Poplar Blossom

The beautiful tulip poplar blossom - responsible for the red tint to our local honey.

Pussy Willows

Pussy Willows are such fun plants and they provide early pollen.  My bees love them.

Spring flowers

Honeybees and daffodils..

Pollen isn't always Yellow !

Female worker bees collect pollen from various flowers.  They wet the small pollen grains with nectar/saliva and pack it on their hind legs on structures called "pollen baskets". (though they are not really "baskets" but stiff hairs.)  Back at the hive, this pollen will be stored and used to feed young bees and nurse bees that have to produce brood food for young larva.  How neat is that ?

 

Dandelions...breakfast of champions..

One person's lawn weed is another person's bee food !  carolinahoneybees.com

Honeybees gathering dry pollen

Each year I put out dry pollen substitute for the bees.  My normal choice is Megabee.  I placed the bucket out Saturday and the next day it was a popular spot !

A new Bee Year

A new year is coming. Plan to make it a more bee friendly one. If you cant keep bees (or don't want to ) , you can do other things to help. Plant bee friendly plants in your gardens - even a few may help. A small water garden with some pebbles along the edge can provide clean water. Use less pesticides on your lawns. Let a few flowering weeds grow !

Pollen Gathering is important

In addition to gathering nectar for winter food stores, I want the bees to be able to collect a variety of pollen.  This can be used to keep the last round of babies before winter well fed and stored to use in late winter when the queen resumes laying...usually right about the end of December or early January. (A time when natural pollen is not usually available)