Spring has started well for bees this season due to good rain over the preceding winter. This has resulted in a huge strike of capeweed such that the hills and fields everywhere are covered with yellow flowers. Bees flourish on the pollen from capeweed flowers and can collect nectar as well. This means that hive populations can increase rapidly due to the high quality pollen and swarming can occur unless beekeepers manage the hive to avoid losing a large number of bees. The rapid buildup of bees means that in a honey flow, a large crop can be collected.
In the Box-Ironbark forests there is a heavy flowering of Red Box ( Eucalyptus polyanthemos ) and hopefully a prospect for honey. Red Gum ( Eucalyptus camuldensis) is very well budded for flowering in the next few months as well as some Yellow Box ( Eucalyptus melliodora). Yellow Gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon) is currently flowering and should continue until November. Warm weather would see it yielding nectar. Prospects for a good honey season look more encouraging than for the last few seasons.