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Hello, I just came back from delivering some honey to a farmer friend, and we were talking about all the rain we have had here in VA this spring. It has made it hard for the bees and the farmers. I was asking him about white clover, and he showed me a part of his farm that the pastures were full of blooming white clover.
This is a two part question.
1) If the clover is still blooming, (which it is), is it still producing nector or can I expect it to over by now.
2) Should I move some of my hives to his farm, which is about 15 miles from here, since the only thing blooming around the house is thistle, and what we call paridise trees.
Thanks Charlie
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Charlie: I read somewhere(cannot remember where)that a bee get's more out of white clover when it look's to use that it is drying up.So I think I would move them.also did you look & see what else was around there?you may have found you another good bee yard>>>>>Mark
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Sounds like a nice bee pasture to me.
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You can always move one hive and see how it does in a week and then move some more if it does well.
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Thanks everyone, I think I'm going to move two hives this weekend. I couldn't believe all of the clover that was in this pasture. They also lease a farm across the road (about a mile as the bee flies), and there was even more clover over there.
Mark, there is a nice stream that runs all the way around the property, and plenty of poplar. I may end up using this as another bee yard as you suggested.
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Don't know what part of Va, Rapidan is in ,But do you have any sourwood there? It should be blooming next month.>>>>Mark
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Watch out Charlie,thats how migratory beekeepers get started.
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Mark, Rapidan is about 70 miles south of Washington D.C. I don't know how far north the sourwood comes, do you? Looking around the bee yard today, I have a lot of ailanthus blooming in the area. I saw lots of bumble and other bees working it, but not any honey bees. At least on the one that was at my height.
Logger Mike, I hear ya. I don't think that I will get to that point. I hope.
