In a message dated 23/09/2006 13:11:26 GMT Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
<<Yeah Chris, but you are in the UK, where there isn't much of a winter.
Your
bees bring in pollen in February...from Ivy, isn't it? And that Gulf Stream
effects what your bees do.>>
Not from ivy, except possibly in the far South-West. In my part of the UK
(Midlands), there may be a very little brought in on a warm February day, from
snowdrops, Hellebores, and any other garden flowers which may be out that
early, but it really will be the odd day, and they certainly won't bring in
enough to make any significant difference. At that point, hives will probably
have a little patch of brood a couple of inches across. A mild March will bring
in more pollen, and broodrearing will increse, but there won't be much income
until the willows bloom, around the middle of the month. Very often, of
course, the weather is still too cold, wet or both to allow significant foraging.
Don't jump to conclusions about our winters; they may not be cold, but
they're as long as anywhere else, too cold to allow significant foraging,
there is very little to forage on after the ivy finishes, and they're often
extremely damp.
Regards,
Robert Brenchley
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