Oct 1st today who's still extracting honey???

**Michael Palmer** · 10-06-2012, 08:31 AM

I've been finished for awhile, and am almost done with feeding. Three more yards and some nucs to top off, and it's time to pick up feeders and wrap.

We had a good crop in this area, and some hobbyists say their best ever. Mine was a bit above average. Don't have a final colony count, but it's over a hundred pound average. I supered extra early because of all the swarm reports coming from beekeepers in the south, and then mid-atlantic, and then connecticut...

Every bloom seemed to yield nectar. Starting with maple, the bees were in the supers right off. Sumac was the best I've seen. Decent clovers, and a great basswood flow. Goldenrod started two weeks early...saw goldenrod blooming on June 28??...smelled it on August 6, and not much happened. Flow ended soon after EAS meeting. Hives were light and I was figuring on heavy feeding. But, something came in in September and filled up the brood nests. Small White Aster I think. Only normal feeding required this year.

**jim lyon** · 10-06-2012, 08:42 AM

Originally Posted by Michael Palmer

But, something came in in September and filled up the brood nests. Small White Aster I think. Only normal feeding required this year.

Congratulations Mike, you folks were due after last year. We saw a little Aster honey come in very late but something very dark came in here in the latter part of the summer in certain areas. It came in during a time of brutally high temps and very, very dry conditions. Its been a real puzzle considering that some yards made probably 100 lb. avg. off of it in areas where there is only brown as far as the eye can see. The color is in the mid 60mm range. Fortunately we had already pulled the early white honey off. My theory is tamarisk though I havent seen it anywhere or have any reason to believe it is in the area.

**Michael Palmer** · 10-06-2012, 12:53 PM

Do you have Japanese Bamboo yet? It blooms here about Labor Day.

**jim lyon** · 10-06-2012, 05:27 PM

Originally Posted by Michael Palmer

Do you have Japanese Bamboo yet? It blooms here about Labor Day.

I have not heard of any in the area and the flow seems a bit early as this began in early August. It is rough hilly pasture ground with a stream flowing through the area which has virtually dried up this summer. We have kept bees in the area for decades and this is the first time I have seen a flow like this.

**Michael Palmer** · 10-06-2012, 05:52 PM

Molasses feeder?

**WCMN** · 10-06-2012, 09:40 PM

We also have had a few reports of this darker honey in Western MN. I had one yard that produce the darker honey. The beekeepers I talked to had no idea what plant produced it. It came in later summer.
They said there were no buckwheat fields in the area. As far as the molasses goes my brother in law reported see a large number of bees hovering around the silo as he was filling it with silage well adding
molasses to sweeten it up.

Randy

**Michael Palmer** · 10-07-2012, 04:45 AM

I just remembered...I haven't seen it for awhile, but for a number of years we got a dark honey that came in before bamboo. It was in burr comb and where brood had emerged and the comb filled...must have been in August. Haven't seen any lately. No one knew the source. Some thought it might be from corn, as that's the only change in vegetation in the valley.

**Ian** · 10-07-2012, 02:42 PM

corn ?

**Michael Palmer** · 10-07-2012, 03:38 PM

When corn is growing fast, it cracks and leaks sap that the bees harvest. Yeah, I know it's a long shot but that was one of the suggestions at the time.