What are your bees foraging on this week?

[BeeJayBee]

Flowering now, so I guess that's what they're using - dandelions, flowering currant, magnolia, late camellias and early azaleas and rhododendrons, berberis, forsythia, plum, cherry, blackthorn (sloe), crab apples, flowering cherry, chaenomeles and violets. Possibly pollen from birches and alder.

Apples are just starting to flower, cherries have finished and pears haven't yet started.

They're bringing in some chestnut brown pollen and also some that's almost white. Does anybody know what it's from?

 

[Into the lions den]

Is gorse a good source of nectar? On the downland it seems to be permanently in flower.

Have never knowingly seen any nector flow from gorse.

 

[Haughton Honey]

Not a great deal around here as it's not been above 11c for a fair few days.....

 

[simonwig]

I'm with White Park Cattle, the girls are flying, but very few flowering plants or trees that are providing fodder. Many of the species mentioned are not in flower just north of Leeds, and it's still b.... cold and has been for the last ten days.

Simon

 

[Beeforest]

And yes, yew is supposed to but as everything's poisonous except the seeds wouldn't want too much of it...

I thought it WAS the seeds that were poisonous.

 

[The Cumbrian]

I thought it WAS the seeds that were poisonous.

All parts of Yew (Taxus baccata) are poisonous with the notable exception of the red part of the fruit. However it is so toxic (a few leaves can kill a child) that I wouldn't recommend trying them.

 

[Beeforest]

All parts of Yew (Taxus baccata) are poisonous with the notable exception of the red part of the fruit. However it is so toxic (a few leaves can kill a child) that I wouldn't recommend trying them.

It's the seed that is the most toxic part, you're right the fruits are edible. Not tried one though. Maybe spliting hairs here...

 

[BeeJayBee]

It's the seed that is the most toxic part, you're right the fruits are edible. Not tried one though. Maybe spliting hairs here...

Birds eat the fruit, don't chew the seeds, which is how they escape being poisoned. The 'seed' bit passes straight through them, untouched by enzymes.

 

[FreeFall]

I've seen mine on blackthorn, dandelion and goat willow today. Bringing in lots of water too.

 

[tonybloke]

Birds eat the fruit, don't chew the seeds, which is how they escape being poisoned. The 'seed' bit passes straight through them, untouched by enzymes.

erm, sorry, but the seeds are 'touched' by enzymes, the enzymes break down the dormancy coat on the seed, allowing the seed to germinate

 

[BeeJayBee]

erm, sorry, but the seeds are 'touched' by enzymes, the enzymes break down the dormancy coat on the seed, allowing the seed to germinate

Yeah, well. I knew what I meant ... the seed coating isn't damaged enough to let toxins enter the birds gut and kill it.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Heavily on the aubrecia yesterday, and judging by the activity in the super I'd guess they've found the OSR

 

[Tom Bick]

A bit difficult to say for certain as the weather is much welcome but a bit overcast and damp at the moment but they have Dandelion, Blackthorn, Cherry, all within sight of the bees.

And to come in the next few weeks noticed the first Chestnut in flower yesterday and one for future and the first mention of the year when walking the dog HB

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes, i've noticed some well hidden sprouting Impatiens too

 

[madasafish]

It has rained every day for at least 10 days. When it's not raining, or hailing, or snowing or freezing, bees are on Japonica, and local willows plus various flowering shrubs and trees.

(Nearest arable fields at least 3 miles away).

 

[Luminos]

They seem to have found the Lunaria today (Honesty)

 

[Snail368]

Pear, plum and OSR. 20 fields of OSR within 1 mile of my apiary...quite a lot even closer, just coming out.

 

[Moggs]

I had been planning to move my allotment bees to another apiary, closer to fields of OSR. Two evenings ago I took a diversionary route to check them out in preparation. As I hadn't been to the allotment for over a week I was surprised to see how things had changed. On the road down to the lotty, I noticed that the field immediately behind and to the right of the allotment plots had turned..... yellow!

 

[REDWOOD]

Hawthorn, gorse, crab apple, dandelion and black currant

 

[Liam C Ryan]

One hive in OSR field but ignoring it and going to dandelions insted