Why do I not see Sumac yet?

It's just starting to bloom here.

I'm in north Georgia and it's budding now. I look for my bees to start working it in about a week. For my area mid to late July seems like when sumac usually blooms, so looks to be about right. There is a lot of it here and my bees love to work it.

Does anyone get honey from aralia spinosa? AKA devil's walking stick and a few other names? Tons of them here about to pop. I'm hoping maybe the bees will fill the wet supers I put back on.
Thanks

The bees are all over it when it blooms, but it only lasts a few days. Way better than nothing, but not really much help during the usual summer dearth.

Which - fortunately - we are not having. Yet.

What variety of Sumac do you have? I've heard that the honey you get from Sumac is dark…I've seen Sourwood honey that was darkened by Sumac nectar. Our Sumac produces light colored honey and seemingly blooms earlier than yours…mid-June. We don't get a good flow from the Sumacs every year, but this year was exceptional.

Our main crop Sumac is from Staghorn Sumac, Rhus typhina, with a bit of Smooth Sumac, Rhus glabra.

Michael sumac is blooming in Brattleboro Vermont started last week



BEE HAPPY Jim 134

we got 3 different sumacs here in north east tenn. a tall tree like, a medium and a short one winged sumac .... only one i didn't see yet was the short one.

I have some Staghorn, but most of the sumac is called Winged here. Not sure if that is the correct name or not. It has small leaves between the larger ones that look like small wings.

I believe we have shining and smooth sumac as best as I can determine. Poison sumac as well but I've never noticed it.

challenger said:

Any thoughts about sumac bloom times?
Thanks

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Which variety? We have three (that I know of) varieties. Staghorn and "shining" (I think that is the name) bloom around the first of June. Towards the end of poplar if memory serves me correct.

The other variety is dwarf sumac. It is easily distinguished by the "wings" on the stems. Dwarf sumac blooms towards the end of July early August. This is the variety I am trying to cultivate in my yard as a hedgerow.

Shane

Doesn't devils walking stick make nasty tasting honey? At least that's what I read.

i just looked at winged sumac today it's starting to get flower buds. will probably be blooming in another week or so here in the cumberland mountains north east tenn.
they are still packing in the end of sourwood and white clover is still going

Sumac is blooming in west Alabama, sort of sporadically. Some will bloom, some heads not close to blooming. Has been doing this for about a month with all the rain we've been getting. Walk downwind of the hives and you can smell a light, sweet aroma. Not sure how much longer it will last but there are still blooms that are not close to blooming yet.

GaryG74 said:

Sumac is blooming in west Alabama, sort of sporadically. Some will bloom, some heads not close to blooming. Has been doing this for about a month with all the rain we've been getting. Walk downwind of the hives and you can smell a light, sweet aroma. Not sure how much longer it will last but there are still blooms that are not close to blooming yet.

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Thanks for this update. Can you tell me of you feel you get honey from Sumac? I see you do get an aroma but I'm curious about the possibility of honey from sumac given it is an incidental plant that is far removed from our main flow which quit over a month ago.

challenger said:

Thanks for this update. Can you tell me of you feel you get honey from Sumac? I see you do get an aroma but I'm curious about the possibility of honey from sumac given it is an incidental plant that is far removed from our main flow which quit over a month ago.

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Shaghorn sumac bloomed around June12-20th in East Tennessee/North Ga, it normally produces a good flow of yellow/golden honey. Smooth Sumac is just starting to bloom (it's late about two weeks) and normally has a short flow of about a week and it's honey is normally dark. The late season sumac species will darken up sourwood honey.

UTvolshype said:

The late season sumac species will darken up sourwood honey.

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I believe Tree of Heaven honey darkens my sourwood. When I have a weak sourwood flow the honey brought in during that time has an "earthy" taste. Yes, it taste like dirt. The old timers here call it shumate honey. Tree of heaven looks a lot like sumac.

Hokie Bee Daddy said:

The old timers here call it shumate honey.

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Here they call it Shoemack

UTvolshype said:

Shaghorn sumac bloomed around June12-20th in East Tennessee/North Ga, it normally produces a good flow of yellow/golden honey. Smooth Sumac is just starting to bloom (it's late about two weeks) and normally has a short flow of about a week and it's honey is normally dark. The late season sumac species will darken up sourwood honey.

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Shaghorn? I thought it was "staghorn". Have I been hearing it wrong all these years? Or just a variation
like shuemate?