BBKA Forum

I've finally seen some flowering cherry out and the black thorn is out.

The viburnum also still has flowers on it. Speaking to some one this morning and they commented that they had ivy in flower in their garden.

I suspect due to the temps that this lot will only be yielding pollen

Crocus and other spring bulbs, Hebe, and Viburnum in gardens; blackthorn is out. The bees like dog violets and frequent a clump I have in my garden.

I have seen goat willow out further inland but none in my area.

Bees bringing in plenty of mixed pollen.

Cold and wet here today. Saw a bank of primroses yesterday and first cowslip reported.

Up at bees for a couple of hours cleaning kit. Only one hive foraging well, others hunkered down. Got a mental tick for queen breeding material..

Went to Thornes yesterday to do a foundation swap.
Different world 100 miles south of me, Blackthorn in blossom all over the place. Looked like my part of Yorkshire in May....
To put things in perspective our first daffs came into flower last week....

We have a few plum trees in flower, my daffs are only just opening, a little blackthorn and my Forsythia is just starting unfortunately what with the rain and the wind the bees are cuddled up in the hives.

You don't say where you are Cable....Sounds North if your Daffs are just opening as well.

Daffs have been out weeks in Leeds. the crocus round here are on their back end of had enough.

NigelP wrote: ↑

08 Mar 2019, 17:47

You don't say where you are Cable....Sounds North if your Daffs are just opening as well.

Nigel, I'm in South Yorkshire, but 1000 feet up in the Pennines.

That illustrates the point well, most of our Daffs in Somerset going over but depends on the cultivar.

We had some daffs locally flowering in Dec / Jan whilst others are only budding now. Someone somewhere will have got daffs bred to flower in August. Not sure bees make much use of them sadly. Problem round here is not the flowers, it’s the flying weather. High winds forecast today and widespread flooding here.

Supposed to be fishing the middle Wye for barbel tommorow. May need my beach caster and 5oz grip leads..

Hope the fishing went well today Patrick.

It was a bit wild between Leeds and Bee tradex today, saw a bit of gorse and black thorn on the way down.