> Bill Lord wrote:
>   I did notice the poplar trees had so much nectar this year that it
> was dripping on to the lower leaves of the trees and causing sooty mold to
> grow on the surface of the leaves,  I have bees in the NC mountains at 3600
> feet   I would worry less about what kind of honey the bees make and focus
> on keeping them alive and making whatever they choose.

I too remember when the tulip poplar trees were dripping with nectar but not in
the past 20 some years.  I also remember parking my vehicles under several large 
oak trees that also dripped on the vehicles.  It was black and sooty and took a lot of 
scrubbing to get it off.  I am at a disadvantage when it comes to forage area.
I live near a river that is 6 miles wide. That cuts my forage area in half. 

When I started keeping bees almost 40 years ago and I watched all the three trees come into bloom,
and saw my supers fill with honey.  Never had enough to meet all the demand.  That was 
because I had so many of the three trees close by.  I have not had a good honey crop for 
many years.  I only pull a few frames for the wife to be able to put some honey in her tea.

If you are at a high elevation than it is colder than it is here in southern Maryland.  This 
would account for the nectar flow as I believe that the problem is caused by climate change;
the warming of our plant.

Bill Bartlett 

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