Silvertop (Eucalyptus sieberi) has flowered heavily around Gembrook and the Bunyip State Forest but to this stage has not yielded much nectar. It has a few weeks of flowering left and hopefully the Cup day rain will help because hives have not gained significant weight.
Yellow box (Eucalyptus melliodora) is flowering north of the divide and has not been yielding nectar to this stage although this may change from December onwards.
I was told recently of a NSW Beekeeper who has moved 1000 hives to the coast and is feeding them sugar syrup to keep them alive, all due to the drought. Just shows that climate change is affecting everything.
There is a hope that Grey Box (Eucalyptus microcarpa) will flower and yield this autumn for the first time in a few years because the trees are looking good at this stage. This might be our only hope for a good yield this season due to the dry conditions.