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Comment by Diana Calkins on February 16, 2013 at 11:38am

James, do you add anything to your pollen substitute other than the soy flour and baker's yeast?

Comment by Diana Calkins on February 16, 2013 at 7:53am

I showed the mesquite picture to my husband, who has lived here in the Sacramento's nearly his entire life.  He said that he's never seen the mesquite bushes that we have around here, which are different from mesquite trees, ever have blooms like that.  Just for the heck of it, we will make it a point to take notice this year.

He also said that when he was a kid, he noticed that the cottonwood trees would form a cover over the leaves before the leaves came out.  This cover has a sticky substance on it just before the leaves break through, and it tastes sort of spicy.  Just now, he brought one in to show me.  They haven't become sticky on the exterior yet because the leaf is not ready to break through.  He broke one open and there is a waxy substance between the cover and the leaf.  With heat applied (he put it against our wood stove), it even melts like wax.

This info my not be relevant to the previous discussion, but it could be.  :)

Comment by Phill Remick on February 16, 2013 at 6:31am

Here is something to scan it may add some insight as to whether cottonwood trees produce nectar: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_nectar_sources_for_honey_bees

second your claim that mesquite trees do not flower.  here is a search under 'image of mesquite tree flowering ' on google:http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?p=mesquite+tree+flowers&...

I really don't wish to discuss this any further.

Comment by Paul McCarty on February 15, 2013 at 9:41pm

No flowers on mesquites either. Just long "hangy" things. Like it or not, the cottonwood is listed as a minor honey plant. It is actually a major pollen plant for NM.

All the honey I have ever seen that I suspected coming from them was dark and nasty though. Better Winter bee food. Best left for the bees - like Plums... at least my plums.

Comment by James H DAWDY on February 15, 2013 at 8:43pm

Diana- I was seeing the same light/creamy colored pollen last week.  Not so much since we had a bit of a cold snap though.  I suspect it's Elm...lots of Elm here in Deming.

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

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