Comment

Comment by Phill Remick on February 15, 2013 at 8:33pm

So, WHERE do they get this nectar from?  There are no flowers on the cottonwood tree..If these trees were in fact a nectar source all of New Mexico would enjoy it's bounty, sorry I ain't buyin'

Comment by Paul McCarty on February 15, 2013 at 8:22pm

They do in fact get nectar from them. It's not a major plant, they mostly get pollen.

http://www.pollenlibrary.com/Specie/Populus+deltoides/

Comment by Phill Remick on February 15, 2013 at 7:54pm

Paul bees here DO work juniper, my house is surrounded by juniper trees and the pollen is abundant.  I have never heard of cottonwood trees as a nectar source, what makes you think that they produce nectar? 

Comment by Paul McCarty on February 15, 2013 at 6:53pm

It could also be some of the juniper. It is up in the air whether they work Juniper for pollen, but they usually go off around now.

I started feeding my desert bee last week, to get them brooded up. The problem up here in the mountains is that the flow is so early, they really have to brood up fast to hit the fruit trees.

Cottonwoods and willows are the first nectar plants. Hopefully the city leaves us some willow trees for the bees down in the creek bed. There has to be some sort of law against wholesale uprooting of a riparian environment like that.

Comment by Phill Remick on February 15, 2013 at 5:51pm

Hi Diana,

Elm in bloom now, so depending on amount of forage your bees have access to u may not need to provide additional substitute. Once temps overnight stay above freezing, so that moisture won't condense inside the hive you may want to consider feeding. I'm in the North valley of Abq so you folks are a bit ahead of us..

Phill

NewBeeRescue.com

Comment by Diana Calkins on February 15, 2013 at 4:52pm

That's what I am thinking.  Any idea what kind of pollen they are bringing in?  Someone on the NMBA facebook page thought it could be Siberian elm.  Lots of elm trees around here, but the type...who knows.

Comment by Paul McCarty on February 15, 2013 at 4:31pm

Most of the time the bees don't need our help.

Comment by Diana Calkins on February 15, 2013 at 4:27pm

Mixing up some for my bees tomorrow.  But I wonder, since they have begun to bring in pollen (very light colored, not white but creamy) should I just let nature take its course?  Could they be providing enough food for themselves?

Comment by James H DAWDY on February 15, 2013 at 1:36pm

I mixed up a bag of pollen sub -soy flour and bakers yeast- and put it on top of the hive.  Man...they have gone through about half a sandwich bag in just a couple of days.

Comment by Rob Shepler on February 12, 2013 at 3:50am

Some of each, I have gone with mostly topbar.

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