Who is moving hives onto the heather this August?

[Vergilius]

Simple Yes/No answer... It doesn't matter what percentage of your hives you are moving...

 

[drstitson]

i hope she is giving her permission.

 

[Vergilius]

i hope she is giving her permission.

Ben P

 

[greatbritishhoney]

I'm trying as hard as possible to keep my beekeeping as simple as possible at the moment. Taking them to the heather is just too much hassle for me at the present time.
Good luck to all that do though I've seem some heather starting to flower around here already.

 

[Mike a]

Only taking one of mine this year, in the last week in July with a friend who is taking 19 !

 

[huntsman666]

Perhaps most of those saying no, are much too far away from heather?

 

[jimmybee]

I would take mine but im 1000 mile away from any.

 

[biglongdarren]

my apiary is only 4miles at the most from the mountains and heather so i'll move them to the foot of the mountains come the time to give them a helping hand!
Darren

 

[Erichalfbee]

The heather on the moors here has been blooming a good two weeks. By August it will be all gone.
They aren't managed moors though. Perhaps things are different on the grouse moors?

 

[Hivemaker.]

The heather on the moors here has been blooming a good two weeks. By August it will be all gone.
They aren't managed moors though. Perhaps things are different on the grouse moors?

Thats early,never known the ling to be flowering in the middle of june,earliest here was last year around mid july.

 

[Vergilius]

I ain't anymore!!! Story of bees v horses has put off my potential hosts!!!


Ben P

 

[user 6228]

What do you class as "the heather" does the local heath with a few dozen acres count?
If does you need a third option for already there

 

[Vergilius]

What do you class as "the heather" does the local heath with a few dozen acres count?
If does you need a third option for already there

The question is "are you moving bees onto the heather?" For me, all that requires is simple NO/YES answer...


Ben P

 

[user 6228]

Then my answer is "no", as I'm not moving them, they are doing it themselves. The bees can commute from where they are at the moment to the "heather" There's got to be some compensation for having bees on the top of an arid hill

 

[Skyhook]

Thats early,never known the ling to be flowering in the middle of june,earliest here was last year around mid july.

The curse of common names. There's been heather out around here for a few weeks. The heath (Calluna vulgaris), which is what 'heather honey' is made from, wont be out for another fortnight.

 

[Erichalfbee]

The curse of common names. There's been heather out around here for a few weeks. The heath (Calluna vulgaris), which is what 'heather honey' is made from, wont be out for another fortnight.

Ah that would explain it
This is what's up on the fell



The flowers are open mostly at rocky outcrops and at the bracken interface, the rest is still in bud.




I went up this morning to have a look. Fields of clover lower down are heady with perfume but only the odd bumble about.

 

[TJSnapper]

We have a small heath about 200m away with the New Forest heath about 800 meters away from the hives so hopefully they will take themselves there... we will see.

 

[jezd]

Erichalfbee, as per other post, that is bell heather not ling heather, bell is always earlier than ling.

I think.

I drive past moors daily and no signs of ling coming on yet.

 

[Vergilius]

Yeah,

I believe that honey sold as "Heather honey" has to be from ling heather... Other varieties can only be described as "Honey fro the heather moor"...

Ben P

 

[Erichalfbee]

Erichalfbee, as per other post, that is bell heather not ling heather, bell is always earlier than ling.

I think.

I drive past moors daily and no signs of ling coming on yet.

OK, thanks jezd that's good to know.
I looked images up on Google and came to a similar conclusion.

Does bell heather give nectar (I did see bumbles on it) and is the resulting honey thixotropic?