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Author Topic: What's flowering: Queensland  (Read 144352 times)

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #540 on: December 30, 2020, 08:51:01 pm »
I was working under a very large A melanoxylon and the sounf of bees was amazing. All the bees working the pollen...YET...the good book says that the pollen is of poor quality.
I think the bees know better.

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #541 on: January 02, 2021, 04:53:31 pm »
Cherry Guavas are budding here.

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #542 on: January 09, 2021, 09:37:41 pm »
We had a few days of good, steady, not heavy follow-up rain. We have not seen this for a long time.
Everything is responding: The Jaboticaba's are budding and so is the lemone Myrtle. It had not floweed for a couple of years.
While I can't check this out right now, I would expect that forest trees - mostly Eucalypts, will also respond soon.
Here is hoping!

Offline Beelab

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #543 on: January 10, 2021, 07:32:24 am »
I?m still learning, but the winds have thrown down branches with Flowers, Sydney blue gum, and now I see flowers on what I think are blackbutts. ?
The bees know where to go in between showers. They go out fast and come in fast.
The supers are bursting in their seams, just can?t harvest in between showers.
Bet my roofs are full of comb.
What a difference to last year.

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #544 on: January 12, 2021, 02:18:44 am »
Yes, some lids will have some honey in them.
You can reduce this by having inner lids. I generally just leave it. The bees will have some xtra honey when winter comes and will clean it all up.
We took honey off today. Nice to have a flow on - not sure what they are bringing in - very sweet.

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #545 on: January 18, 2021, 06:42:22 pm »
We finished our harvest but the flow is still on.
The Lemon Myrtle is flowering for the first time in a good while. It had been too dry.
Had 63mmlast night in a storm - more to come.
Many of the Lilly Pilly's are also budding

Offline Bee North

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #546 on: January 20, 2021, 05:17:30 pm »
Happy for you Max...good to hear your getting some honey!

Very wet up here!! We have had 425mm this month. I just got home after cyclone Kimi went past and we are in full wet season. My wife watched a swarm yesterday fly out in the rain , only to return. Hopefully I can get into my hives sooner rather than later. I know they have plenty of stores but the honey will be too wet to harvest...might be mead making again!

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #547 on: January 24, 2021, 12:26:23 am »
Hi Bee North,
I read about the rain up north. I hope you will get a break soon.
We had a few lovely days but it looks like we are getting more rain soon. We still need more as we had such a long dry period.
My hope is that the flowering will kick back to something normal.
It is too early to hope for Blue Gum and Clover to do well - far too early but we keep looking ahead.
Right now the Lilly Pilly's are doing well and the lemon Mytle has never looked as nice.
I made another bunch of nuc's and this will do for the season

Offline Bee North

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #548 on: January 28, 2021, 05:03:14 pm »
Red bloodwood, Corymbia gummifera is in flower. The girls go well on it every year but the rain has them capping it at 19.2%.

I had to harvest and am drying it this year....can only make so much mead!

I also had a couple of frames of very light coloured honey. It tasted a little fruity and like toffee. Any ideas. That's the only discription I have. It was from a new apiary I have set up. I dont have need to ever feed so it's not sugar.

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #549 on: January 30, 2021, 04:59:40 pm »
No idea what the honey could be. Always interesting.

19.2% should still be OK to store. Make sure you bottle it as soon as possible.
Storing the honey in a container with a large surface area will make the issue worse.

We are getting more light rain.

Often I see the bees are still flying.

Offline Bee North

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #550 on: January 30, 2021, 05:25:19 pm »
Hi Max...a bit of research and there used to be a huge tropical fruit farm within range. They introduced many exotic fruits to North Qld in the 70s from around the world. They now sell palms and other tropical plants wholesale only...who knows what the girls have found. The original property was 160 acres, much of it let go I believe. I might visit the property and check it out if they let me.

I have managed to dry it down to 18.1 so all good!

A bit of sunshine here and back to work for me.

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #551 on: February 04, 2021, 01:24:48 am »
I remember visiting a fruit farm in that area many, many years ago. In those days all these fruits where rather new to us.

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #552 on: February 06, 2021, 04:47:50 pm »
This is the time of the year I would like to see buds on the Blue Gum. These are tall trees and I generally depend on some fallen brnches as indicators. No luck so far.

If the Blue Gum buds now there is a good chance for some flowering in late winter - perfect for a good Spring start


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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #553 on: February 16, 2021, 09:17:59 pm »
We just finished taking more honey off.
The late season has been quite good.
I have large areas of forest across the valley but I can't see what is flowering? Have to do some checking when time permits.
By February I generally expect quite dark honey but this year it is more of a medium.
Maybe one more harvest  early Austumn/ :happy/fall? :happy:

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #554 on: February 22, 2021, 11:49:28 pm »
GoldenRaintree - Koelreuteria paniculata - is considered a weed in my part of the world but is quite plentyfull - indeed it is a street tree in our street.
The bees love it!
This time of the year - changing from Summer to Autumn andy nectar and pollen is welcome.
Not a tree I would plant ( but it is a stunning dispaly for a long time) as a beekeeper i would not cut them down either.

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #555 on: March 04, 2021, 11:57:10 pm »
The Golden Rain Trees are in full bloom and on this lovely warm day the bees are working it.
I checked a number of hives - part of my Autumn check - and the hives are still in full production here.
I have to check on another yard to see how they are going.
There is another, small tree flowering but I have to find out what it is. It does look weedy

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #556 on: March 12, 2021, 11:53:31 pm »
At one of my yards no nectar seems to be coming in at the moment.
In my home yard the Cassia ( Senna) is flowering but the bees don't seem to work it at all.
The wild pepper ( an introduced spp) is budding - plenty of these around.
The Cobblers pegs keep giving...
Never underestimate common weeds!

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #557 on: March 13, 2021, 12:03:38 am »
I think this is the pepper Tree!
https://weeds.brisbane.qld.gov.au/weeds/broadleaved-pepper

Othere references ( Google Brazilian Pper - honey) will tell you that the honey is much valued.
As soon as the flowers open I will have a good look and see if my bees are working it.

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #558 on: March 19, 2021, 01:44:51 am »
I have been spending my time in the garden planting for winter.
I found a small branch from a Blue Gum WITH some small buds!
Were there are small buds there is big hope!

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #559 on: March 28, 2021, 06:48:38 pm »
Slim picking for bees!
Autumn is here and the sun is out again after much needed rain.
I can smell the honey late in the afternoon but all I can see flowering are weeds!!
The Coblers pegs ( Bidens spinosa) is in some areas about 21/2 m high. Lots of flowers and the bees are making the best of it