# 2018 Blue Diamond Almond Bloom Progress Report



## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

If you are in the almond game ,you no doubt know about the potential for a devastating freeze next week.
Heres some discussion about it:http://agfax.com/trees-west/2018/trees-20180219-web.htm
Trees in the Orland area are in full bloom. Strong hives are plugging out .Took feeders down yesterday, brought most home. Hope the forecast is wrong!


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## Marcin (Jun 15, 2011)

loggermike said:


> Strong hives are plugging out .Took feeders down yesterday, brought most home.


For those of us not familiar with almond pollination, are they plugging out with pollen, nectar or bees? Most of what I read said that almonds don't produce much nectar in most years, and that's why colonies need to be fed carbs.


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

Pollen, brood, and honey. The weather has been perfect during the bloom (so far). I am not worried about starvation ,which is a concern some years.Good hives with good queens are getting a nice build up. There are fungicides being sprayed , though not as much as in wet years.


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

And a couple weeks later (without intervention) they will either be starving or swarming


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## HarryVanderpool (Apr 11, 2005)

loggermike said:


> The weather has been perfect during the bloom (so far).


In Butte County, I wouldn't say it has been perfect weather.
We had a few really hot days that rapidly advanced the bloom. Then we had two very windy days that completely stopped foraging. It was so windy that it not only blew your smoker off the top of a hive, but tumbled it along like a tumbleweed.
Then we had a cold day, followed by nice weather since.
It's been more of a roller coaster in our areas.
And of course, the next few days look brutal.
I'm happy that they all got a gallon of ProSweet whether they needed it or not...


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

Maybe perfect was an exaggeration, but compared to last year,its closer to perfect

As for feeding them , I don't think I ever regretted putting feed on during bloom. Conditions can change rapidly and tomorrow may take a turn for the worse.Hope not.


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## HarryVanderpool (Apr 11, 2005)

You're right about that!
Last year was the worst ever.
We were fortunate to get our hives into the orchards (I guess) right before it hit the fan.
We had 3" of rain one light and the railroad tracks blew out and washed 24 hives a few hundred feet. 
Luckily, I had my room reserved well in advance because once the dam fiasco began, no rooms were available.
It was so wet and muddy, we were never able to reach the hives until we moved them out.
It can only improve over last year's nightmare.


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## yousowise (Apr 14, 2011)

To prevent starvation in the bad years how heavy, or how much feed do you like to see on your hives when you drop them off?


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