{"id":6874,"date":"2021-12-19T20:07:15","date_gmt":"2021-12-20T01:07:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beekeepingfornewbies.com\/?p=6874"},"modified":"2022-09-11T17:30:25","modified_gmt":"2022-09-11T21:30:25","slug":"what-is-honey-flow-peak-nectar-flow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beekeepingfornewbies.com\/what-is-honey-flow-peak-nectar-flow\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Honey Flow? (Abundant Nectar Flow!)"},"content":{"rendered":"
Updated on September 11th, 2022<\/p>\n
Nectar is watery, sweet liquid produced by flowering plants. Plant nectar, which contains sugar and other components, is collected by honey bees as a primary building block for the creation of honey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Honey flow is when nectar is so abundant that bees gather enough for their current dietary needs and store surplus honey for the future. Thus, honey flow is really about nectar flow. Surplus honey feeds the colony during low nectar times and provides honey for harvest by beekeepers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The length of honey flow is dependent on the type of nectar-producing plants available, general climate conditions in an area, and specific weather conditions in any given year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beekeepers need to recognize when honey flow begins and ends to help the bees achieve maximum production. The more bees produce, the more the beekeeper can harvest from the bees’ extra honey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This article is a guide to recognizing the signs of honey flow and how to deal with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Honey flow is typically heaviest during the spring flower blooms. However, you may have summer and fall flow also. Honey flow periods occur any time weather is suitable for providing the bees access to nectar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The plants in your area, general climate, and specific weather conditions govern the exact timing of the flow.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The United States Geological Survey (from the U.S. Department of the Interior) explains, \u201cWeather refers to short term atmospheric conditions while climate is the weather of a specific region averaged over a long period of time.\u201d[1]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n For example, here in the Hudson Valley in the northeastern U.S., the season’s last frost occurs around mid-May. After the frost, flowering plants bloom, producing significant nectar flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While honey flow may last only 2 \u2013 3 weeks in some areas, our vegetation is varied enough that we can have an extended honey flow. Also, nectar flow coupled with longer days for bees to forage provides an opportunity for substantial honey production through June.<\/p>\n\n\nWhen Is The Major Honey Flow Period?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n