Fall Flow?

[larry tate]

It seems around our area the golden rod started several weeks earlier than usual. Guess this means it will quit earlier? Anyone else seeing this? Could be a year for a lot of feed. Thoughts?

[drewgrim]

i checked my hives yesterday. i have dark brown nectar which i think is from my buckwheat which is blooming and bright almost yellow nectar. I had to add supers to three of my hives they had the boxes all full of nectar.

[Wally]

I did some bush hogging today and saw many different types of wildflowers blooming. The only one I can name is wild lespedeza, which is just beginning to open. Looks like there are plenty of blooms, but I haven't looked at the hives to see if anything is coming in.

[Jeanne]

Hi there,

I live across the street from Buffalo Creek near Lake Daniel, and I see golden rod just beginning to bloom, and I also see more wild grape vines blooming and the bees have been bringing home a fair amount of pollen. My husband plays tennis will Olaf Ruppell, and Olaf says to go ahead and feed them anyway, so I have a top feeder that I've filled up twice in the last two weeks, using about 1:3 sugar to water.

This is my first hive, and I read that the hive bodies should weigh about 75 pounds total as a sign that the colony had enough food stored for the winter and ours didn't seem to weigh nearly that much--so feeding them seems to make sense. My plan is to up the concentration to 1:2 sugar to water in the winter months. Any thoughts about feeding them now? I've also read that the top feeder shouldn't be used in this heat--but I don't see any signs of colony distress because of it.

[Wally]

Your sugar/water ratio is somewhat on the weak side compared to the norm for the industry.

Most use equal amounts of sugar and water, "1:1", in spring and summer, then twice as much sugar as water, "2:1", in fall and winter.

2:1 will need to be heated to dissolve.

[larry tate]

Have some hives near an area that is an old landfill now covered with lespedzea. Some are honey bound now! First fall honey bound situation I have ever had.

[sprayburn]

My hives are in the Air Harbor area and we have several fields full of goldenrod. The bees have been bringing in pollen heavy for about 2 to 3 weeks. The nectar has been coming in more slowly. I have decided to go ahead and put on top feeders.