What's flowering as forage in your area

[Ian123]

Loads of sweet chestnut out here and the bees have been hammering it for a while. It’s got another week yet, the smell from the hives is overwhelming
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[Erichalfbee]

Loads of sweet chestnut out here and the bees have been hammering it for a while. It’s got another week yet, the smell from the hives is overwhelming
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Wow. Lucky you.
You’ll have to let me buy a couple of jars off you Ian.

 

[REDWOOD]

Meadowsweet

 

[peterbees]

We walked past a row of mature Black Locust / False Acacia trees here in North Wales yesterday. It is said to flower in May/June (Kirk and Howes book).
Doers anyone have first hand experience of it as a honey producer in the UK? One for the June gap maybe?

 

[GuyNir]

We walked past a row of mature Black Locust / False Acacia trees here in North Wales yesterday. It is said to flower in May/June (Kirk and Howes book).
Doers anyone have first hand experience of it as a honey producer in the UK? One for the June gap maybe?

I believe it should be flowering at the same time as bramble. Excellent resource for bees. I planted a couple ~3yr ago, still waiting for flowers… (those are about 10-12ft high now)

 

[Pembroke]

Meadowsweet

Rosebay and the balsam is making an appearance so it's nearly time for the annual NRW "we're spraying this or that river bank" email.

 

[GuyNir]

Bramble towards the end, clover and willowherb still going strong. No sign of HB yet.

 

[Dodge]

HB in Solihull alongside the River Cole in flower.

 

[E&MBees]

HB is out in Bath too. The Bramble is still going strong as well in places.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

HB has been out here for a fortnight

 

[Erichalfbee]

A few white bees at the hives

 

[Nannysbees]

A few white bees at the hives

White bees?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

White bees?

When they work the balsam, they get covered in white pollen, even when they clean themselves up there's an area on their back they can't reach which leaves them with a little white stripe running down their back

 

[Erichalfbee]

Meadowsweet pollen is more of a tan/dirty orange colour and often looks sticky

My apologies. You are right. I’ve always been told it’s green but having watched a bee on it it’s definitely creamy tanny colour. Could there be a variety that does produce green pollen or does bees adding enzymes etc change it? All the books say it’s green

 

[Newbeeneil]

While in one of my hives with the SBI recently we spotted a bee with loads of cerise coloured pollen on board. Any ideas???

 

[Brenda]

While in one of my hives with the SBI recently we spotted a bee with loads of cerise coloured pollen on board. Any ideas???

Deadnettle has reddish pollen.

 

[elainemary]

Walked 25 miles on the moors and surrounding area in the south Pennines, last 2 days. The main forage now is rosebay willow herb and bramble. Ling not far off opening, flow started on 10 Aug last year, a week after flowers opened. Plenty of rain forecast next 10 days, fingers crossed for warm humid weather in a couple of weeks. Kept a few empty supers back, for my small home apiary, for the crop

 

[user 819]

While in one of my hives with the SBI recently we spotted a bee with loads of cerise coloured pollen on board. Any ideas???

Not noticed bees collecting pollen from it but Persicaria pollen is dark pinkish, my ones are a buzz esp when the sun is out. Never fails each year to attract pollinators due to it's verrrrry long flowering time of some 4 - 5 months from June, though it is from July onwards when it gets the busiest.

 

[REDWOOD]

HB

 

[masterBK]

Watched this bee working Balsam on the edge of reservoir at NewMillerdam (near Wakefield) today. I expected it to back out of the flower but it turned around within the flower and came out head first. It also seemed to have escaped getting the thorax coated with whitish pollen.