Monday, March 14, 2011
first pollination observed
I observed a tree full of bees in the street next to ours. Suprised me to see bee foraging this early. I think the tree is a type of Maple ( I will confirm later in the season when leaves appear ). Not sure if they were our bees , but a quick look at our hives showed they were coming and going in large numbers.
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Most likely it was maple, one of the first trees to start blooming. Look for a list of "bee friendly" plants and trees that will be coming soon.
ReplyDeleteSilver Maples began blooming in Aurora about 2 weeks ago. They are always the first trees to bloom in my neighborhood. I've never seen any honeybees on the flowers, but they've been observed getting sap dripping down the trunk of the one in my Backyard, as early as late February.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I know the trees are kicking out pollen, but is the sap a nectar or something they use for propolis? I'll have to check that out, too.
ReplyDeleteInteresting thought. I associate propolizing with Fall, so just assumed they were using the sap as a nectar substitute. It doesn't taste sweet (I had my husband taste it), but it must have some sugar they can use. At the very least, it's a water source.
ReplyDeleteUsing your husband as a guinea pig, eh? My wife does that, too =)
ReplyDeleteI just realized that it probably is a nectar source. After all, we get real syrup from maple trees, not corn. It must be the type of maple that determines sweetness. Or processing since maple sap is boiled down pretty heavily, I believe.