BBKA Forum

At one of my out apiaries the bees were still coming back white striped from the HB, they have been like that for weeks and weeks but no sign of any increase in liquid stores in the hive. They are not bringing any pollen loads back from it and it can't have much of a nectar flow but its obviously all they have to forage on. Bees around Wynyard were bringing in very heavy yellow pollen loads. I presume its Ivy although I can't find any in flower, its all just in bud but maybe the Ivy at the top of the trees (which I can't see) with more sunlight is in flower.

Both my Alnwick apiary and Hartlepool spot where piling ivy pollen in yesterday and today..

Ivy, Ivy, Ivy, Never seen so much. Its amazing. My bees never ever before had so much coming in and a look at the frames shows they are rammed with it. Warm October and early Ivy flowering has been a big boost. Its the first time in 10 years I have ever noticed the scent of the flowers. One colony today looked like it was mid May the bees were frantic piling into the entrance with huge pollen loads. Sad to see tired bees overloaded with pollen being attacked by wasps around the hive entrances though. Next year I am going to put a wasp trap at every hive, never seen it so bad.

Try a few tunnel entrance blocks Mick..they make it hard work for wasps and double up as mouse guards.

Had entrances reduced for weeks Steve but the wasps are just in such huge numbers.

It's not just the reduced entrance Mick, it's the narrow 6 inch tunnel the wasps have to traverse through before they can get into the hive that is the crucial bit. It makes it much easier for the bees to defend against them. Reducing entrance size helps but wasps can still sneak past the guard bees far to easily.

The ivy seems to be more or less over here, Even when mild, the bees are not flying much now although they did have a good run of it.
Wasps? Hardly any this year - I blame the cold spring which must have killed a lot off.

Bees out gathering water this afternoon - it topped out a 13 degrees today after 2 weeks of single digit temps.
As we put thermal wraps on their boxes there was gorse pollen coming in which was good to see as they had bare sugar cake and syrup only.

Once again the BBKA mag doesn't fail to disappoint. 'Bees cluster below 12c' ............Well mine were out working their socks off today at 9c bringing in large amounts of yellow pollen which is probably still ivy, but also some very grey pollen that I have no idea what it could be. It was at 2 out apiaries on grazing land so can't guess ??

When I read this months ' in the apiary in November ' article it was the first time I stopped reading and just chucked it in the bin. I find it ridiculous that the national magazine continues to regurgitate hearsay time and time again. Sick of it. They are so out of touch with the members.

No idea on the grey pollen Mick. The usual suspects shouldn't normally be in flower this time of year but what does that mean these days? I saw corn marigold and common poppy in flower in flower in late October and seem to be able to find a dandelion in flower just about anytime around here.

In the specific narrow context of honey bees, I don't know whether "unseasonal" prolonged sources of natural pollen are actually a good thing or not. Whatever, it is a reality we are probably going to have to get used to.