# Bright yellow comb?



## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

Went to one of my northern bee yards yesterday aug.19,[in St.Clair co. Mo.]I have 5 hives in this one.I took honey off 4 of them, but this one hive had the strangest looking comb I have ever seen.It was bright yellow almost floresant looking.This is a hive I made from a nuc in May, The whole 2nd deep was this way? I know it must be from some plant they were working,but some of the supers of honey that I took off the other 4 hives started out with foundation[wax] and none of them had this bright yellow look? The 2nd deep in question, started out with wax foundation and they had their winter stores already.Put a wet supper on for fall honey[goldenrod and aster] just now starting.Have any of you seen this bright yellow comb?or know what kind of plant it might have come from? I!s eerie looking.


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## nutso (Jul 8, 2006)

*I'd like to know too*

I had a similar experience this year with a new hive located in a new apiary. I noticed brilliant yellow pollen that was left around the entrance and on the frames around the entrance since early spring. This new apiary is located in a place where totally different crops are grown than those at my original spot so I wasn't all that familiar with everything that grows in the area. When driving through the area, nothing that bright yellow was noted and the owners of the property where the new apiary is located didn't have a clue of what the source might be.

I put some frames in with just starter strips for the bees to pull the comb without foundation. When I was back there two weeks ago, this one hive had pulled the new comb in day-glo yellow. It's startling but beautiful!

The really interesting thing is that I have 3 hives in this new location but only this one hive is pulling the comb that is this color. Go figure.


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## BULLSEYE BILL (Oct 2, 2002)

The only time you will see bright yellow comb is when the goldenrod is in bloom.

Take a good wiff of it and see if it smells like gym socks. After it cures it will lose the smell and taste great but granulates quickly.


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## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

*yellow comb*

Bill,This was on aug.18.The first goldenrod bloom I have seen was yesterday aug.24 and it wasn!t in full bloom.Been dry for about 3 weeks, are fall flowers like aster,spanishneedle,mints and some legums won!t bloom until we get a rain.Went to one of my northern bee yards today and drove down by the creek,the beefsteak mint was drying up and the bees were eating their stores.[aug.25,08.


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## BULLSEYE BILL (Oct 2, 2002)

There are no absolutes in beekeeping, there could be another plant that will do it as well, but generally goldenrod is the first to look at.

Here we have at least three different kinds of goldenrod. One is very short, about one foot tall and starts blooming in July. Our Missouri g-rod has only just begun to bloom and the best nectar g-rod, the two foot high umbrella type has started last week.

Sunflower will also make the wax yellow and the nectar from it is almost as yellow as the g-rod is. Either one needs to be extracted quickly before it granulates. Most people will leave it for winter stores.


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## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

*yellow comb*

Thanks Bill.I have never heard of golden rod 1 ft. tall,what does it look like? or I should ask do you know if we have it here in SW.MO.?


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