Subject: Poplar

From: [email-masked] (David MacFawn - Sun NC Development Center)
Date: 19 Apr 1994 13:56:44 GMT

Our poplar is about to come in bloom here in Virginia. How does one
collect just poplar honey when so much other stuff is in bloom right now?
Do I just put in some empty frames as the trees flower and then remove
them as soon as they stop? The bees are hived in the edge of a woods of
mostly poplar.
--
Warner Granade [email-masked]
804-924-7409

When someone says that their honey is Tulip Poplar, they mean that the predominant
 floral source is Tulip Poplar but that some other minor floral sources are probably 
in the honey also.  If you have supers with foundation, you should put one super on 
at a time and when they get that super 1/2-3/4 full put another empty super under 
the partially filled super.  The Hive and the Honey Bee has a good example of 
correct supering as does some of the comb honey production books.  If you have 
drawn comb, you will get more honey since the bees do not have to draw out the 
comb and expend honey/nectar drawing out the comb.  

As far as collecting just Tulip Poplar *only*, it is next to impossible to have 
your bees collect only Tulip Poplar...they will collect what sweet nectar is 
available during that time of day.  You need to make sure that you give the bees 
plenty of space to store the nectar.  What happens is the bees will fill up the 
cells that the queen may very well lay in.  This results in the queen running 
out of room and swarm cells to be formed, i.e. the bees will form a swarm cell 
base and the queen will pop an egg in the swarm cell if she has no other place 
to lay it.  Swarm cells are enlongated cells that typically are on the bottom 
of the frames.  You can tip up the entire super/brood champer and look at the 
frame bottoms to see if you have any swarm cells.  I tip up the entire 
super/brood chamber rather that removing each frame because it is easier 
and quicker.

My two cents.

Good luck and have fun.

Dave MacFawn