Likely someone close is open feeding. Some early nectar from Maples on flying days is a possibility. No queen , so where ever their finding nectar or syrup they'll just store it.
what type of honey is made in late winter, early spring?
So my bees have been fighting a queenless situation since Feb 24. The only "good thing" about that is my bees have been pulling in the honey. (I have not been feeding them, so I know it's not capped sugar syrup) Now I find myself with 10 full bars of ripe honey in my foundationless topbar hive. New queen from California arrives tomorrow, so I thought I'd steal a few bars of honey since the main flow hasn't even started.
With the tulip poplars and clover not even blooming, what nectar would be available in Southeastern Virginia that they would have made the honey from? Redbuds and dogwood have only been in bloom less than 7 days, so it's not them. Mahonia stopped blooming in December, and with this crazy winter, much of the other winter flowers like winter honeysuckle and camellias have been killed off. The honey is a very pale color, but my tupelo tree hasn't bloomed yet either, so it's not tupelo honey.
With the tulip poplars and clover not even blooming, what nectar would be available in Southeastern Virginia that they would have made the honey from? Redbuds and dogwood have only been in bloom less than 7 days, so it's not them. Mahonia stopped blooming in December, and with this crazy winter, much of the other winter flowers like winter honeysuckle and camellias have been killed off. The honey is a very pale color, but my tupelo tree hasn't bloomed yet either, so it's not tupelo honey.
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
I have one hive that put up about 35 lbs of what I believe to be Maple honey. They packed it in early and that and henbit were the only two things that I know that were blooming.
I found a post on honeybeesuite.com that talks about bigleaf maple honey. I didn't realize maples had enough nectar to produce a honey crop. According to Rusty's website, it taste divine. I'll let you all know what I think
we got a hundred pounds of honey off the maples last year. Some folks think it's divine, others not so much. It has a very distinct flavour compared to other honey we've got from the hives, not quite as sweet.
So far this year, the maples aren't even in bloom here yet. Dont have nearly as many as we did in our old location, dont think maple honey is going to be in our future here in the new home.
So far this year, the maples aren't even in bloom here yet. Dont have nearly as many as we did in our old location, dont think maple honey is going to be in our future here in the new home.
My bees are working my crimson clover already.
There can be an early and intense maple flow. Plus Autumn Olive. Light delicious honey.
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Beesource Beekeeping Forums
A forum community dedicated to beekeeping, bee owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeding, honey production, health, behavior, hives, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Top Contributors this Month
View All
Snarge
367 Replies
Gray Goose
222 Replies
RayMarler
221 Replies
Recommended Communities
