December Foraging

[Jeff M]

What a mad year this has been.

My bees were out foraging yesterday and again today, and bringing back pollen.

Don't know what they've found, but I don't think it's ivy as the pollen is too yellow?

 

[REDWOOD]

Fatsia japonica

 

[Andy Cav]

Mahonia

 

[Erichalfbee]

Gorse?
Mahonia doesn't supply pollen as far as I know......nectar only

 

[Stiffy]

Manuka.........well its in flower on several bushes in one of my apiaries.

Gorse is also in flower
S

 

[viridens]

It's still definitely dandelion pollen here. There are still a good sprinkling of blooms in the fields despite -5 degree temperatures last week.

 

[SDM]

Most of the above coming into mine today, the ivy is very nearly finished, gorse everywhere and plenty of Dandelion's.

 

[Hivemaker.]

gorse everywhere

And here, they collect good quality pollen from gorse.

 

[BrianO]

Its incredible really to think that come end February , Snowdrops, Hellebores in company with and followed by other late winter flowering plants and then we are off. despite the inevitable knockbacks with cold snaps on the better days they will be out bringing in the early pollen.

Which is only really 12 weeks from now !

 

[Erichalfbee]

And here, they collect good quality pollen from gorse.

We have lots of gorse but none that blooms till the end of February/beginning of March. Plenty out already towards Aberystwyth

 

[Finman]

.
My bees are not foraging, but I have a really strange plant Hebe.

I have had here -15C out, and that big Hebe bush has blue fresh flowers. Ig gas been in cold greenhouse. At least I do not see ice violation.
.
It is full of flower buds, and they too seem to be alive.


.

 

[SDM]

We have lots of gorse but none that blooms till the end of February/beginning of March. Plenty out already towards Aberystwyth

In flower September to end of May in the hedges around my place in Anglesey.. it's just a shame it's not a nectar source.

 

[bpmurray]

The ivy flowers that hadn't opened earlier all appear to be open now and brushing my fingers over them covers them in pollen. I see the girls are bringing in light yellow which is presumably from these, and darker yellow which I presume is from the gorse which started to flower a couple of weeks ago - not much of it yet, but enough to forage on. I have a hazel beside the hives in the garden and that has a bunch of small catkins - another week or so and they'll be full of pollen too.

This is just weird!