What's flowering as forage in your area

[Curly green finger's]

The flow has just stopped like someone turned of a tap 6 days ago I’ve never seen it happen like this before.

 

[Erichalfbee]

The flow has just stopped like someone turned of a tap 6 days ago I’ve never seen it happen like this before.

Same here.......but it happens often. There is masses of bramble in bud and the hives have plenty in their supers to keep them going

 

[Curly green finger's]

Same here.......but it happens often. There is masses of bramble in bud and the hives have plenty in their supers to keep them going

The town hives have four supers to extract it’s dark honey but not hawthorn and it doesn’t smell like dandelion either there has been so much sycamore pollen going into the hives so perhaps it’s that.
Out apiarys on high ground have slowed down but not like the flow just stopping in Hereford, a bit of a learning curve with the flows there

 

[StephenT]

Next doors Ceanothus is in full bloom and attracting all types of bees. I assume this is just good for pollen though and not nectar. Bramble coming out but not much else of real consequence here until the Lime flowers. Although, given all the gardens in the area that have Lavender, they’ll have the equivalent of a field of it to forage on shortly. There’s a couple of Indian Horse Chesnuts on Ealing Common that are coming into flower as well.

 

[fian]

Yesterday I was in the orchard and I could see the bees on the kiwi flowers. I have also noticed that the brambles are beginning to flower.

 

[emoclewbee]

Eastern end of the county the White (and red) clover are starting to bloom. Brambles are bud there too. My apiary is further west, with no clover in sight yet

 

[Curly green finger's]

I’m not quite following the flows in this town- been away for a few days come back and the flow is back on.
Also mass orientation of most of the nucs. Patches of this flowering around the parks. No bees on the clover it’s not warm enough

 

[Michael Palmer]

Hawthorn! The fragrance is very strong right now. Some think it foul, but I quite enjoy it.
Reminds me every year it's almost June and livin' is easy.

 

[Penninetrader]

One of my hives is super busy and the pollen is dark orange, I have no clue what they are collecting.I just leave them to it. The nuc offspring seem quite relaxed in their efforts but is chocker with bees and seem quite happy

 

[Antipodes]

Next doors Ceanothus is in full bloom and attracting all types of bees. I assume this is just good for pollen though and not nectar. Bramble coming out but not much else of real consequence here until the Lime flowers. Although, given all the gardens in the area that have Lavender, they’ll have the equivalent of a field of it to forage on shortly. There’s a couple of Indian Horse Chesnuts on Ealing Common that are coming into flower as well.

I thought the ceanothus was a nectar producer

 

[Antipodes]

We have had them in the past but they are very tender

They self seed here readily. A very good bee plant.

 

[Antipodes]

Bramble about to flower in the more sheltered spots!
View attachment 40103

That looks brilliant Jeff

 

[Aneebe]

Hawthorn! The fragrance is very strong right now. Some think it foul, but I quite enjoy it.
Reminds me every year it's almost June and livin' is easy.

I agree Michael. It has such a heady smell and makes the cointryside look like summer's comin'. It's known as "the may" in UK/ireland too. I love walking past fanning hives and getting a big hit of it. Do you know the Irish superstition of the fairy thorn? It still persists here today. It was believed a solitary hawthorn was a fairy house. Anyone stupid enough to fell one would be carried off by the little folk or at least cursed horribly. We have a local golf course here in Belfast with one that's been standing over 120 years in the middle of a green. A motorway slip road even had to be constructed around one to pacify the locals and yes, the infamous Delorean plant had a fairy thorn story too. It's said that a fairythorn lay in the middle of the proposed site but that none of the home grown contractors would cut it down. Some say old John Delorean took matters into his own hands. And... look what happened!

 

[enrico]

I thought the ceanothus was a nectar producer

My bees are all over it, I am sure it delivers a double hit of nectar and pollen

 

[Swarm]

Hawthorn scent evokes childhood memories, the hedgerows were full of it. I'm always reminded of watching the swallows nesting in a barn in Quakers Yard.

 

[rolande]

Mustard is out a few weeks later than in recent years and the plants are looking quite spindly compared to usual but nevertheless it's good timing from my viewpoint

 

[Erichalfbee]

Mustard is out a few weeks later than in recent years and the plants are looking quite spindly compared to usual but nevertheless it's good timing from my viewpoint

Does that set hard like OSR in the combs?

 

[rolande]

Does that set hard like OSR in the combs?

It will do for sure but is usually used quickly by the bees (Portland is surprisingly hard on bees during the spring -so much for a south coast paradise). This year could be a little different as it's flowering that bit later than usual, but even this may be balanced by the reduced overall acreage which we're seeing.

 

[Ely]

The brambles are flowering around here. Rain stopping next week with higher temperatures. With all this ground water to produce nectar, hopefully there will be a decent flow

 

[Fellstoflats]

Bramble on the cusp at our farm on the North Oxfordshire/ Bucks border. Well out at the home farm- this farm is on average 1.5C cooler day to day.