Nectar Flow and Colony Size

1 . What blossoms provide pollen in the early spring in the piedmont of Georgia?

Red maple, blueberry, henbit, redbud

2 . How long is our nectar flow in the piedmont of Georgia and why is this important?

Nectar flow is 4-6 weeks so that our bees collect all the honey they (and we) need in this short period of time. There may be a short nectar flow in the fall with goldenrod and asters

3 . At what temperature in the late winter/early spring will bees emerge from the colony to take cleansing flights?

57-59 degrees Fahrenheit

4 . What is more important for honey production, the size of the colony or the number of colonies you have?

The size of the colony

5 . Who was C.L. Farrar and what was his major contribution to beekeeping?

He published a paper in 1937 demonstrating that honey production increases as the colony population increases. One colony of 60,000 bees makes 1.54 times as much honey as 4 colonies of 15,000.

6 . Who was Harbo and what did he contribute to our understanding of beekeeping?

Harbo found that larger colonies produce more honey per bee and consume less honey per bee during nectar dearth - like Farrar