Bee Chronicles

6 July, 2021

My calculations are that Tulip poplar nectar flow stopped around 5 June. That is around my house (2250 altitude). The hill right behind my house goes up to 2750 feet altitude. I hope the bees continued up the mountain until all the nectar flows stopped.

If you have honey supers that are partially full of capped and uncapped honey frames, I do a little frame manipulation and then let the bees continue to finish them off. Some of the frames will be mixed with spring and sourwood honey. They get classified as "Spring" honey or "wild flower". Mark your empty frames so you know that they are sourwood and you can leave them in the same super as "wild flower".

If you have some supers with 1 or 2 capped honey frames in the center you can collect the capped frames and move them into a honey super filling it up with all capped spring honey. This just aids in keeping track of where the spring honey is making it easier to segregate during extraction. When it comes time to extract, spin out the lighter colored sourwood honey first and then the spring flow, catching it in separate buckets.

If you have hives without honey supers it is a good time to treat for varroa mites before sourwood nectar flow starts. Make sure your mite treatment style matches the HOT DAYS. Some chemicals are only used at below 82^o.

10 June 2021: I have gone north all the way to Lance Crossing subdivision. That is off HWY 129 just before the North Carolina border. I saw a sourwood next to the road facing south at a higher elevation. I could see the green flower bud on the stringers. As I came down the hill, I could see sourwoods just putting out the stringers the blooms will form on. At the bottom of the hill, I could see sourwoods with no signs of blossoms. The shade increased as the road twisted and turned coming down hill.

My guess is sourwood blooms will start around 1 July depending on the amount of sun.

Make sure you have adequate honey supers. Your bees should collect a little less sourwood than spring honey. Weather permitting of course. Soil moisture at the 3' deep level and air temperature are the two biggest factors that will impact nectar flow. Wind, heavy rain, and hail will also knock the nectar out of the blossoms.

If sourwood nectar flow goes fast or is terminated early, be prepared to feed syrup to the bees for the rest of the year. They do not have enough honey stored for 8 months (until next February).

You can also use this time to rebalance the populations in your weaker hives drawing foragers off the strong hives. This will put more nectar or syrup into the weak hive allowing more wax drawing and honey storage.

Between nectar flows is a good time for the honey bees to swarm. Bee vigilant and prevent this. Remember: Hives full of brood, full of food, and full of bees will swarm. They are loud and confused, flying around the hive for up to 10 days before the queen departs and they follow her. See Esoteria 33,31, & 11