Rosebay Willowherb

[blackcavebees]

I've been watching the fireweed this year since I learned what it was. At what point do you move your hives to the fireweed? Just before it starts to flower, or once it is flowering? How long does it last for yielding? 3 weeks or longer? Any differences with altitude? For example, the place I was thinking on is about 350m above sea level. Already planning ahead for next year you see ....

 

[Skyhook]

Speaking on general principles, I would say it depends what else is around. If that is the only thing there then it would be like some heather moors- take them too early and they'll starve, leave them too long and they'll starve etc, in which case the best answer would be vigilance and quick reactions.

 

[Teemore]

About 4 years ago the bloom was finished in early August but since then it has lingered longer. Not far from home there is a plot of it which is only now beginning to tail off and will have been in bloom since July. West of you it will probably come into bloom later... With any luck there will be patches of Rosebay Willowherb near your association apiary. Any surface works near the mine site will be prime spots to be colonised by Rosebay Willowherb. Finman's has flagged that he moves his hives to forestry areas that have been clear cut as the Rosebay Willowherb takes off in the cleared areas and is productive for several years. I have a potential site under observation for next year.....

 

[mbc]

I find it a fickle plant, sometimes yielding copious amounts of very thin, clear nectar for about a fortnight as the flowers are about half way up the stem, and other times yielding nothing discernible at all while in flower, and I dont know what the trigger is either, it could be growing conditions months before the flowers show themselves for all I know.

 

[Ginger19]

I have heaps and heaps of it near my hives, mostly on railway embankments and surrounding areas. It is tailing off now. I had expected to see lots of the blue pollen coming in but they have largely ignored it. For every 10 bringing in yellow pollen, only 1 carries in blue pollen.