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Author Topic: What's flowering: Queensland  (Read 144338 times)

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #40 on: November 12, 2017, 04:08:59 am »
The nuc's are coming along nicely - will be making up some more this week.
Jacaranda is still flowering here.
Lilly Pilly is just about  done.

Brush Box is coming out - looks promising.

Waterhousia is just starting and thanks to the cooler temps and a few showers some clover is flowering.

A good flow on right now.

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #41 on: December 09, 2017, 09:32:39 pm »
A good flow on here at the moment.

Angophora is out and the good old Cobblers Pegs are doing well ( belive me - it is great honey and the bees like it for pollen too)

Bloodwood is out in some areas too.

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #42 on: December 21, 2017, 05:07:34 pm »
We are having rather exceptional weather for bees at the moment.
Good rains a few weeks ago got things rolling. Blood wood is flowering, Broad Leaved Ironbark is about to flower in some areas as is Grey Gum, Stringybark, Swamp Mahogany and Wild may - Wild may is doing well but there is not much around. The Lemon Scented Teatree is out and Lemon Myrtle too.

temps have been rather mild - no heatwave here so far and urban areas shoulstill see some Clover and the Flatwweed likes thes conditions too. They all help.

Some rain predicted in a few days and this will keep it all going. Bless the Cobblers Pegs - they are flowering everywhere!!

Offline felmo1

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #43 on: December 27, 2017, 05:43:03 pm »
Agree with Max2, a lot of flora flowering at the moment.
One sign I use is if I can hear fruit bats flapping around at night when I venture outside at night it is usually a sign that there is a good nectar close by.
Bees are bringing in a pollen from a range of different sources.  Pollen colours from pale cream to bright yellow/orange.

I notice that the large leafed privet trees are coming out in flower along the roadside,  Are they a good source of nectar?

Hoping the good weather continues.

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #44 on: December 29, 2017, 01:09:58 pm »

Offline Russ

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #45 on: December 29, 2017, 10:24:19 pm »
x
« Last Edit: December 29, 2017, 10:56:36 pm by Russ »

Offline Russ

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #46 on: December 29, 2017, 10:53:56 pm »
Sorry for the previous post attempt.

I have Ligustrum lucidum (broad-leaf privet) near to my hives. I am in my first year, but so far the honey appears to be light and sweet. Also I have Angophora prolifically flowering in larger numbers which may affect the product. I have had one commercial beekeeper say that the honey from broad leaf privet around here is good honey. I have come across several local recreational beekeepers that have exposed their hive to a small leaf privet, possible Ligustrum sinense or Ligustrum vulgare that claim the honey is terrible and unsaleable. I had noticed that their hives were located amongst noxious weeds such as lantana and crofton weed. I am also curious to other views from people with first hand knowledge of Privet Honeys.

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #47 on: December 30, 2017, 03:47:38 am »
I only know about Privet what I read and refered to above.

As far as " noxious weeds" is concerned - some produce some of the best honey around.
I wish Lantana was offering something to bees but here the bees don't work it at all. We got plenty!!

We have been taking honey off at the moment. Lighter then usual for this time of the year. No Bloodwood as far as I can see or taste.

We took honey off 3 weeks ago to the day and some hives are totally full. Even hives I took splits from.

A late season here but a good one. The rain made all the difference.

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #48 on: January 05, 2018, 09:33:57 pm »
Lovely to see the Lemon Myrtle out in full boom.

You can taste it even in small numbers. Interesting and honey from this period always sells fast.

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #49 on: January 11, 2018, 07:00:49 am »
Just noticed that the Angophora is budding again.

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #50 on: January 15, 2018, 03:56:43 am »
Bloodwood is out!

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #51 on: January 18, 2018, 03:02:02 am »
It has been warm and dry here. Good time to make my lasy batch of nuc's. Lots of brood and lots of pollen.

We need a bit of rain here to give the weeds a kick-along. There is still a flow on and time to take some more honey off.

Weaping Tea Tree starting to flower. What is flowering in your part of Queensland?

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #52 on: January 27, 2018, 12:29:45 am »
Very humid here but no rain so far.

I have planted well over 1000 Holy Basil plants and the bees loving it. Not much flowering. We need good, steaddy rain. A very late Wet again.

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #53 on: February 28, 2018, 03:27:34 am »
We had excellent rain here - late, but the best wet we had for a few years.

A few gums are budding up - Grey Gum, Flodded Gum and Blue Gum - lookin g positive for the next few months.

If we get more rain - and it looks like it, the soil moisure should take us into Autumn and Winter.

I hope the West got some rain too - they sure need it

Offline felmo1

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #54 on: March 01, 2018, 02:04:47 am »
Always hard to determine what is flowering or about to flower where we live.  The trees are too tall for me to obtain a good look.
But last weeks storm that came through had the some positive outcomes.  There was a lot of buds developing on the fallen branches.  Mainly grey gum and blue gums. 
Bees are still bringing in pollen from somewhere but expecting a good nectar flow from the main trees in 3 weeks or so.

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #55 on: March 09, 2018, 04:09:26 am »
We had a lot of rain and showery days - not good for the bees in the short term but promising for Winter and Spring - great soil moisture.

We have the Rain Trees flowering and the bees love it.

Coblers pegs are wonderful for beekeepers. They will flower after rain - give them 10 min sunshine and they are out. We have acres and acres of these on hillsides and gullies. The bees love them and will collect nectar and pollen. In a good year, and enough time without rain we will get a surplus and the honey is fantastic - one of my favourires.

If we get some sunshine, the conditions are pretty perfect this year.

Offline Bamboo

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #56 on: March 09, 2018, 06:06:24 am »
We had a lot of rain and showery days - not good for the bees in the short term but promising for Winter and Spring - great soil moisture.

Yes it would be nice to see some sunshine although the girls seem to be working in between the rain so there has to be some decent sources around for them to make the effort to go out. Seems like we have a decent shower come through every 15mins or so. We've had from 30 to 50mm of rain every day this past week......over it.

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #57 on: March 10, 2018, 06:52:48 am »
We run a beekeeping workshop here at Crystal Waters today.

Wave after wave of showers but we managed to open a few hives and saw a couple of queens. No honey coming in but plenty of pollen. Very few drones and I wonder what this means? Still plenty of time before it cools off and I would have expected a decent population of drones to hang around. I guess the bees know something we don't.

Showers predicted for another week. The bees will hang in there.

Offline Bamboo

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #58 on: March 10, 2018, 07:50:03 am »
Very few drones and I wonder what this means? Still plenty of time before it cools off and I would have expected a decent population of drones to hang around. I guess the bees know something we don't.

Showers predicted for another week. The bees will hang in there.
Maybe no freeloaders (drones) going into the so called winter? Maybe a bit cooler up there still bringing in a bit down here in the tropics  :happy:

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #59 on: March 10, 2018, 05:27:14 pm »
Palmwoods would be a bit warmer than we are in Winter - at least towards Hunchy.
I used to live in Nambour and had bees there too. No frost.

Mind you, we have not had a frost worth talking about for years.
I can remember many years ago we measured minus 16 C. I doubt we will see this again.