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Author Topic: What's flowering: Victoria  (Read 62420 times)

Offline OzBuzz

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What's flowering: Victoria
« on: November 28, 2015, 06:23:34 pm »
G'day Folks, just wondering what's flowering in your area? I'm near Keilor and Red Gum along the Maribyrnong is starting up.

Offline Oldbeavo

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Re: What's flowering: Victoria
« Reply #1 on: November 28, 2015, 10:23:51 pm »
Is there any nectar in it?
Do you have bees on it?

Offline Honeycomb king

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Re: What's flowering: Victoria
« Reply #2 on: December 06, 2015, 04:15:13 pm »
Red gum is yielding well, both nectar and pollen , around ararat. Was yielding around whittlesea, same subspecies as kileor area. Although noticed some nectar scarab beetles on it yesterday.  If that scarab beetle is in numbers then forget it, the bees won't touch the red gum. Bees are very clean and the beetle deficates on it. I'll be back to my hives on Wednesday to assess.
Great heading for a forum, hope it kicks off.

Offline Lancej

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Re: What's flowering: Victoria
« Reply #3 on: December 06, 2015, 05:00:49 pm »
Blackberries are flowering up at Trentham, it's going to be interesting to see how they go, we have had little rain so far this season.

Offline Honeycomb king

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Re: What's flowering: Victoria
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2015, 07:54:08 pm »
Broad leaf peppermint (eucalyptus dives) is flowering in the hills, and is yielding well and often there is black berry around the same area as well. Only yields in the warmer weather, say above 25?c and better when is sunny. As this is a warm year is going well.
Hoping for blue gum later and will check out some sites soon as everything seems to be 3 weeks early this year.

Offline Honeycomb king

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Re: What's flowering: Victoria
« Reply #5 on: December 11, 2015, 02:11:10 am »
Blackberries have about a week to go in the hills say 500 to 600 m above sea level, broad leaf peppermint seems to have finished but may kick on with the warm weather early next week which will finish of the berry.  Tea tree ( burgan) in the hills has really got started which will be good for those on blackberry in those areas.  It's great when 1 good pollen source follow another.  The kinglake ranges has had a good spring with goodenia followed by blackberry then tea tree. All have a high protein pollen even if a surplus of honey is not gathered.

Offline OzBuzz

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Re: What's flowering: Victoria
« Reply #6 on: December 13, 2015, 11:13:09 pm »
It would be great if we could colaboratively work together to share information about what's going on where - even if it is very high level. I find the hardest thing being suitable locations to put a few hives... Thanks for your updates folks - keep them coming :)

I thought the Green Mallee was going to do well this season (up around Kamaroooka) but it seems the heat has really killed off any chance of that

Offline Lancej

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Re: What's flowering: Victoria
« Reply #7 on: December 13, 2015, 11:30:14 pm »
The lack of rain and hot days are going to stop a lot of trees flowering. An area we cut hay last year gave us about 70 bails, this year we got 9. (We didn't cut all, there wasn't enough grass).

Offline Honeycomb king

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Re: What's flowering: Victoria
« Reply #8 on: December 14, 2015, 06:58:54 am »
Keep in mind the season seems to be running 3 weeks in advance of the normal. So set your calendar 3 weeks forward and look at the floral source of January. Also remember when ever the seasons are out of rhythm there is always an equalizer. My thought at this stage is a wet autumn starting 3rd week of March give or take a week. But it's always easier to pick the season when its been .
 Nectar scarab seems to be very little, on red gum so it continues. I'll be looking at other floral sources over the next week and will report back.
Oz buzz you will find most beekeepers will tell you about a nectar flow after it has happened.

Offline Honeycomb king

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Re: What's flowering: Victoria
« Reply #9 on: December 22, 2015, 09:05:43 am »
Red gum has pretty much finished around whittlesea.  Still on the go out ararat way despite the extreme heat and wind, see what comes off if after the Xmas, boxing day rains that is expected. Too busy with honeycomb to check out other sites this will possibly next week.

Offline Honeycomb king

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Re: What's flowering: Victoria
« Reply #10 on: January 01, 2016, 08:55:42 pm »
Blue gum has just started (about a week ago )in the north east, with narrow leaf peppermint still going at those higher altitudes of its zone, say 800 m. Good budding of mountain swamp gum as well. Some manna gum starting at those levels too, although if your chasing manna gum I'd suggest lower country.apparently it's going well along the king parrot creek.
   Red box is seeing buds in the hurstbridge, warrandyte area for the 2nd week of October. Caution with this as some lerps and leaf gall around so if it gets hold the trees will drop their buds or have them damaged . Red gum around mansfield look very poor,( was just driving past so didn't stop to inspect). Yellow box are generally looking good central, north central and northern country. Some stringy bark flowering about but I didn't check to see how extensive that is as I was happy to move to blue gum in the higher country as it's a bit cooler up there in a hot summer, and a few other pollen sources with it pink eye, flat weed etc that has come up with that 40 mm of rain last week.
Any way better go and get my bees ready to move probably Sunday night.

