaving them for the bumbles.
I went out to the apiary yesterday evening and you could hear the hives from feet away
weather's all breaking up at the weekend though.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

bees are working the willows frantically around here (loads of willow in the area) frames full in each hive