What's flowering as forage in your area

[jenkinsbrynmair]

You hope - it could be the increase of brood in the hive

 

[Ian123]

Weight of hive in Kent in increasing for last few days (peak is evening when all foragers back and then reduces as water driven off) - has seen a small increase for last few days despite wet weather - so colonies are able to support themselves with more coming in than being used.

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As Jenks said given current conditions in my area I’d have thought and expect there to be little available. They could also be robbing any dead outs!

 

[Amari]

Saw my first OSR flower of the season today as I drove past a field!

Driving into Taunton this afternoon I noticed three fields of what certainly appears to be OSR just on the point of flowering. Looking at the weather forecast I can't see the bees getting out of bed until at least the weekend though.

James

We’ve just driven back from Dorset/Somerset and there’s a lot of OSR around Stonehenge. It looked in really good condition green/bushy no patches in the fields and about 2ft high. Did see a few random bits in flower but am guessing it’s still a little way off yet.

Now, that's strange! Lots of OSR sown in this area every year and I usually expect to see flowers by the end of March. However this year OSR is way behind, none of it more than 6" high and in many fields it has been decimated - damaged foliage at ground level. No flowers.
Maybe flea beetle? pigeons (flocks of them++)? seed sown in severe drought last August?

 

[RichardBeeW]

Hi all, my wife (da boss) is going to plant up a 100++ lavender shrubs around her herb garden. I remember (but clearly not very well) reading somewhere that one variety of lavender was found, in some kind of controll experiment, to be four times as attractive to honey bees (and still attractive to native bees) than any of the other types. I did think it was on the forum but after much searching have admitted defeat. Does anyone have any advice (other than that she could have done better ). Thanks.

 

[Ian123]

We’ve got laurel buds breaking at home.

 

[E&MBees]

Hi all, my wife (da boss) is going to plant up a 100++ lavender shrubs around her herb garden. I remember (but clearly not very well) reading somewhere that one variety of lavender was found, in some kind of controll experiment, to be four times as attractive to honey bees (and still attractive to native bees) than any of the other types. I did think it was on the forum but after much searching have admitted defeat. Does anyone have any advice (other than that she could have done better ). Thanks.

I have a Lavender hedge and use Hidcote. It’s a magnet for all sorts of pollinators. Not sure if it’s the one in the experiment though.

 

[inthewoods]

Hi all, my wife (da boss) is going to plant up a 100++ lavender shrubs around her herb garden. I remember (but clearly not very well) reading somewhere that one variety of lavender was found, in some kind of controll experiment, to be four times as attractive to honey bees (and still attractive to native bees) than any of the other types. I did think it was on the forum but after much searching have admitted defeat. Does anyone have any advice (other than that she could have done better ). Thanks.

it might be this one ..Lavandula angustifolia....

 

[Worldsend]

Glimpses of OSR flowers central Hampshire

 

[Erichalfbee]

Dandelions are just starting. Need it to stop raining

 

[Nighthaunt]

Put queen excluders on and a super - bees needed space and from opening the crown board they had built a load of brace comb filled with nectar being converted, have spent last few weeks building wax comb above crownboard in space for fondant tubs, and a friends beehive where she left a super on - half supers were filling with nectar/honey.

Keeping a close eye - will be checking outer frames this weekend so will have a better idea on actual stores within the hive rather than just weight - but bees are certainly busy on decent days in terms of rushing in and back.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Just getting the slight yellow "haze" over the OSR fields in my area of Sussex at the moment. Forecast is for rain for the next week but hopefully by the time the rain ends the fields will be yellow.

 

[Xander]

Weight of hive in Kent in increasing for last few days (peak is evening when all foragers back and then reduces as water driven off) - has seen a small increase for last few days despite wet weather - so colonies are able to support themselves with more coming in than being used.

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Interesting data, could you please tell me the software you use and the sensors are they available specifically for this purpose or have you made your own set up? I ask because my brother is a process automation engineer so would be able to kit me out if needed.

 

[Nannysbees]

We’ve got laurel buds breaking at home.

We have as well

 

[Ian123]

Driven past quite a bit of maple also flowering. Bees go mad for it and work it for both pollen and nectar…..but not in this weather

 

[Murox]

A bit of this, some of that, a lot of the other and a smattering of this too !

 

[user 20297]

We have the first flowers of OSR out, up here near sunny Inverness!

 

[Curly green finger's]

Osr starting to show its first flowers some fruit trees are out in the gardens and the bees collected there first good amount of willow pollen on Monday which is always good to see .

 

[Beegarden]

Hi all, my wife (da boss) is going to plant up a 100++ lavender shrubs around her herb garden. I remember (but clearly not very well) reading somewhere that one variety of lavender was found, in some kind of controll experiment, to be four times as attractive to honey bees (and still attractive to native bees) than any of the other types. I did think it was on the forum but after much searching have admitted defeat. Does anyone have any advice (other than that she could have done better ). Thanks.

Hi Richard, I have found this link very useful when buying plants for the garden.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10841-019-00177-3/tables/1

 

[Beegarden]

Hi all, my wife (da boss) is going to plant up a 100++ lavender shrubs around her herb garden. I remember (but clearly not very well) reading somewhere that one variety of lavender was found, in some kind of controll experiment, to be four times as attractive to honey bees (and still attractive to native bees) than any of the other types. I did think it was on the forum but after much searching have admitted defeat. Does anyone have any advice (other than that she could have done better ). Thanks.

Another table from the same article (Quantifying the attractiveness of garden flowers for pollinators - Journal of Insect Conservation) which lists pollinators' top six plants for forage, according to their findings ...... Quantifying the attractiveness of garden flowers for pollinators - Journal of Insect Conservation . Obviously, though very helpful, these are plants not trees and lavender is not listed in the top 6. I hope this helps.

 

[Jengles]

Another table from the same article (Quantifying the attractiveness of garden flowers for pollinators - Journal of Insect Conservation) which lists pollinators' top six plants for forage, according to their findings ...... Quantifying the attractiveness of garden flowers for pollinators - Journal of Insect Conservation . Obviously, though very helpful, these are plants not trees and lavender is not listed in the top 6. I hope this helps.

Great article, thank you! I've just ordered a load of borage and calamintha seeds to add to my burgeoning seed cupboard...