# Build up on Eucalyptus



## Ted Kretschmann (Feb 2, 2011)

I do not know about California but when I worked for jim powers on the big Island of Hawaii, we had bees on the windy side of the Island that built up nicely on Euc. They even made a little surplus. That sure was some nasty tasting honey though. It was something that only a momma Koala Bear would love!! TED


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## HVH (Feb 20, 2008)

Thanks Ted,

Do you think the bees would be active enough during the winter months if the average daytime temp was above 60F?


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

Back in the 60s when I started beekeeping on the central coast,Huston Honey and Knoefflers ran a lot of hives into the euc. I seem to remember it blooming in December.
The outfit I worked for sold a lot of bottled up raw euc honey .It was dark and strong and I loved it.


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## Ted Kretschmann (Feb 2, 2011)

Yes, I do. When I was in Hawaii, I learned that it can get kind of cool during the winter months. Lows down in the forties in the mornings. The mountains Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa can be snow capped during those months and the cool air sinks down toward the sea. But that did not slow the bees down at all. I saw them put up three mediums of Ohia honey in five days. So the lesson learned was if something is blooming and the plant yields copius amounts of nectar the bees will work it even in cold temperature. TED


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

My bees are on eucalyptus year round. The globulous starts around Halloween and goes until June. The blooms are scattered on the trees and neighborhoods, not all blooming at the same time. The penninsula used to be forested with them but many fewer left after post war development. Polyantemous blooms in spring until summer, and is used a lot on freeway cloverleafs. Ficifolia, red gum, is blooming right now. There are many other varieties planted here. The honeys are light to amber and excellent tasting. BTM (before the mites) we used to sometimes fill a medium October to February on the euc flow. I do a thorough honey clogged brood chamber purging in February. Less so now that half my bees die every winter.


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

Half your bees die every winter?


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Since 2006 beekeepers in my area have been suffering massive winter losses, in a warm climate with winter bloom.


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## Gypsi (Mar 27, 2011)

hmmmm... Bears thinking about. After summer losses, I am (and am not) looking forward to winter.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

This Euc ficifolia was in bloom in 94010 industrial neighbor hood a few weeks ago.


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## HVH (Feb 20, 2008)

Ted - That is great news. The only variable - I don't know what species I am dealing with and each species has a different bloom season covering the entire year.


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## HVH (Feb 20, 2008)

odfrank said:


> My bees are on eucalyptus year round. The globulous starts around Halloween and goes until June. The blooms are scattered on the trees and neighborhoods, not all blooming at the same time. The penninsula used to be forested with them but many fewer left after post war development. Polyantemous blooms in spring until summer, and is used a lot on freeway cloverleafs. Ficifolia, red gum, is blooming right now. There are many other varieties planted here. The honeys are light to amber and excellent tasting.


This is my problem - I don't know when these trees bloom. I hear from one source in the area that they are blooming in the spring. A beekeper told me he got 12 barrels of honey out of there from June to December. My impression from reading about the history is that they were planted for lumber and were fast growing - sounds like globulous which is a winter bloomer. So I am clueless as usual. I am taking a trip to the property and plan on taking good photos and bringing back specimens to help identify what they are. I was really hoping for globulous because trees blooming from November to March would be perfect prior to almonds. Do you have a resource to recommend for identification?


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

This is globulus compact in bud and bloom. Most forests in California are globulus as far as I know.


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

Which species is the one they planted for pulp in the northern Sacramento Valley?

I have a winter yard near one of those plantations and it has never bloomed during the time I am there(November to February).

I think it blooms later in the spring.


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## HVH (Feb 20, 2008)

odfrank and loggermike,

Californians planted many varieties hoping for good lumber and found they did not work. Some planted for firewood and some for pulp. My understanding is that the firewood and pulp idea was a plan-b due to it not being good for lumber. Some species freeze so they are not planted in the central valley or up North. I think globulus was the most widely planted because it grows very fast and was thought to be good for wood. 

odfrank - what time of year was your globulus picture taken?


