What's flowering as forage in your area

[Erichalfbee]

Went for a walk yesterday in the field near where I keep my bees to investigate the bright yellow flowers. Plenty of honeybees foraging on them. I took a photo on ObsIdentify app and it came back with turnip where as I thought it was OSR. Is this correct and if so is it as good for the bees as OSR?

Keep an eye on those supers. Get them off as soon as the flowers fade, capped or not

 

[Jon.21]

Keep an eye on those supers. Get them off as soon as the flowers fade, capped or not

Thanks will do. Had similar last year where they were hammering the oil see rape and I managed to get it all off and extracted without it crystallising. Will use your proposed timing method as last time found it difficult to judge.

 

[Jon.21]

Yes pollen is similar too. Analysis of osr comes back as turnip.

Thanks. Tried 2 apps and they cam back with brassicas both times but one said oil seed rape and the other turnips.

 

[Jon.21]

they're all brassicas - I would bet on your app not knowing the difference

Feels like it’s flowering much earlier than last year.

 

[JamezF]

Feels like it’s flowering much earlier than last year.

Mid/late April is usually when it starts around here. It used to be common to see it flowering into May.

James

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

they're all brassicas - I would bet on your app not knowing the difference

like it can't differentiate P. spinosa and P. cerasus (Blackthorn and sour cherry) flowers.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

Yes pollen is similar too. Analysis of osr comes back as turnip.

I've had that too

 

[warsaw_hive]

Went for a walk yesterday in the field near where I keep my bees to investigate the bright yellow flowers. Plenty of honeybees foraging on them. I took a photo on ObsIdentify app and it came back with turnip where as I thought it was OSR. Is this correct and if so is it as good for the bees as OSR?

There is a field like this about half a mile away from me. I assume it is a type of forage crop as it is quite patchy and there are a couple of cows now in with it. There are no visible turnips though. Couldn't see any honeybees from the gate, but there is plenty of other stuff coming into flower much closer.

Last autumn we had another yellow flowering field. Again, I thought it must be mustard/turnip type stuff for forage. Does that give a cabbagey flavoured honey? There was definitely something not very nice tasting in last autumn's honey.

 

[Eyeman]

There is a field like this about half a mile away from me. I assume it is a type of forage crop as it is quite patchy and there are a couple of cows now in with it. There are no visible turnips though. Couldn't see any honeybees from the gate, but there is plenty of other stuff coming into flower much closer.

Last autumn we had another yellow flowering field. Again, I thought it must be mustard/turnip type stuff for forage. Does that give a cabbagey flavoured honey? There was definitely something not very nice tasting in last autumn's honey.

Tut tut some folks will expect top dollar from what you refer to as ‘not very nice tasting’ brassica honey.

 

[JamezF]

Tut tut some folks will expect top dollar from what you refer to as ‘not very nice tasting’ brassica honey.

I like to pour it on my sprouts. Or was that peas?

I eat my peas with honey
I've done it all my life
It make the peas taste funny
But it keeps them on the knife.

James

 

[Sutty]

After a busy day, mainly on the nearby willow, a couple of my hives are humming gently this evening!

 

[warsaw_hive]

Tut tut some folks will expect top dollar from what you refer to as ‘not very nice tasting’ brassica honey.

Really? I guess everybody's taste buds are different. To me it had a metallic sort of taste. I fed a bucket of it back to the bees over winter to get rid of it. I'm currently melting another bucket that I'm hoping is more ivy (which I don't mind). We had a few odd fields last autumn, a farmer planted fields as cover crops for pheasants so we had sunflowers and all sorts.

 

[Moobee]

Possibly a very daft question, but apart from driving all round the lanes where I am, is there any other way to find out where OSR has been or is going to be planted in my corner of West Sussex?

 

[Murox]

Could just ask the immediate land owners, probably only one or two anyway.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Possibly a very daft question, but apart from driving all round the lanes where I am, is there any other way to find out where OSR has been or is going to be planted in my corner of West Sussex?

I’ve never noticed much south of the A27. There is normally loads on the downs north of Chi.

 

[Moobee]

I’ve never noticed much south of the A27. There is normally loads on the downs north of Chi.

It’s been a bit sporadic last few years but the best field near my out apiary was sold for housing last year

 

[Moobee]

Yay! Had to head into Chichester today and spotted two OSR fields turning yellow less than a mile from my apiary. Lots of celandines in the garden, the willow is in full catkin flow and the rosemary has burst into life & the bees are all over it. Amazing what a difference a couple of sunny days makes.

 

[gregior]

Yay! Had to head into Chichester today and spotted two OSR fields turning yellow less than a mile from my apiary. Lots of celandines in the garden, the willow is in full catkin flow and the rosemary has burst into life & the bees are all over it. Amazing what a difference a couple of sunny days makes.

Looks like it will all go to waste though,weather looks very cool and unsettled for the forseeable

 

[Erichalfbee]

Looks like it will all go to waste though,weather looks very cool and unsettled for the forseeable

Yes. Here the dandelions will be lost too.

 

[JamezF]

I have a damson tree in full flower that the bees work working hard today. Wouldn't surprise me if the weather didn't do for that over the next few days.

James