Tag Archives: pollen

Red maple bloom: Gather ye pollen while ye may!

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Remember way back in this early post where I described a bit about what types of plants bees are attracted to in different seasons? Well, during “bee school” last year (an excellent course put on by the Orange County Beekeepers Association), one of the instructors talked about the red maple as being one of the earliest blooming trees in the area, and at the time I was pleased to note that there is a huge red maple in our front yard, and a lot more throughout the neighborhood.  Here it is this year in

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Bringing home pollen!

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When I went out first thing this morning (ah, who am I kidding, it was 9:30), I was thrilled to see a lot of bees returning to Hive 1 loaded up with pollen! I take this to mean that they are satisfied with the home I’ve provided and are going to fill the pantry? I tried to take a short video…it’s hard to get a good close-up. This is the best I could do. You’ll notice a bee fly in

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Botany for bees

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Until our bees actually arrive (April 19th, weather permitting!), I’ve been busy getting the equipment ready, preparing the hive site in the back yard, and reading up on everything I can get my hands on.  Last week I attended my final class of the Orange County Beekeepers Association “Bee School”. It was a fantastic 10 week course, with a ton of information to absorb.  One of the most interesting classes for me, was all about which plant species in central North Carolina are important for bees. 

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