first frost?

[bourdeaubee]

Is it true that the honey flow stops after the first frost?It seems that bees here anyway make honey well after the first frost.I cant remember where I heard this but is it true?

[Mike Gillmore]

In this area, after the first hard frost most of the goldenrod is history. This usually ends the fall flow here.

Perhaps in your area you have a higher concentration of Asters or other cold hardy plants that extend the flow beyond the first frost.

[power napper]

Always seems to be a light frost for our first frost, sometimes it takes three or four additional weeks before a hard killing frost turns everything black. Come to think or it most likely we will have a light frost here within a month or so.--brrr. Where did the summer go?

[Mike Gillmore]

> Come to think or it most likely we will have a light frost here within a month or so.--brrr. Where did the summer go? <

Good question. It seems to come back around quicker as the years go by

[Michael Bush]

We sometimes get a light frost before we finally get a killing frost. The light frost doesn't always kill everything that's blooming.

[Finman]

.

Here in Finland honey yield stops 1 month before first killing frost. Vegetation prepares themselves for winter.

When first frost comes hives must be in wintering condition: 1 or 2 deeps, winter sugar allmost feeded and soon capped.

But nature has it's local calendar even if first frost comes early or late.

.

[FordGuy]

frost? but it is still so warm and sunny in SOUTH CAROLINA !!!!

haha, sorry don't hate me for that...

[Dave W]

2005 - Evansville,Indiana

First Frost (Rooftops) - 10/28
First Freeze - 10/29
First 20s - 11/17, 20.1F
First Teens - 11/25, 14.7F
First Single Digit - 12/9, 5.0F
Coldest Temp - 12/9, 5.0F
First Snow - 12/8, 2-1/2"

When I can't count mites, I watch the weather [img]smile.gif[/img]

[size="1"][ August 30, 2006, 03:29 PM: Message edited by: Dave W ][/size]

[mobees]

Please no talk about frosts. We don't want to wake mother nature, the Asters still need to come in, aaaah! I got to draw some comb to replace some of the nasty old stuff. And some nice pollen is coming in!

[bourdeaubee]

I guess the first frost question was a bad idea.
but what flowers seem to bee the most cold hardy necture producers? I just planted some buckwheat it might be a little late.

[Mike Gillmore]

No, it was a very good question... one you need to know the answer to. Hopefully some New Englanders will chime in and offer a little guidance.

[George Fergusson]

>what flowers seem to bee the most cold hardy necture producers?

Brocolli.

[Dwight]

I live in Vermont also and yes it is a little late for Buck Wheat. Our season is close to the end for this year. We usually get a killing frost by mid September (Which does end the nectar flow) and Hyde Park is a little higher than I am here in Milton. You probably get frost a little earlier than we do.
I'll be pulling my supers the first chance I get and starting to prepare for our long cold winter!! BRRRRRR! I'm cold already!

[Jim Williamson]

Frost??? It's 90 degrees and 80% humidity. I forgot what cold was like. But, I do vaguely recollect it getting cool last winter. As George says, the bees do like brocolli. I left mine in the garden over winter, thinking I'd get around to yanking it out sometime. The stuff kept making little rosettes, which we kept pinching offad eating. The plants were then covered in yellow flowers, which I had always heard would make the brocolli bitter. Not so! On a warm day (most days down here) the bees would be all over the flowers. We got off to such a fine start this Spring, I plan on having plenty of brocolli available for the bees every winter.

I love snow skiing, but it's nice to return home when the ski trip's over. I guess everybody can't live in Georgia.

[George Fergusson]

We don't get that much mileage out of our brocolli Jim, but we get a lot. It continues to flower right up to when it gets buried in snow.. almost.. most of November anyways. Long after the bees are done flying. These pictures were taken in late October last fall:

http://www.sweettimeapiary.com/pics/brocolli1.jpg
http://www.sweettimeapiary.com/pics/brocolli3.jpg

There's a few more in there. I remember the day I took these pictures, there had been a hard frost the night before but by late morning it was pleasant and by earlry afternoon the bees were quite active, on the brocolli and on our compost heap. For sure they collect pollen, I'm not sure if brocolli produces nectar that time of year or not. They were interested in the coffee grounds in the compost [img]smile.gif[/img]

>I guess everybody can't live in Georgia.

For sure, we don't want them all living here... [img]smile.gif[/img]

[D. Murrell]

Hi Guys,

The hi temp down in bottom of the valley, yesterday, was 52 degrees. Low was in the upper 30's. I'm sure anyone much above the valley floor experienced their first frost last night. And anyone at any elevation had a hard freeze.

Snow has been forcast for locations above 8000 feet msl.

Ah...beekeeping in Wyoming. See: www.bwrangler.com/bee/wcli.htm

My hives are buttoned down for the winter.

Regards
Dennis

[George Fergusson]

In my area of Maine, frost can be expected anytime from September on. It could happen any day now, but typically, because we live on a lake and the humidity is higher around here, we don't get a killing frost until late September or early October. Half a mile away is another story.

[power napper]

Today is in the fifties and raining! Gotta wear flannels and long pants for sure but think that frost will hold out for a while.

[mobees]

George

Have you seen any Asters out yet? My bees seem to be slowing down on the goldenrod.

[George Fergusson]

Aster is beginning to bloom around here. There's a great variety of goldenrod blooming now, I've been too busy to determine which the bees are working and for what but I can smell the nectar when I'm working in the yard. For some reason I don't think it's going to be a huge fall flow.

The japanese knotweed is in full bloom however there is very little anywhere near my yard. Next year I'm going to establish an outyard or two and try and cash in on the knotweed and loostrife bloom which I'm missing here at my home apiary.