Honeybees Savoring Summer

Nectar flows, blooms, high pollen counts and honeybee foragers are waning like a summer sunset.  Yes, the Goldenrod flow is on now, but at its close the only significant honeybee plant will be asters. You can try to extend blooms and nectar flow by planting a garden full of buckwheat like I did, but the frost will still come and there is nothing me or the honeybees can do about it. So I will enjoy each happy, buzzing honeybee day we have until frost does come! Below are some pictures of honeybee plants and honeybee foragers at work.

Honeybee forager on Rose a Sharon bloom. 

Multiple honey bee foragers collecting nectar and pollen from Sunflower

Honeybee forager on Sunflower

An old Honeybee forager, look at her frayed and torn wings.

Honeybee in flight

Honeybee forager with load of pollen from Ragweed

How can you not love this little darling with her face full of pollen?! She is serious about her work!  Loaded down and time to go back to the hive. Ragweed plant. 

Ragweed and Goldenrod in the forefront. Not where you want to be if you have seasonal allergies.

Honeybee forager on Ragweed.

Some of my hives surrounded by Goldenrod! 

Honeybee Heaven.  Loosestrife, Goldenrod, Jewelweed, Joe Pye weed all along a creek 20 feet from my apiary.

Cosmos.

Goldenrod, Jewelweed and Loosestrife.

My Last OTS Queen of 2015

On August 27th I opened up the hive to see if I had a laying queen.  It was a start/split  from June 23 whose queen never returned after her mating flight.  I gave it a notched frame of brood on July 28. A week later I checked for queen cells and there were two.  I have been waiting since then. My patience was rewarded as I found eggs and a new OTS queen.  This start will overwinter in a single deep.

New post soltice OTS queen!

Another OTS Queen! On The Spot Queen Rearing by Mel Disselkoen.

Goldenrod hanging down near hive entrances. These girls don't have to travel far from their front porch to find some nectar and pollen.

These July splits/starts with new OTS Queens have built up incredibly fast. They have also had to draw out many frames of comb as each split had only 3-4 drawn frames to begin with.

Drawing out new comb, so beautiful clean and white.  I like using the black foundation as it makes the eggs and larva easier to see.

Honeybee Forage

August already? I saw Goldenrod blooming today!! We could definitely use more rain. It has been pretty dry in West Michigan. From morning till dusk my honeybees are frequenting the bird bath for water.  We do have a pond nearby, but as my bird bath is only about fifty feet from the hives, it is convenient for them to tank up on water there.

I checked my queenless hive yesterday and found a queen cell where I notched.  Patience is now needed as I will have to wait to the end of August to check for a laying queen.  The other hives have beautiful brood patterns and are building up nicely.

I went to the Honey Festival in Frankenmuth, MI last Saturday. One of the vendors was selling plants for pollinators and  I purchased an Anise Hyssop plant. When I got home that night, I left it outside the garage. The next morning at 0830, the Honeybees had already found it.

They have also been working my Zinnias, Purple Cones, Japanese Anemone, Lemon head Sunflowers, pumpkins, squash and pickles.  Tomorrow I plan to sow about three pounds of Buckwheat seed. It should bloom early to mid September for the bees.

Honeybee on Japanese Anemone

Honeybees on Purple Cone Flower

Honeybee with pollen on white Zinnia

Honeybee on Anise Hyssop flower



Honeybee on Anise Hyssop

Water! At the bird bath.