What's flowering as forage in your area

[Erichalfbee]

Dandelions are the best I have ever seen. All the silage fields are yellow with them. Nectar is pouring into the hives. Happy days.

 

[enrico]

Dandelions are the best I have ever seen. All the silage fields are yellow with them. Nectar is pouring into the hives. Happy days.

Mine are definitely on something else. they are not even on the cotoneaster which is a first. It is usually heaving! Everything is in blossom here. Even Bramley apples which is ridiculous! I think there may be a May gap. But then limes are not even trying so hopefully they may fill a gap. Oddly when I look in the hives the nectar isn't actually piling in!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Oddly when I look in the hives the nectar isn't actually piling in!

My hives stink of it.
Lot if fruit tree blossom out here too but we had a bit of a nasty frost last night.
Away in the camper in Shropshire by the Llangollen branch of the Shropshire union canal. Lot of OSR here but the dandelion fields are giving the yellow a good run for its money.

 

[joebeewhisperer]

Wild blackberries are about 1 week from opening (roughly 2 weeks earlier than last year). We have maple and dandelion, along with several tree-based pollens which come in early, but we had a frost this morning and early blooms are often burned by freeze in our area.

 

[StephenT]

Hawthorn opening in the bleak badlands of Rainham, West Essex, and horse chestnut in flower in Lower Clapton, Hackney, the jewel of London boroughs.

In the Queen of the Suburbs, have noticed some Horse Chestnut in flower on Ealing Common and saw a couple of bees with brick red pollen when inspecting last weekend. Saw some lovely green pollen being brought in as well. I feel sorry for those who live in the countryside

 

[JamezF]

I feel sorry for those who live in the countryside

Honestly, it's awful. You really don't ever want to come here

James

 

[Newbeeneil]

Honestly, it's awful. You really don't ever want to come here

James

Hopefully

 

[Michael Palmer]

Silver Maple gone but Red is still blooming. Sugar Maple soon. Daffodils in full bloom and awesome this year. ***** Willow still going.
No dandelion yet. No Shad yet...when you see Shad blossoms, and you pollinate apples, it's time to work overtime if the bees aren't ready yet.
Been cold here lately. 30s and 40sF. Okay with me if it slows down a bit.

 

[gwt_uk]

Yes same up so the us in the Lothians. Some fields in full flower. Others just coming out.

The OSR around here is unusual this year. There's been none for a few years and prior to that it pretty much all flowered at the same time. This year however I think the first field I saw in flower was in the first week of this month, but I'm seeing more and more all the time. Even today I noticed a couple more fields that I wouldn't have missed if they'd flowered earlier. I'm wondering if it's different varieties, or sowing times, or perhaps even temperature difference between sowings higher in the hills and those at the bottom of the valleys. I'd not be 100% surprised if we had OSR flowering somewhere until late May.

Could be a bit of a nightmare as far as extraction is concerned. It might become necessary to remove full supers or even combs as they're ready and extract straight away rather than wait until the last flowers start to go over. I can't see that making me very popular in the kitchen...

James

nwith

 

[Swarm]

Honey bees on Dandelion

 

[Garry R]

Honestly, it's awful. You really don't ever want to come here

James

Yep - once the tourists start swarming .................................... Wonder if we will be just out of range of their electric cars

 

[Garry R]

Honey bees on Dandelion
View attachment 35938

Obviously not enough dandelions to go round in South Wales!! In Somerset they are allocated a flower head each!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Obviously not enough dandelions to go round in South Wales!! In Somerset they are allocated a flower head each!

West wales has them all.

 

[Garry R]

I'll be in Pembroke early next month on the way to Ireland but guess they will all be finished by then

 

[Swarm]

Obviously not enough dandelions to go round in South Wales!! In Somerset they are allocated a flower head each!

Poor things have to fly all of 200 yards to 32 acres of them

 

[Moobee]

The OSR around here is unusual this year. There's been none for a few years and prior to that it pretty much all flowered at the same time. This year however I think the first field I saw in flower was in the first week of this month, but I'm seeing more and more all the time. Even today I noticed a couple more fields that I wouldn't have missed if they'd flowered earlier. I'm wondering if it's different varieties, or sowing times, or perhaps even temperature difference between sowings higher in the hills and those at the bottom of the valleys. I'd not be 100% surprised if we had OSR flowering somewhere until late May.

Could be a bit of a nightmare as far as extraction is concerned. It might become necessary to remove full supers or even combs as they're ready and extract straight away rather than wait until the last flowers start to go over. I can't see that making me very popular in the kitchen...

James

Sadly it looks like we have zero OSR fields here this year. We normally have at least a couple but they’ve all been turned over to grain

 

[JamezF]

Sadly it looks like we have zero OSR fields here this year. We normally have at least a couple but they’ve all been turned over to grain

Might be having a break for a year or two to try to control the numbers of cabbage borer beetles?

James

 

[W0otz]

Sycamore coming into flower, horse chestnuts another week or so away around here.

 

[JamezF]

I noticed clusters of flowers on the sycamores today too.

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

I’m in Shropshire. Some sycamore is out