Clover????

[Wynoochee_newbee_guy]

Ok can any one explain why my bees are not going after the clover i have all over my place? what else might be in bloom that trumps clover?

[Kathyp]

can you go into your profile and put your location?

blackberries trump almost everything. the clover the bees go for, is the white clover.  i have tons of it, but this year the blackberries and clover bloomed at the same time and they are not touching the clover.

[Wynoochee_newbee_guy]

Thanks for the information. That explains alot.
Thanks.

[bassman1977]

Clover?  What clover?  Our flows this spring SUCK!  Dandelion lasted MAYBE a week.  Clover...hardly any.  Unbelievable how little we had this year.  I wonder if it's the rain.  I know what flowers we did have, my buzzers haven't been able to get to a whole lot because of the rain.

[Kathyp]

same thing happened to us last year.  it was really bad.  not only did we get no honey, but we had to feed all spring and summer.

[bassman1977]

How was your fall flow last year?  Are you getting good flows this year?  Personally, I haven't had to feed.  They are bringing in just enough to feed themselves.  My splits and swarms received plenty of honey from last year's dead outs so I have been lucky in that regard.

[Cindi]

Our blackberry flow was on time this year, around the first week of June.  The white clover is blooming at the same time and I only see the bombus on the clover, not many bees.  I have sheared all the clover back around the apiary.  Soon the blackberry flow will be over, the clover will come back.  And then, my hyssops will be blooming, so they may still not go for the clover.  We have had the perfect late spring weather.  Rarely any rain, lots of sunshine.  Not our typical cold and rainy JUne, so it has been a good thing.  Beautiful days, to love and live, health.  Cindi

[pollenchucker]

Well I guess that's one reason we should try to time our crops to compliment each other rather than compete.   I have my first 1/4 acre of mixed white and yellow sweet clover up and thick but none of it has bloomed yet and I'm beginning to think it never will.  But it would be right on time as my buckwheat is now fading and ready for something to take its place.  Then when the clover would supposedly finish up the buckwheat would kick back in for the fall.  You can plan all you want but I have yet to learn how to make it all happen.   I'm glad it doesnt cost too much more than sweat.  Good luck.
-pc

[mherndon]

In my bee class, Dr. Skinner said that clover nectar was only available during a few hours during the day.  The temperature has a lot to do with the nectar being up in the flower and being available.  When it is up, bees will work it.  When it gets hotter during the day, they may move to another source.

Mark

[bassman1977]

I have heard that also and the nectar flow for some flowers is supposedly the best in the AM .  However I am not 100% sure I buy into it without seeing some actual documentation proving the fact (at least for clover).  I say this because when the clover is out, I can see bees on it all throughout the day.

[pollenchucker]

I can vouch for that morning foraging on buckwheat.  The bees have been thick on it in the morning and totally off of it by 1:00 - 2:00pm.
-pc

[Eshu]

Sweet clover doesn't always bloom the year it was planted.  There is a good chance it will have good bloom next year.

[Kathyp]

cindi, we got your cool, wet, june.  good thing is that everything is finally blooming.  bad thing is that it's all blooming at once.  going to warm up, so this is my couple of weeks for honey  :-)

borage is about to bloom.  got slowed down by weather, but looks good now!!!  thanks.

[pollenchucker]

Thanks Eshu.  I guess that means I can go ahead and mow it all down to an even length so it will have a chance catching up with the grass and the weeds which have overtaken it, and or it maybe even get ahead them afterwards.  I'll do that in the fall before everything goes dormant for the winter, I'm thinking.
Next year bees better watch out, it should be ferocious.
-pc

[trapperbob]

It is true they work certain flowers at particular times because the nectar is flowing heavier then. that does not mean that there is not nectar there all day but it may be flowing heaviest at certain times of the day  I have noticed that the yellow sweet clover in the area where my bees are flows heaviest mid day and the air is permeated with the smell of it. Any other time you can't hardly smell it at all. And the dutch clover seems to flow heaviest from about 3:00 pm on till it is almost dark and you can smell it then also. This seems to be the only time I see bees on the clover heavy otherwise I only see very few if any and there off some where else. As a matter of a fact the sumac should be flowing where they are now along with acres of yellow clover. They put up some very nice honey on the sumac last year and there was no yellow clover. One thing I know for sure is they are going like gangbusters this year and everything seems to be blooming so at anytime of day they are working something. :-D     

[MustbeeNuts]

here its  clover blooming all over, we have had a lot of rain, so lots of flow yet, but it will be over in about 2/3 weeks, then slow going, berries are over as well, black locust ,,over, and basswood should be just about now.

[Cindi]

Kathy, wow, your borage must have been really slowed down by the weather.  Like I said, our June was/is nothing short of picture perfect, finally.  My borage has been blooming everywhere for about a month, I really should get some pictures, maybe I'll head out today and take a few shots, it is going NUTS!!!  Remember Kathy, the borage will keep blooming all summer (most likely), the plants will reseed themselves from this years plants and will germinate and provide continual blooming until frost kill.  Borage sets flowers generally within 6 weeks of the seed germination, you'll see.  Beautiful days, to love and live, health.  Cindi

[Vibe]

I think mine are working the hedges right now. My wife thought there was a swarm in our hedge plants from the noise. Turns out they were just working it very heavily. And privet hedges are rampant around here.