Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: PLAN-B on October 20, 2013, 03:13:08 pm

Title: not to pleasant of a smell.
Post by: PLAN-B on October 20, 2013, 03:13:08 pm: Went in the back a few minutes ago just to take a peek at my three hives and typically i can smell a very nice floral aroma near the hives. There is plenty of activity with all three hives and lots of pollen coming in, but the smell is unpleasant to say the least. Is this due to the type of flowers they are visiting or is something askew in the hives and i need to take a peek inside? Any advice is welcomed.
Title: Re: not to pleasant of a smell.
Post by: iddee on October 20, 2013, 03:14:36 pm: The aster is producing. Enjoy it.
Title: Re: not to pleasant of a smell.
Post by: AllenF on October 20, 2013, 03:20:00 pm: Or the Goldenrod.
Title: Re: not to pleasant of a smell.
Post by: PLAN-B on October 20, 2013, 03:37:32 pm: I'm in southeast Louisiana about ten miles west of Hammond. Didnt realize we had aster this far south. So most likely just smelly pollen and nothing to worry about... thanks guys...
Title: Re: not to pleasant of a smell.
Post by: 10framer on October 20, 2013, 05:23:48 pm: If it smells like stinky feet it's goldenrod.
Title: Re: not to pleasant of a smell.
Post by: Carol on October 20, 2013, 05:39:13 pm: I've noticed an odd smell everynow and then...and I think we do have goldenrod nearby. I think it is goldenrod...not sure.

(http://s9.postimg.org/cotxtoot7/005cs.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/cotxtoot7/)

I am amazed at how little I know about the plants in my area...never really looked until I got the Honeybees and started out with my bike and camera to see what they were working on.
Title: Re: not to pleasant of a smell.
Post by: PLAN-B on October 20, 2013, 05:47:43 pm: stinky feet in a floral kind of way... that might be a good explanation ....lol :-D
Title: Re: not to pleasant of a smell.
Post by: Moots on October 20, 2013, 06:31:31 pm: Goldenrod :-D
Title: Re: not to pleasant of a smell.
Post by: GSF on October 20, 2013, 10:11:10 pm: I'm glad folks on here started talking about the goldenrod smell a few weeks back. Being a new beek I would have about guaranteed that something had went wrong in the hive and I'd been all in it. I would have probably guessed SHB/Waxmoth slim job.

Sometimes I can smell it a good piece off.

Carol; That flower doesn't resemble the goldenrod around here. That looks more like a stalk and what we have around here is more numerous in blooms and more bushy. It could be a different variety.
Title: Re: not to pleasant of a smell.
Post by: RHBee on October 21, 2013, 11:39:49 am: I noticed the stink and thought I had some brood disease. Opened up one of my hives just to find it was a combination of "bee bread" and goldenrod. Quite a unique smell. I added supers of drawn comb to the colonies that are working hard just to see if they will pull in some excess. Goldenrod is in full bloom here. I wouldn't mind having a little stinky honey.
Title: Re: not to pleasant of a smell.
Post by: Carol on October 21, 2013, 03:29:47 pm: I looked out into the tree farm and there is a lot of bushy, feathery stuff...I think that is the goldenrod. I'll see if I can get a picture of it. When I first noticed it and read about the guy losing a hive to SHB slime...I opened the broodnest and pulled a frame...everything looked good...no larva on the bottom board so didn't go any farther...but maybe I should do a thorough check.
Title: Re: not to pleasant of a smell.
Post by: 10framer on October 22, 2013, 12:00:35 am: carol you may be describing rag weed, i think of it as kind of feathery.
Title: Re: not to pleasant of a smell.
Post by: MsCarol on October 22, 2013, 12:40:17 pm: Carol,

Is the "feathery" stuff a pale yellowish green? About 4' tall (can be shorter or quite a bit taller depending on soil)? I am thinking Dog fennel. (eupatorium capillifolium )

I lived in FL in Volusia county and our pastures were often filled with Dog Fennel. There is some growing here as well. I have not noted if the bees pay much attention to it.

It does stink.....OK has a strong scent!!
Title: Re: not to pleasant of a smell.
Post by: Carol on October 22, 2013, 03:01:29 pm: I have been looking at Golden Rod...there are all kinds...the closest I could find was Pinebarren Goldenrod, Solidago fistulosa ..at least it looked a lot like the picture I saw. The Honeybees LOVE IT..whatever it is....and not more than a few hundred feet (in a bee line) from my hives. This is just one small patch.

(http://s21.postimg.org/d6asr57c3/019cs.jpg) (http://postimg.org/image/d6asr57c3/)
Title: Re: not to pleasant of a smell.
Post by: Joe D on October 23, 2013, 12:52:58 am: Golden Rod does stink until the bees get it made into honey and then they cap it. We usually leave it for the bees to winter on. The first year I had bees, I thought something was dead in the bee yard.

Joe
Title: Re: not to pleasant of a smell.
Post by: JP on October 23, 2013, 02:29:55 am: Marshall, what you are smelling is 100% Goldenrod. It is still in bloom, funky smell but actually really good honey, golden yellow in color. Just harvested 3.5 gallons of it myself.

...JP
Title: Re: not to pleasant of a smell.
Post by: gov1623 on October 24, 2013, 12:47:29 pm: Yes we do have asters, its full of them around my house. Goldenrod is probably what your smelling. I noticed my hives were smelling stronger than usual so I decided to take a peak. Lets just say I wont be getting goldenrod honey this year. All the new goldenrod nectar is fermented in the suppers. It is the same in all 30 of my hives. The nectar is full of bubbles. Hope this isn't the case for you.
Title: Re: not to pleasant of a smell.
Post by: deknow on October 24, 2013, 03:42:20 pm: Might it be worth trying (while it is still rather warm) putting the fermented supers under the broodnest and letting the bees move the honey up? I've suggested this to a friend in VT who had some boxes of fermented honey it it worked great...in the spring :)

deknow