Wot!? No Honey?

[Batcher]

I was just reading this months edition of Beecraft, where the editor writes that we should no be getting ready to extract the spring crop, if we have not already.
I have had two and then three hives a few yards away from acres upon acres of lovely apple trees. Two hives on single brood and one on double. Nothing! Nada! Not even a super drawn out. Now the blossom, along with my anticipation, has dwindled.
I did lose a swarm. But was really expecting a little something.
What do we have to look forward to after the june gap?

 

[Dishmop]

Thats rather disheartening....

 

[beebopalula]

Apple blossom nectar is low in sugar so not honey bees first choice. Also, it is often in bloom when it is too cold / wet for them so the Bumbles benefit instead. What else is in the area?

 

[Batcher]

I think just garden flowers in the local village. Very nice, well kept gardens tho'. Perhaps all is not lost.

 

[victor meldrew]

Main flow in these parts usually commences last week in June first week in July!

No OSR around here , spring crop is quite rare . Do not despair, the best has yet to come
VM


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[Cazza]

No OSR around here , spring crop is quite rare . Do not despair, the best has yet to come
VM


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All over bar the shouting here. The best has been and gone! Might be a little blackberry.
Cazza

 

[beebopalula]

All over bar the shouting here. The best has been and gone! Might be a little blackberry.
Cazza

I am waiting for the wild flower meadows / lime and later, the heather.

 

[Jimmy]

Walked fields near hives today. Masses of yellow clover and bramble just starting to flower, all that's needed is some warmth.

 

[Batcher]

Thanks all.
You've all made me feel a little better.

 

[Dishmop]

Not too sure if my bees have access to any crops.
Looking at google maps the nearest fields are possible just with their range but I never go that way so dont know what, if any, crops are grown there. Plenty of gardens and the council leave area untend to encourage wildlife or weeds or save money.

 

[aberreef]

I've only managed one small spring crop in the few years I've had my bees and it was wonderful No Rape fields here but the bees work the Dandelion and hawthorn when the weather is good so I'm hoping for some this year, the top boxes of 3 Demaree'd hives are pretty heavy at least

 

[Batcher]

Sounds great. I wish you luck.

 

[enrico]

Most spring crops come from trees, if you have sweet or horse chestnut or sycamore in quantity you are in with a chance of some nice tree honey, then comes the lime just right for the June gap, from then it is the ivy that grows on the trees, yuc. ( sweet chestnut is more a summer crop actually)
What you need is flowers in quantity for a big return. If you have no huge tree crops, no OSR or balsam then generally you can be pleased with a super full.
This is of course a huge generality but what you need is a large crop of something to get a good return! If I didn't have lime which doesn't flower well very year I would barely scrape a super per hive. Lime can give me five supers in a good year per hive!
You will always get good and bad years. The idea is to learn where your main flow comes from and when and to get your hives at their strongest for that flow, combining hives just prior to your main local crop is a good idea. It is easier for beekeepers to move bees to crops rather than crops to bees!!! In fact farmers used to pay us to do that, but not any more!!
E
E

 

[taff..]

when my bees were in an orchard the Apple wasn't a massive honey crop, I did get some but not huge amounts. I've moved now and this is the view out of my living room window




this field was absolutely yellow with dandelion when we moved in and is now yellow with buttercups. last weekend I extracted 60lb from my 1 strongest colony, yesterday I checked them and the bottom super is already filled and partially capped. This could be my best year yet

 

[TOBY-3652]

Main flow in these parts usually commences last week in June first week in July!

No OSR around here , spring crop is quite rare . Do not despair, the best has yet to come
hope not running out of buckets.. 800 pound off up to now

 

[Heather]

Thankfully no OSR brought in here, but I look out onto fields like Taff, and still only on one super each hive, except one is filling 2nd. But all hives healthy.
Lime trees about half mile away so fingers crossed. And collected a huge prime swarm yesterday (hanging in 3 groups on a tree) .. so another to care for. That's it, no more roofs! Phone off hook.

 

[REDWOOD]

The clover is out and bees are working it like crazy but all will be lost when the big green grass cutting machine gives the fields a crew cut. HB is growing very fast and must have grown over a foot in the last two weeks. cow parsley is just coming into flower in a big way around here along with Oxeye daises which line the roads waving their heads in the wind, there are numerous wild flowers in bloom but what they are god knows but probably Heather would know

 

[lilybetbee]

Verges are white with various white umbelliferous plants are they any use?
Just getting going here.
May blossom fantastic everywhere. Creeping buttercup in full bloom. Raspberries just coming into flower with blackberries to follow, lots of garden flowers and then HB to finish the year in September.

 

[Hawklord]

Lots of big gardens and parks here, I don't seem to have a June . The girls will have rosebay and balsom August and September. I have about 8 supers to come off but don't want to disturb the virgin queens. My best year so far.

 

[YorkshireBees]

Thankfully no OSR brought in here, but I look out onto fields like Taff, and still only on one super each hive, except one is filling 2nd.

Why??

Why is it that some beekeepers are so anti-OSR ??

It has fast become my main crop, they always forage on Blackthorn, Hawthorn, dandelion and whatever else flowers just before and at the same time and it makes for a lovely (imo) floral taste.

Convert that into soft set and with the amount I have extracted so far this year I may actually more than pay for beekeeping this year!!

So if your happy NOT to have OSR then fine.

** Rant over **