I have managed to get myself all kinds of confused. Too much research without enough straight talk has caused this or I'm just especially dense today (as opposed to any other day).
I have in the front yard of the house a really nice Northern Catalpa tree. I really like this tree except it's not of the southern variety. I like the blooms that it puts on. They smell good, they are pretty, they don't last very long when they fall off...... but they are not right for my bees. The girls just don't seem to work them but just a little. However, they really do love the back side of the leaves. I was just walking up to the hives a little bit ago and the catalpa tree was buzzing. The girls are only working the back side of the leaves and only on the major vein of the leaf.
Here is where I am confused.........What are they getting from this spot? We have plenty of water and it is not on the underside of the leaf. Nectar doesn't seem right to my way of thinking? Propolis? Logically, that seems like the right answer, but I am not sure.
I am still digging through reference material trying to find my own answer, but I thought I would post up here because I can at least understand what you guys write.
Scott
I have in the front yard of the house a really nice Northern Catalpa tree. I really like this tree except it's not of the southern variety. I like the blooms that it puts on. They smell good, they are pretty, they don't last very long when they fall off...... but they are not right for my bees. The girls just don't seem to work them but just a little. However, they really do love the back side of the leaves. I was just walking up to the hives a little bit ago and the catalpa tree was buzzing. The girls are only working the back side of the leaves and only on the major vein of the leaf.
Here is where I am confused.........What are they getting from this spot? We have plenty of water and it is not on the underside of the leaf. Nectar doesn't seem right to my way of thinking? Propolis? Logically, that seems like the right answer, but I am not sure.
I am still digging through reference material trying to find my own answer, but I thought I would post up here because I can at least understand what you guys write.
Scott