What are bees foraging on at present

[Mummzie 736]

[yesbut 6,232]

@Mummzieare you  sure that's not just for admin ?

[Mummzie 736]

Hmm ...No I'm not sure, good point- so if anyone else could confirm they have it or not, we will all know, and then blame @Grant

[Grant 4,298]

it expires after a certain time for members.

[Alastair 8,630]

Worked a site thismorning that has a bit of manuka scattered around but has never got much of it before, thinking they might need a feed but no, dripping with new manuka coming in. Strong and bitter tasting, the good stuff. And an incredible bee line running the best part of a km to where the manuka stand is.

 

Doubt it will amount to anything I can harvest, but may bode well for some of my other sites .

[mischief 140]

Rosemary is still going gang busters, unfortunately, I didnt note in my diary when they started working on this.

The Tuscon Blue variety is just starting to flower and already got bees on them, it will be interesting to see how long that goes for.

 

Baby lavendar I got from Bunnings last year, now has a load on it all day.....compare that to the whole packet of Dwarf Munstead lavendar seed that I grew and after 3 years of flowering...1 bumblebee and looking dead for most of the year.

 

Bluebells,  a pollen source, nice big lumps same colour, sort of as the Rosemary, but at least twice the amount and all day.

 

If you are thinking of planting trees as pollen sources, dont put in Italian Alder or Hazel- wind pollinated and the bees just are not interested.

 

Edited September 21, 2020 by mischief
typo

[Maggie James 906]

On 28/05/2020 at 6:59 AM, jamesc said:

Frost tolerant .....??

Dahlias die down over winter & then grow up over 25 plus feet.  BRS specialises in them

[Maggie James 906]

On 23/08/2020 at 3:12 PM, Russ said:

Bees getting stuck into the Rhodos today. 

How many rhodos do you have?  Have you ever heard of mad honey?  Google it.  Shouldn't be a problem in NZ though

[Maggie James 906]

On 13/09/2020 at 9:51 PM, Otto said:

This is a cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus). Quite a few around here too. I think they're considered a weed but bees quite like them.

I understand that some thistles have purple pollen.  Have you ever come across this?

[john berry 5,636]

Winged and nodding Thistles have purple pollen. I once saw a white nodding Thistle , from a distance it looked pretty good but close up it resembled a small cup of maggots .

The other day my bees at home were working a silver birch, quite freely for pollen. This is a wind pollinated plant.

[Maggie James 906]

45 minutes ago, john berry said:

Winged and nodding Thistles have purple pollen.

That's interesting, because I wanted to note the purple pollen, but when I inspect nodders - they have have large granules of cream pollen.  

[Bighands 1,065]

22 minutes ago, Maggie James said:

That's interesting, because I wanted to note the purple pollen, but when I inspect nodders - they have have large granules of cream pollen.  

When I had hives at the Bealey i noticed very dark pollen in the hives, dark blue or black and i believe that is from the vipers. The only purple pollen i have seen in my hives is from Fuchsia

[mischief 140]

45 minutes ago, Maggie James said:

That's interesting, because I wanted to note the purple pollen, but when I inspect nodders - they have have large granules of cream pollen.  

I have noticed that bees do Not always stick to a single source when they are working on the little stuff. eg today, collecting pollen from blue bells, then go onto the rosemary for nectar. I always keep a few thistles in the back yard just in case I need to make a restorative tea for some needy plant but they dont usually flower til mid summer. I did think they had pale yellow pollen, but cant remember, so I will have to make sure i note it down.

[kaihoka 2,976]

Its a hungry time for bees here.

I have stuff in the garden , but nothing really happening in the bush .

Had the hakea over winter. There is lots in Golden bay and it flowered well. 

Local beeks find it a very usefull winter flow .

I read it was wild all over northland . Is it still around.

Kamahi is next big flow. Thank god it is so reliable . If it failed we would all be in big trouble .

[john berry 5,636]

23 hours ago, Maggie James said:

That's interesting, because I wanted to note the purple pollen, but when I inspect nodders - they have have large granules of cream pollen.  

I am 100% sure that winged Thistle produces a purple pollen. I'm pretty sure nodding Thistle is purple as well and Scotch Thistle has a cream-coloured pollen but maybe I have mixed the last two up. We used to get major crops of nodding Thistle honey every four or five years but the introduced parasites have pretty much destroyed it as far as honey production goes.

Nodding Thistle was a beautiful honey, in my opinion even better than clover or pumpkin which are both some of the nicest white honeys around..

[Maggie James 906]

14 minutes ago, john berry said:

Nodding Thistle was a beautiful honey,

This was it's own beautiful honey varietal, and of export quality.  I will have to keep my eyes skimmed for a flowering nodder with purple pollen!

 

Well there ya go!  I have mastered the edit button under the new edit scheme

Edited September 23, 2020 by Maggie James

[dansar 5,524]

On 23/09/2020 at 7:41 PM, john berry said:

I am 100% sure that winged Thistle produces a purple pollen. I'm pretty sure nodding Thistle is purple as well and Scotch Thistle has a cream-coloured pollen but maybe I have mixed the last two up. We used to get major crops of nodding Thistle honey every four or five years but the introduced parasites have pretty much destroyed it as far as honey production goes.

Nodding Thistle was a beautiful honey, in my opinion even better than clover or pumpkin which are both some of the nicest white honeys around..

Did Arataki ever produce a thistle honey? I seem to recall a honey like that as a child back in the late 70’s

[john berry 5,636]

Arataki did produce a thistle probably around that time . Despite being a beautiful honey it didn't sell well probably because of the name Thistle.

You have to remember this was back in the days when New Zealanders ate  clover honey, mild cheddar used fat for frying and anybody that ate anything different was either foreign, Communist or both.

Mind you I still think food fried in fat tasted better.

[Maggie James 906]

On 26/09/2020 at 6:47 AM, dansar said:

Did Arataki ever produce a thistle honey? I seem to recall a honey like that as a child back in the late 70’s

Up to the early 2000s Airborne Honey sold nodding thistle as a varietal.  It was export quality  

[kaihoka 2,976]

On 26/09/2020 at 9:19 AM, john berry said:

Arataki did produce a thistle probably around that time . Despite being a beautiful honey it didn't sell well probably because of the name Thistle.

You have to remember this was back in the days when New Zealanders ate  clover honey, mild cheddar used fat for frying and anybody that ate anything different was either foreign, Communist or both.

Mind you I still think food fried in fat tasted better.

We were very lucky , our generation, we grew up in an innocent time where we could enjoy all sorts of food without guilt or knowledge that it may  shorten our lives .

[jamesc 4,924]

‘Today, I think we may do Kowhai.... if it’s not toooo windy.’

[john berry 5,636]

If anyone gets any kowhai honey this year they should try a finger full. It's a unique taste that you won't forget in a hurry.

[Otto 780]

These were a couple of pollen samples I collected in town earlier this year (one in January and one in March) that both have purple pollen in them (not Fuchsia). Hopefully will find out what they are sometime...

[Maggie James 906]

On 28/09/2020 at 9:30 AM, john berry said:

If anyone gets any kowhai honey this year they should try a finger full. It's a unique taste that you won't forget in a hurry.

It's a very fine honey.  I used to get it on Huntsbury Hill at my parents, combined with citrus.  Beautiful fine taste, and such a clear honey

[Maggie James 906]

On 28/09/2020 at 7:13 PM, Otto said:

These were a couple of pollen samples I collected in town earlier this year (one in January and one in March) that both have purple pollen in them (not Fuchsia). Hopefully will find out what they are sometime...

What's the white stuff Otto.  Never seen that here in the boondocks