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

HVH said:


> odfrank - what time of year was your globulus picture taken?


Picture dated 2/11/2009, tree has since been pruned heavily.

Many years ago I passed what looked like pulp stands somewhere on #5 north of Sacramento and those where all globulus. Those crowed forests don' make much bloom except the tops and edges.


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## HVH (Feb 20, 2008)

If you took that picture in February, for globulus weren't they in bloom for a few months already prior to the photo? 
I was thinking of using the parcel with 100 acres of old growth eucalyptus for a holding yard. Another beekeeper told me he used to keep 100 colonies on that land for honey production. I just want to keep my bees alive for almonds.


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## Heavenly bees (Mar 27, 2011)

hey HvH what area do you want to move your bees too for the eucalyptus


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## Keith Jarrett (Dec 10, 2006)

Heavenly bees said:


> hey HvH what area do you want to move your bees too


Yeah, and can you also give address and cross street too. lol


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## Heavenly bees (Mar 27, 2011)

i was only trying to help him out on his question on when eucalyptus blooms because there is different areas that the different varietys bloom


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

HVH said:


> If you took that picture in February, for globulus weren't they in bloom for a few months already prior to the photo?


The globulous starts around Halloween and goes until June. The blooms are scattered on the trees and neighborhoods, not all blooming at the same time.

The tree in the photo is a `compacta' and different parts of it bloom over several months. The globulus flow in an area is not like many other trees, where all the same variety of tree bloom during the same weeks. With Globulus where I live, different branches, individual trees, and different neighborhoods will bloom spread over different weeks October, to June.


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## HVH (Feb 20, 2008)

From what I have read, there are hundreds of species and I will just have to go and visit the site. The neighbors say the trees bloom in the spring. A beekeeper says he got 14 barrels of honey out of this grove from June to December. These trees were brought in for lumber and could be globulus. I will just have to identify the species and corroborate with a few visits to determine bloom. There were many plantings all over California with a lot of study done at UC Berkeley.


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## bfriendly (Jun 14, 2009)

Most of the Eucs (inland CA) especially the thick "forest" type plantings seem to bloom April May June at earliest, I have seen exceptions (red / pink flowers - anyone know the species, generic name or group?). ******** Eucalyptus blooms earlier...(Jan) I think...

Manzanita can be good, depending on weather.


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## KoalaJohn (Dec 23, 2008)

Hi from the home of the Eucalyptus! We have over 700 species here in Australia, they flower at different times, some produce huge amounts of pollen and hardly any nectar and vice versa. From a bee's point of view, some are 5 star all you can eat restaurants, others are fly infested rubbish bins.

The point I am trying to make is that the only way to answer the question is to identify the species. If you can send me some details and photos, I may be able to help (though bear in mind there are 700 possibilities!).

The other thing to bear in mind is that in Australia at least, the same species of Eucalyptus can flower at different times of the year, depending on weather. Some only flower every second year, some miss the odd year. Down here, drought is common and this has a big effect on flowering times too. So the best way to find out is to locate and talk with a local with many years of experience.

If it is Globulus, down here we call it either the Southern ********, or Tasmanian ********. Honey is a light amber colour, of fair density and good flavour. Pollen is good for building up hives after Winter. Flowering varies but is generally from Mid Winter to early Summer.

I have to say, I went to California for the first time last year, and was not expecting to so many gum trees there, it was a huge surprise. Many of the ones I saw were well over a hundred years old, which is relatively unusual to see in Australia. Reason is that over here, since white settlement we have viewed them as a timber resource and have logged them heavily. They do regrow strongly, but the percentage of very old trees is quite low. In my view at least, you have some very special trees over there.

Regards, John.


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## Kingfisher Apiaries (Jan 16, 2010)

Koala John,
I may contact you. I tried growing them last year with no avail. This year I may try some more but have no idea where to start.
mike


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