[dkofoed]

I've looked around a bit and can't seem to locate anything that allows me to find out when the "main flow" is for my area. Is there anything out there I'm missing? Do you just have to extrapolate that based on what you observe to be blooming at any given time?

My hives are in a bit of a rural area, so there are a multitude of crops and other types of blooms (trees, flowers, etc) that are available ... so I'm not sure how one could predict when the main flow would be.

 

[CajunBee]

I use this site http://honeybeenet.gsfc.nasa.gov/Sites/national_map.htm. I don't see anything really close to you, but....there is some older data from Beaverlodge, AB.

 

[grozzie2]

In delta, your main flow would be the blackberries, if you are far enough out of the city proper, that your bees are anywhere near the wild blackberries.

 

[dkofoed]

Yes, blackberries are definitiely in great abundance around here! So I guess i just need to find out the timing of blackberry blooms ...

 

[grozzie2]

Yes, blackberries are definitiely in great abundance around here! So I guess i just need to find out the timing of blackberry blooms ...

It'll vary some year to year. We were in Duncan on the island the last few years, so timing essentially the same as Richmond and Delta areas. Last year we were moving in the middle of the summer, so I dont have dates. But the year before, first flowers showed up during the 3rd week of June, the bulk of the bloom was during July, and the last stragglers were still showing an occaisional flower in early September. That was in a patch of blackberries beside our house, about a half acre in size.