An analysis of bee collection data over the past 130 years shows that spring arrives about 10 days earlier than in the 1880s, and bees and flowering plants have kept pace by arriving earlier in lock-step. The study also found that most of this shift has occurred since 1970, when the change in mean annual temperature has increased most rapidly, according to Bryan Danforth, Cornell professor of entomology, who co-authored a study published the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Dec. 5, 2011.)
-- Bee Culture Blog by Kim Flottum (sign up at http://www.beeculture.com/)
"... honey bees must consume between 6.6 and 8.8 pounds of honey to produce one pound of beeswax."
-- Bee Culture magazine, Dec 2011, p.55.
This is an obvious reason why most beekeepers use artificial foundation and comb to increase production. On the other hand, wax is more valuable than honey. I prefer to let the bees do whatever the hell they want to do. I'm clearly not going into producing honey for income any time soon. I've been resistant to opening the hive to inspect which is something most keepers do frequently. Seems like it gives the bees a lot more work to reseal with propolis.
Some other plants that bees like: clover, alfalfa, fruit and nut trees, Linden trees, Black Locust tres, Rasberry brambles. Willow, Alder and Asters are important for pollen rather than nectar.
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