Offline Honeycomb king

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Re: What's flowering: Victoria
« Reply #11 on: January 08, 2016, 08:10:38 am »
We moved bees a few nights ago onto blue gum which didn't mind that bizarre weather we have had this week. Although the narrow leaf peppermint is washed out, still had the flowers but no bees on it. North east vic has had patchy rain fall this week either buckets or not much.  The strathbogies is a week or two ahead with the blue gum, messmate is just starting out,  didn't look like it will be a big flowering with plenty of buds for next year already looking good. I'll walk through the forest next week and get more info on that then. Manna gum looking good there as well, not yet flowering. Not a lot of ground flora, but we will see what comes from this week's rain.
Stringy bark is now flowering and grey box in the same area is full of buds for autumn and nice to see the yellow box with new growth and healthy looking trees, so hopefully some buds later for spring flowering.
Long leaf box, euc gonicalyx is looking good for autumn as well although I haven't seem it in the diamond valley yet, so if anyone has let us know.  Possibly some bursaria flowering around there as well. .

Would be good to here from others, or have some feed back.

Offline Lancej

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Re: What's flowering: Victoria
« Reply #12 on: January 10, 2016, 04:31:12 am »
Hi HCK, all we have flowering at Trentham at the moment is blue gums, but they have been taken over by plague beetles, no room left for the bees as their name states, plague, millions of them. Will have to move my bees either to the suburbs or to North East Vic the way its going.

Offline Honeycomb king

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Re: What's flowering: Victoria
« Reply #13 on: January 10, 2016, 12:01:20 pm »
North east is looking very good.
Messmate down on the coast too, if you have a site say around torquay. Not sure If it is yielding is not my area.
Any manna gum out your way, beetle should be finished by the time it starts to flower.

Offline Lancej

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Re: What's flowering: Victoria
« Reply #14 on: January 10, 2016, 02:31:23 pm »
Manna gum, Messmate and peppermint up our way, none in flower yet, we have a bit of mint in the gullies growing in the wet area that the stock haven't flattened. Is there any nectar in spear thistles, we have a few in the next door neighbours paddock.

Offline Honeycomb king

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Re: What's flowering: Victoria
« Reply #15 on: January 10, 2016, 11:41:44 pm »
If your lucky the rain that is forecast for this week (upto 15mm) will wash the beetle away and the hot day before will start to open the messmate. When you say mint do you mean prostathera lasianthus (victorian mint bush), if so and if we get that rain you'll get a few late blackberry flowers too. Yes to the thisle, thin white nectar similar to blackberry and a reasonably high protein in the pollen. Candies quick too.
What's your level above sea there?

Offline Lancej

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Re: What's flowering: Victoria
« Reply #16 on: January 11, 2016, 04:07:23 am »
The beetles should only be around for 4 to 6 weeks, I don't know how long they have already been here. After reading about them, for the long term health of the property I think these beetles will do a lot of good in the control of other pest insects. The mint I believe  is a peppermint, not quite the standard garden type, the herb we have will grow up to 1 meter high, smells great with a purple flower. Our level is between 700 to 750 meters

Offline Honeycomb king

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Re: What's flowering: Victoria
« Reply #17 on: January 13, 2016, 07:28:41 am »
I heard last night that the narrow leaf peppermint is still flowering at its higher altitudes in the north east.
I'm moving bees over the next two nights (once the cool change gets here) then I'll blog back in with more floral info.

Offline Honeycomb king

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Re: What's flowering: Victoria
« Reply #18 on: January 13, 2016, 09:43:49 pm »
Blue gum now full bloom, messmate is well into it and manna looking good in the strathbogies. There is also messmate flowering in the kinglake ranges, that is 7 years since the fires.It will be interesting to see if it offers any nectar. I would doubt it but with lots of good looking new growth maybe we will get a crop in 2 years. It would  be great to be closer to home again. The old timers say it's 20 years after a fire before you get back to normal honey flow, I hope not.
Grey box has loved the rain, so should be good for autumn crops.

Offline Honeycomb king

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Re: What's flowering: Victoria
« Reply #19 on: January 18, 2016, 05:00:08 am »
Blue gum is yielding well, in the northeast.
Grey box is flowering, yes it's mid January and the grey box is flowering, only two month early.
Messmate in the kinglake ranges is on fact yielding both pollen and nectar. It is only just starting to flower at the higher spots, and we'll into it at the lower.
Shows what I know, I didn't think it would yield at all.
Just remember if going to the messmate if can end quickly and if your not used to it the bees get as nasty as your mother in law.
Happy day's.