What's flowering as forage in your area

[Curly green fingers]

The willows near mine are only just starting to bud, its a cool 8-9C today. If the sun breaks through it may warm up a little more.

As Wiki states, Buxus is a genus of about 70 species in the family Buxaceae. Common names box or boxwood .

Wiki I like it , it's foggy here but the sun's trying to burn through , I'm working round hives today gardening etc I've a shed to take down metres from 6 hives, time to suit up I suppose .
I'm making room for 5 nucs I'm getting in may/June time , much to the disliking of my wife .

 

[beeno]

Blackthorn has just started to flowering.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Blackthorn has been flowering for a week or so, willow is budding with some trees fully blooming and the hawthorn is starting to green up.

 

[Angry_Mob]

I didn't realize buxus flowered? It could be Japanese Holly ? It look very similar.

Looks similar to the google image results: https://www.google.com/search?q=bux...2-HgAhWQa1AKHTmYDOIQ_AUIDigB&biw=1920&bih=947

Excuse the image quality.

 

[Curly green fingers]

View attachment 16581

Looks similar to the google image results: https://www.google.com/search?q=bux...2-HgAhWQa1AKHTmYDOIQ_AUIDigB&biw=1920&bih=947

Excuse the image quality.

Thanks for that as a gardener and plant lover you learn something new every day .
Cheers .

 

[Curly green fingers]

Blackthorn has been flowering for a week or so, willow is budding with some trees fully blooming and the hawthorn is starting to green up.

Blackthorn is almost out here Hawthorne weeks away yet . The willow is early even before the daffodils.

 

[beebopper]

Blackthorn has just started to flowering.

Same here in the last couple of days. Does it give nectar or pollen or both?

 

[Curly green fingers]

It's a good producer of both.

 

[SDM]

It's a good producer of both.

I dont think theres any nectar worth mentioning from blackthorn. Which is typical of plants that flower before they have leaves for photosynthesis.

 

[Millet]

I dont think theres any nectar worth mentioning from blackthorn. Which is typical of plants that flower before they have leaves for photosynthesis.

What about Willow..that can produce nectar on a nice day before the leaves have sprouted..

 

[Murox]

Willow provides pollen and a little nectar for bees. Crab Apple, Medlar, Quince and Wild Pear are ok and Wild Cherry has plenty of nectar. Hawthorn gives lots of nectar, flowering with white blossom usually from late April/May. Field Maple in flower is a good source of nectar, also around May.
+ many others.

 

[wightbees]

( black should of said) Hawthorn is in flower. Huge difference to last year

 

[Curly green fingers]

Willow provides pollen and a little nectar for bees. Crab Apple, Medlar, Quince and Wild Pear are ok and Wild Cherry has plenty of nectar. Hawthorn gives lots of nectar, flowering with white blossom usually from late April/May. Field Maple in flower is a good source of nectar, also around May.
+ many others.

Isn't it all down to the temperature will willow ?
And blackthorn has nectar but it's very thin not really worth the bee's trouble .

 

[Walrus]

I have just noticed some red dead nettle and henbit dead nettle in flower in the field near my bees. Not sure how good it is for honey bees but there's plenty of it.

 

[Millet]

Isn't it all down to the temperature will willow ?
.

Yes and it may not produce much but it still produces nectar..i have witnessed my bees with my own eye balls working the willow all day long on nice days.. flying backwards and forwards from the hives with no pollen on them so what are they doing.. ...the willow is 30 yards away from them so they do not have far to fly.

 

[Curly green fingers]

Yes and it may not produce much but it still produces nectar..i have witnessed my bees with my own eye balls working the willow all day long on nice days.. flying backwards and forwards from the hives with no pollen on them so what are they doing.. ...the willow is 30 yards away from them so they do not have far to fly.

Same here , it's all around me lots of it when I removed winter stores last year it was mixed willow + fondant , I then had to super and had a super of honey ????

 

[Murox]

Isn't it all down to the temperature will willow ?
And blackthorn has nectar but it's very thin not really worth the bee's trouble .

Yes willow is certainly temperature dependant as are others (with catkins). The thinness of the blackthorn nectar, in my opinion, actually makes it very much worth it. It sort of teases the bees, gives them something to get them going in anticipation of better stuff to come, it excites them but not too much (not that they have a memory in that way of course). Its bit like giving very thin syrup to encourage build up etc. As the weather improves so does the nectar, bees love nectar.

 

[Curly green fingers]

I have just noticed some red dead nettle and henbit dead nettle in flower in the field near my bees. Not sure how good it is for honey bees but there's plenty of it.

Lamium produces nectar and pollen. I do like the variegated variety as ground cover .

 

[Curly green fingers]

Yes willow is certainly temperature dependant as are others (with catkins). The thinness of the blackthorn nectar, in my opinion, actually makes it very much worth it. It sort of teases the bees, gives them something to get them going in anticipation of better stuff to come, it excites them but not too much (not that they have a memory in that way of course). Its bit like giving very thin syrup to encourage build up etc. As the weather improves so does the nectar, bees love nectar.

And I love there honey two / three jars a week.

 

[Murox]

And I love there honey two / three jars a week.

ooh! greedy boy !