Osr 2017

[fatshark]

How's the OSR in your region and are your colonies well enough developed to exploit it?

Here in central Fife there appears to be a lot less than the last couple of years. It's probably a week or two off full flower and the majority of my colonies aren't likely to be strong enough to get much from it.

[prakel]

Been very early here, already a couple of weeks in full flower but wiith continued/ongoing downsizing I've not been too worried about chasing it this year.

[greengumbo]

How's the OSR in your region and are your colonies well enough developed to exploit it?

Here in central Fife there appears to be a lot less than the last couple of years. It's probably a week or two off full flower and the majority of my colonies aren't likely to be strong enough to get much from it.

Its about 20% in bloom up here in Methlick Aberdeenshire FS. I moved my strongest hives onto it at the weekend but its been a cold bitter wind since :(

In between rain, hail and strong wind (so about a minute a day) my garden bees are going ballistic at the water trough. When it gets cold suddenly there are a lot caught out and stuck. Later in the evening I have been watching a huuuge brown rat come along to the trough and munch its way through the stranded corpses!

[Adam]

You need a rat trap. Maybe bees as bait for the trap?
OSR has been out for a while down south - but none near me this year.
The cold weather has curtailed flying for the past few days which is disappointing as there's plenty of other forage about.

[greengumbo]

You need a rat trap. Maybe bees as bait for the trap?
OSR has been out for a while down south - but none near me this year.
The cold weather has curtailed flying for the past few days which is disappointing as there's plenty of other forage about.

Well I started converting the back of a barn into a workshop and lo and behold upon lifting the rotting old wooden floor........a huge rat nest and 1 freshly dead rat :) Also about 200 potatoes in various states of growth. Funnily enough I reckon our sacks of tatties are about 200 potatoes lighter.

OSR just getting into full flower and bees working it like billyo !