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.
