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Author Topic: What's flowering: Queensland  (Read 203451 times)

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #760 on: December 03, 2023, 08:29:12 pm »
Just noticed ( 4. December) that the Grumichamas are flowering - the bees love them.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=grumichama

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #761 on: December 14, 2023, 12:39:15 am »
The last honey we pulled is much darker - the Clover is gone and maybe this is Brushboxx honey?

Grey Gum should be flowering too...may some of the ironbarks?

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #762 on: December 19, 2023, 02:04:08 am »
Looks like Blackbutt is doing OK...

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #763 on: December 23, 2023, 09:38:21 pm »
We are getting nice showers - glad we have so far missed out on storms.

The ironbark should respond to these conditions.

I think Brushbox just missed the rain by weeks.

Offline Ben Framed

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #764 on: December 23, 2023, 11:34:30 pm »
Max do you have tornados in your section of Australia, or anywhere in Australia?

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #765 on: December 24, 2023, 12:44:37 am »
Tornados are rare in Australia but we do get Cyclones here.
Right now a storm is passing over with very heavy rain.
Google " Nambour weather" and you will see what is happening here weatherwise

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #766 on: December 27, 2023, 09:55:46 pm »
We had good rain ( well storms) and soil moisture is OK - the grass is growing like crazy.

I notice the Lilly Pilly is budding again. The sun flowers are out and the bees are on them. Interesting to se that there seem to be about 5 native bees per Honey Bee on each flower.

Weeds ( I prefer to call it " ground flora" ) is benefitting from the rain. Bees love some of them and Cobblers Pegs make a lovely honey.

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #767 on: December 29, 2023, 05:21:09 pm »
Ironbark!

I can smell the honey in the hot evening breeze.

There is no way that i will take honey off in this heat.

January/February are humid months and working bees is not much fun. I may take some honey off again when the weather suits

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #768 on: January 06, 2024, 01:26:19 am »
We have been receiving steady rain for a few weeks now.
Unlike areas North and South of us we had very little flooding and only minor damage.
I feel for the beekeepers ( and everybody else) who had to deal with damaging storms and major flooding.

Nearly two years ago we had major flooding and while we " fixed" fences and other infrastructure, you never bring it back to what it was.
Our brand new fence was flooded and it will always look a bit wonky now.

Prolonged rain is not ideal for the bees .
SHB numbers can explode and I expect a couple of slime outs.
It is impossible to check on bees in this weather and when there is a short , sunny break it is incredibly humid.
Such is life in the Subtropics!

There are of course long term benefits from this steady rain.

Most of our honey is Eucalypt based. 80 % is probably a low figure. Most of the major flows are Eucalypt flows.
The great exception in my area is Clover . But even clover is often mixed with Blue Gum ( E, tereticornis)
Many of our Eucalypts have a long period from bud to flower and often depend on weather conditions ( temperature, rain, humidity...) to perform well.
It is not uncommon for a Eucalypt to flower profusely without delivering any nectar.
Many of our Eucalypts carry the buds for 2 to 3 months before flowering ( for example Corymbia  gummifera, E. microcarpa, E. grandis...)

While others carry buds for  6 to 8 months or longer ( for example Corymbia  eximia, E. propinqua, E. saligna, E. tereticornis...)
And some will carry them for 18 months or longer ( for example Corymbia Citriodora, Corymbia  maculata, E. obliqua, e. melliodora, E. moluccana...)

So, what it all means is that the lovely rain we are receiving will mean a potential good harvest many months from now.

E. tessellaris is currently flowering but it is only of minor importance for our bees.

Beekeeping will never get boring.
Getting to know the flowering behaviour of the plants the bees are so depending on makes it all even more interesting.

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #769 on: January 17, 2024, 05:21:35 pm »
Lemon Myrtle!

Finally. The trees had been flowering for a while in lower areas. The bees love them but I doubt that we have enough to make a difference to a nectar flow.

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #770 on: January 25, 2024, 04:27:01 pm »
I notice the Leopard trees are out!

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #771 on: January 29, 2024, 05:57:09 pm »
The Mock Orange is out.
The bees usually like them but their won't be many bees flying today!

The farmer next door to one of my yards can't harvest the Lucerne which means that they field will probably be flowering.
A nice bonus. Something to look forward to when the sun is out again.

Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #772 on: February 12, 2024, 06:17:00 pm »
This is Ironbark flowering time!
Like all Eucalypts , IB flowers during the night time most prolifically. Rain during the night will wash out nectar and pollen.
I would love to get some of the honey - great stuff.

Soon we will be buying seed for winter pastures.
We will be mixing in plenty of white clover again with the winter rye.
Oats are in short supply this year.

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Offline max2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #774 on: February 17, 2024, 12:14:32 am »
What is flowering? Good question.
Whatever is flowering is being washed out.

Time to step back a bit and let the bees be bees.

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #775 on: February 19, 2024, 07:20:22 am »
Every country that Varroa show up in wastes a lot of bees and a lot of money only to find that there's nothing they can do about it.  I'm sure Australia will repeat all the same wasteful ideas.
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
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Offline Terri Yaki

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #776 on: February 19, 2024, 08:40:05 am »
Every country that Varroa show up in wastes a lot of bees and a lot of money only to find that there's nothing they can do about it.  I'm sure Australia will repeat all the same wasteful ideas.
I don't understand that concept. It's not like we can't talk to teach other and share such things. You might not have the spotted lantern flies yet but sooner or later you will. They are another gift to us from Asia. They overtook the Korean Peninsula is short order, like just a couple of years. Anyway, you'll hear all kinds of nonsensical ways to deal with them. Including but not limited to climbing a ladder against a tree to scrape their eggs off. It's all futile.

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #777 on: February 19, 2024, 10:32:20 pm »
People in my sisters neighborhood put a 12? wide sticky tape around the trunk of the maple trees and other trees that they attack, about head high. It seems to work. The bugs climb up the trunk and get stuck in the tape.
Jim Altmiller
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #778 on: February 20, 2024, 07:35:34 am »
I think most of our insect problems are exacerbated by pesticides.  I don't hear whippoorwills anymore.  The quail are gone.  The pheasants are gone.  The bats are mostly gone.  All the things that used to eat the insects.
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
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Offline Ben Framed

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Re: What's flowering: Queensland
« Reply #779 on: February 20, 2024, 10:36:13 am »
You may be right. I don?t hear whippoorwills any more either. Quail in my area are gone too.

 

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