Honey flow
Encyclopedia
Honey flow is a term used by beekeepers
indicating that one or more major nectar source
s are in bloom and the weather is favorable for bees to fly and collect the nectar in abundance.
The northern or southern latitudes with its longer summer day time hours can be of considerable benefit for honey production. Flowers will bloom for longer hours, the time per day that bees can fly is extended, and therefore the number of trips per day can be higher. In addition, the upper latitudes do not have hot and dry periods in the summer where virtually all of the excess nectar flow dries up.
Where there are a succession of nectar source
s throughout the summer season, a honeyflow may last for many weeks. In other areas significant honeyflows may only last two or three weeks per year from one or a limited number of nectar sources. The rest of the year is spent in just maintenance – a situation where the incoming nectar and pollen nearly match the needed food for the hive, or where sufficient reserve stores must be present for the hive to survive a winter season.
The longer the time period, the greater the nectar availability. It takes twice as much time to collect a load of nectar compared with a load of pollen
. A bee will visit 100–1000 flowers per trip from the hive.
There is general agreement that a single bee will do an average of 10 trips per day (range 7–13). Large single loads of nectar may weigh 70 mg for Italian bee
s. Sometimes a hive
may gain 4–10 kg in a single day. For a 5 kilograms (11 lb) gain this means:
In two days a strong hive with more than 20,000 foragers may fill a honey super
.
Beekeeping
Beekeeping is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. A beekeeper keeps bees in order to collect honey and other products of the hive , to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers...
indicating that one or more major nectar source
Nectar source
A nectar source is a flowering plant that produces nectar as part of its reproductive strategy. These plants create nectar, which attract pollinating insects and sometimes other animals such as birds....
s are in bloom and the weather is favorable for bees to fly and collect the nectar in abundance.
The northern or southern latitudes with its longer summer day time hours can be of considerable benefit for honey production. Flowers will bloom for longer hours, the time per day that bees can fly is extended, and therefore the number of trips per day can be higher. In addition, the upper latitudes do not have hot and dry periods in the summer where virtually all of the excess nectar flow dries up.
Where there are a succession of nectar source
Nectar source
A nectar source is a flowering plant that produces nectar as part of its reproductive strategy. These plants create nectar, which attract pollinating insects and sometimes other animals such as birds....
s throughout the summer season, a honeyflow may last for many weeks. In other areas significant honeyflows may only last two or three weeks per year from one or a limited number of nectar sources. The rest of the year is spent in just maintenance – a situation where the incoming nectar and pollen nearly match the needed food for the hive, or where sufficient reserve stores must be present for the hive to survive a winter season.
Speed of work
Honeybees visit up to about 40 flowers per minute depending on floral type, nectar availability and weather conditions. Floral visitation rate by honeybees of some important crops:- apricotApricotThe apricot, Prunus armeniaca, is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation.- Description :...
s 10 sec - appleAppleThe apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
s 68 sec - cherriesCherryThe cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
82 sec - raspberryRaspberryThe raspberry or hindberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus Rubus, most of which are in the subgenus Idaeobatus; the name also applies to these plants themselves...
116 sec - black currant 134 sec
The longer the time period, the greater the nectar availability. It takes twice as much time to collect a load of nectar compared with a load of pollen
Pollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
. A bee will visit 100–1000 flowers per trip from the hive.
There is general agreement that a single bee will do an average of 10 trips per day (range 7–13). Large single loads of nectar may weigh 70 mg for Italian bee
Italian bee
Apis mellifera ligustica is the Italian bee which is a sub-species of the western honey bee .- Origin :The Italian honey bee is thought to originate from the continental part of Italy, South of the Alps, and North of Sicily...
s. Sometimes a hive
Langstroth hive
The Langstroth bee hive, patented in October 1852, is the standard beehive used in many parts of the world for beekeeping. The advantage of this hive is that the bees build honeycomb into frames, which can be moved with ease. The frames are designed to prevent bees from attaching honeycombs where...
may gain 4–10 kg in a single day. For a 5 kilograms (11 lb) gain this means:
In two days a strong hive with more than 20,000 foragers may fill a honey super
Honey super
A honey super is a part of a commercial beehive that is used to collect honey. The most common variety is the super with a depth of 6⅝ inches in the length and width dimensions of a Langstroth hive....
.
Sources
- The hive and the honey bee, Chapter VII by Norman E. Gary "Activities and behavior of honey bees", Dadant, Hamilton, IL 1975
- Apiary Factsheet #111, Government of British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Feb 2003; accessed Mar 2006