Two tone bees

[GRIZZLY]

The girls are comeing in today looking as though they have been dusted in flour.Their thoraxes are covered in almost white pollen from the back of their heads to their abdomens.Some have pollen loads as well as pollen dusting.The pollen loads are also almost white.About 75% of the returning bees are like this.I can't identify what or where they are foraging -- Anyone got any ideas ???

[Jon]

Himalayan balsam.

[gavin]

Hi Grizzly

Very likely Himalayan balsam. A great pollen and nectar plant which can fill a super or two in the right conditions. Some regard it as a bit of a thug.

http://www.bourneconservation.org.uk...n%20balsam.htm

G.

OK, he beat me to it!

[GRIZZLY]

The plot thickens 'cos as far as I know the nearest Himalayan Balsam is about 16 miles away by road or 10 miles as the bees fly.They must have located a new source much closer to home.They are most certainly going for it at a prodigeous rate.Must get into the car and have a "looksee" tomorrow as the rain forecast for tomorrow should have gone past by 4.30 a.m.

[gavin]

I once watched a field of OSR from which honeybees exited in numbers when a dark cloud appeared and flew in the direction of an apiary 10 km away. 10 miles is a bit far though.

Can you get a bearing for the laden bees coming home, or the empty ones speeding away? HB usually grows on streamsides and drainage ditch edges, so maybe you can guess where to look?

I've had mine go for HB a few years ago but nothing since. I think that if conditions are right they'll fly far, but not every year.

Eric gets a HB crop from one of his apiaries.

[GRIZZLY]

They're flying on a south/north heading which takes them along the length of the Rhins so I guess there must be some tucked away alonside some burn .A 4mile radius takes me as far as Portpatric.Its possible some grows near Dunsky,as I said I,ll have to explore and find out.

[HensandBees]

of course what you ought to do is go and look at the waggle dance and get a bearing and distance and there is will be!!!! ( or not_

[gavin]

Excellent suggestion! Of course, the distance part is the one that is hard to interpret, but with my bees 'near', 'middling' and 'far' is easy enough.

[HensandBees]

I have to confess I have nt tried it myself . ..... I think my bees are working the rose bay willowherb .. you have to fight your way through it to get to the hives and the flowers are alive with all sorts of pollinators including honey bees .... so thats the round dance! if they are doing anything else I better check out the heather moors !

[gavin]

Nicked from a photo-sharing site, some images to show how the white stripe happens (in a bumble bee, a honey bee and a wasp).

balsam1..jpg
balsam2..jpg
balsam3..jpg