What are your bees foraging on during January 2021

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Grant

Staff member
Founder Member
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It's Jan 2021, what are your bees foraging on?

Different plants come in at different times due to weather and location and more often than not we get anomalies that mean a change in flows. These monthly topics will act as a reference point over time. Let us know what you see.
 
25
14
Christchurch
Experience
Hobbyist
My only anxiety is that this years Canterbury weather is so unusual that when our flow would normally be over the padocks are green and new clover popping up.
That's the thing. Weather wise at the moment it's not stable enough. I can't recall the exact figures off the top of my head, but I think I'm right in saying clover needs a certain temperature for a certain time before it's flowers produce nectar anyway. If the temp drops, the process starts again.
 
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175
116
West Coast
Experience
Hobbyist
Hives here in Otira on a rata flow but not a great flowering. Hives at Fox River on white Rata quite a good flow.I see koromiko flowering all I need to see is the red rata vine and I then know the season is coming to the end.
 
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445
327
Mid Canterbury
Experience
Semi Commercial
Hives here in Otira on a rata flow but not a great flowering. Hives at Fox River on white Rata quite a good flow.I see koromiko flowering all I need to see is the red rata vine and I then know the season is coming to the end.
How high up is the rata flower? Is it at the top of the peaks, in the middle, or down lower?

More clover crops here than the last two years, and it has flowered and yielded profusely. Plenty of Vipers in riverbeds
 
245
156
Christchurch
Experience
Beginner
Chch suburban I'm seeing geraniums, agapanthus etc plus some clover. Also flowering veges like courgette, scallopini etc Not sure what the girls are hitting though. Lots of summer flowers but trees and most veges are seeding or not flowering.

I've got one hive thats going nuts with building out and nectar and another right next to it struggling. I suspect it's a bit patchy flow wise.
 

kaihoka

Gold
328
270
whanganui inlet
Experience
Hobbyist
Fine weather here in the valley, Rata not looking that specatacular with over 300 hives in the valley now it will be interesting to see how much pure rata comes off
Someone traveling through the area just after new yr mentioned to me how spectacular the rata was looking travelling up the coast then .
It is pretty much finished here but a few stragglers still going
 


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