Thank you, Tim.

>>There is no doubt that chasing the black locust bloom can be 
frustrating at best.

Frustrating and interesting at the same time. :)

>>What was your weather like during 2006 and was it a year of 
abundant rainfall and ample growth or one of poor amounts of water 
and stress?

The 2006 here was somewhat average although it got very dry in August 
(this year I'll pay attention and see if locust leaves drop).  The 
winter was very mild with a cold snap in March that set plant 
development back.  The August drought may have affected the locust 
carbohydrate stores [although the blossoms are quite spectacular with 
strong fragance].

>>Most who have Nut or Fruit bearing trees and shrubs know that our 
production this year is very heavily dependent upon last years 
conditions...

Except for peaches most of my trees set fewer fruit than the year 
before.  Perhaps this corrolates to the locust.  I was looking for 
grey locust pollen on the bees but they are mostly coming back with 
bright orange pollen.  

I should explain that the bee traffic during the locust bloom has 
been quite varied and the hives are gaining weight although not at 
the rate that would follow the opening of the healthy looking blossoms

>>In reading Walt Wrights article, I would only have a couple of 
questions; 1. Do all of the hives in an apiary experience 
this "storage lull" at precisely the same time? 

In his other articles he mentions the swarm prep and cut-off 
typically occur at the same time in a given area with a few days 
variation from hive to hive.  If the nectar storage lull is real, it 
can result in a significant hive-to-hive difference since locust 
flows last about 10 days.

>>It would seem  more logical in my mind to search for the answer in 
the cycle of the nectar source than the cycle of the bee colony.

I am starting to lean this way, too.  I also read that warm/hot 
weather makes the locust petals softer making it easier for the bee 
to breach the flower to get to the nectar.

I wonder if the Caucasian bees' longer tongues would allow them to 
collect more locust honey?  A fellow beekeeper introduced Caucasian 
queens into his operation for their reputed gentleness several years 
ago and he gets great locust crops from year to year.  Perhaps I 
should try his queens in my area.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

Waldemar

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