major ivy flow

[JohnRoss]

Must have been a major flow on today. I initially thought it was robbing, the bees were in such a frenzy but most of the bees piling in to each hive was loaded with pollen. I went through one of the hives and six or even bees waggle dancing on each frame.

I added a super below one colony just to give them extra space to ripen the honey.

 

[Cazza]

Certainly was a great flow on. You could smell the ivy being processed. Lovely.
Cazza

 

[Tom Bick]

Yes the distinctive aroma of Ivy around my hives.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Still on the balsam with me!!

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Is a flow like this fairly normal?

 

[enrico]

It is if your ivy will open! Or you are near balsam!

 

[Cazza]

It is if your ivy will open! Or you are near balsam!

Happens every year if the sun shines.
Cazza

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Correction to my earlier statement - this morning I took a short wal down to the river for an hours fishing and the bees (mine) wre all over the balsam.
This afternoon however the apary is abuzz with bees bringing in ivy pollen so they've found it at last!

 

[Bates]

Got a good Ivy flow our way, can smell it in the apiary and can say its the most I've seen for a while.

 

[VEG]

My bees going mental on both balsam and ivy today.


Craig

 

[Glenviewbee]

Bees from both colonies getting log jammed at the entrances, with huge bright orange pollen baskets. There's also a heavy smell of ripening honey - I'm presuming it's ivy honey as there are lots of ivy bushes flowering in the cornish hedges around here.

 

[Chrisfnvs]

Yes a major flow down south in Hampshire, the boxes are full to the brim with the stuff had to make some room for the queens to lay, this is above average for us, it is literally everywhere, smelly stuff

 

[blackie]

Here today aswell bees going mad in all hives in biddenden

 

[itma]

No different at the 5 apiaries I visited today at the bottom end of the M20.
Busy busy bees.
Egg-yolk colour pollen, in quantity.

 

[abm]

This is a first time experience for me, with my first clog of bees.

today the sun shone, while I cut and formed insulation blocks to fit around my borrowed nuc.
it was a pleasure to work around these very sociable bees, who occasionally landed on me what looked like to have a breather.

oh and all I had on was jeans / tshirt.

 

[Pendragon]

Mine too - home hive has been busy for a couple of days. Field hive not been doing so well but lots of bright orange pollen there today so they have found some too.

 

[richardbees]

Same here in suburban London - trouble is I've taken all my supers off to avoid black honeydew honey which nobody wants.

bloody climate change!

 

[BeeJayBee]

Was watching the ivy in our garden today, it's covered in flies and wasps but not a single honeybee. They're on the borage, sedums and a shrub that's against the house but I can't remember what it's called.

 

[pargyle]

I thought it must be Ivy ... bright yellow/orange egg yoke coloured pollen baskets .. brimming !

Not the best photo but you will get the gist and the colour ....

 

[BeeJayBee]

Evening Primrose pollen is bright yellow (they're flowering in our garden), Michaelmas Daisy is an orange colour.

One of my pollen charts has Ivy as a greyish yellow, another has it as a mid brown. They could both be wrong!