Black Locust i Western NC

[Goldprospector]

Does the Black locust in Western NC amount to much? I have access to Whitener mountain that is between Boone and Blowing Rock on 321. The whole peak is practically all Black Locust. The only info I can find shows the "Bloom Calender" form April-June.

Just wondering if it would be worth trying to take advantage of this bloom.

[jadell]

I'm not really sure since it's normally mixed in with everything else in the spring here.

[Hokie Bee Daddy]

Like Jadell, my locust gets mixed with everything else - mainly poplar. If you check this link out it looks like it is a major potential source of honey. I have heard that locust honey is nice and clear. I would give it a try.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norther...for_honey_bees

[Goldprospector]

Yeah, I figured it would be mixed...but I really have never seen a concentration of Black locust as I have seen on this mountain. I figure the bees will NOT stay just on this mountain...but As many trees are in the area, they really would not need to go elsewhere.

Anyway, I have a couple of prospects for some areas for sourwood and another whole mountian seemingly covered with lemongrass. I will probably try to get an early honey and see if I can catch a sourwood flow also.

Thanks guys

[TokerM]

From the pollen charts I've seen, when it blooms, it's one of the TOP producers, and hits real early. The problem is, it doesn't bloom every year, and there are any number of factors that initiate the bloom. Figure once every 5-7 years per bloom. But with that many around there should be plenty in off years around.

We have 60 acres of mixed hardwood, last year the Oaks didn't bloom at all, not one, this year, Oaks were about 50%. Locusts were light, I'd say 20% or so were in bloom in the Spring, last year, not one. I wasn't thinking bees then though, so I wasn't paying attention to how many were actually blooming up there.

[psfred]

Black locust honey is a big thing here, excellent honey and lots of it in the years that we get good bloom, which is often -- usually only a hard frost will cause trouble, as it did this year.

However, Walt Wright reports that he never gets much black locust honey because his bees are not storing honey when it blooms, they are in the "are we swarming or not" stage he thinks. Very rare for them to be out foraging hard when the trees are blooming.

So you will have to try and see. Black locust is fairly early, so you want good early spring buildup to have lots of bees ready when the trees bloom. You will know, a good hive will fill a shallow super in a couple weeks or less on it.

By all means you should put a hive or two in the area and see what happens.

Peter

[Goldprospector]

Black locust honey is a big thing here, excellent honey and lots of it in the years that we get good bloom, which is often -- usually only a hard frost will cause trouble, as it did this year.

However, Walt Wright reports that he never gets much black locust honey because his bees are not storing honey when it blooms, they are in the "are we swarming or not" stage he thinks. Very rare for them to be out foraging hard when the trees are blooming.

So you will have to try and see. Black locust is fairly early, so you want good early spring buildup to have lots of bees ready when the trees bloom. You will know, a good hive will fill a shallow super in a couple weeks or less on it.

By all means you should put a hive or two in the area and see what happens.

Peter

That is maybe to good part...The temp difference in my area (Piedmont) is usually about 10 to 15 degrees warmer than in the mountains. We also plant gardens about a month earlier here...So I should be able to build them up here, then move a couple to the mountains to see how it works out.

The worst problem is having enough drawn out comb...including brood comb. I am hoping to make increases next year, but I don't know if I am going to do it by shaking out bees, or by removing frames of brood and bees.

Anyway, I can hopefully us some hives for making increases and the others for honey. My business is just starting and I already have more request for bees that I will probably be able to fill.

[kenr]

In Yancey we've not had a Locust bloom for the last two years when we do have it it's just before the poplar bloom right during the swarming season for my ladies.