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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

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  • From: John Rintoul <beecd AT icloud.com>
  • To: Orange County Beekeepers Association <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [ocba] Another foraging report from southern Orange
  • Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2017 17:11:04 -0500

A quick 'just being nosy' inspection of 3 double deep 10 frame hives in Carrboro today revealed:
1) A surprising (to me) amount of nectar. The frames that did not still have capped honey (many did) were being backfilled with fresh nectar. Some were completely filled. I am not feeding currently. I don't know of a significant nectar crop that is current available, but the bees are finding something.
2) Pale, lemon yellow pollen is coming in at the entrance and being stored. I am not seeing red maple pollen (putty colored) in my hives. Things blooming now in my area are chickweed, hairy bittercress, dandelions, mahonia, crocus, camellia, hellebores, and edgeworthia. I don't know which of these have pale yellow pollen although given its abundance and invasive nature mahonia is the most likely source of pale, yellow pollen.
3) Fist sized patches of capped and open brood. 
4) One adult hive beetle (now deceased)

I would be interested in reports from other parts of the county. What are you seeing? Use the listserv to share your hive info. Most of us (98%) are hobby beekeepers. We've heard the "location, location, location" mantra from realtors for decades. I assume that it is equally true for beekeeping. What's happening where your hives live?

-John

John Rintoul
(919) 414-4071
No trees or bees were killed in the distribution of this message, but countless electrons were seriously inconvenienced.



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