The pussy willow is in full bloom today, and the bees are all over it! This is always an exciting day for me. In my mind at least, this the beginning of bee season. This is the first bloom that is visible and allows the bees to bring in large amounts of pollen. It could very well be that the bees are able to get some nectar from the pussy willow as well, but I do not know for sure either way.
The main nectar flow that really allows the bees to pack away a lot of honey begins with the alfalfa bloom sometime in June. I have kept track over the years and have learned that the alfalfa bloom begins about 70 days after the pussy willow bloom. Since the pussy willow bloom is happening today, April 11th, I can plan on honey production moving into high gear on about June 20th. There will be smaller nectar flows between now and then- dandelions, fruit trees, etc. Let bee season begin!
Below are a series of pictures of the bees on the pussy willow today.
The main nectar flow that really allows the bees to pack away a lot of honey begins with the alfalfa bloom sometime in June. I have kept track over the years and have learned that the alfalfa bloom begins about 70 days after the pussy willow bloom. Since the pussy willow bloom is happening today, April 11th, I can plan on honey production moving into high gear on about June 20th. There will be smaller nectar flows between now and then- dandelions, fruit trees, etc. Let bee season begin!
Below are a series of pictures of the bees on the pussy willow today.
Finally, I took this little video of the bees in the pussy willow. Hopefully you will be able to see all the activity. At the end I held the camera up in the middle to try to pick up the hum of the bees, so turn your speakers up.
