Bees produce honey from a wide variety of plant nectaries beginning in April and ending in October. Much of that gathered and ripened is immediately consumed by the hive for its own purposes. Surplus honey, that which the beekeeper can harvest without damaging the hive, only occurs when the nectar income far exceeds the nectar needs of the hive and the bees store the excess for future requirements. This usually occurs in successive waves June-July and again in late August-September. We add supers in advance of a flow and remove them as they are filled up, always leaving enough for the bees. Any one of these major flows can be missed due to excess rain or drought.

We currently get nectar flows which can result in excess honey from locust trees, wild raspberry, wild rose, linden trees (basswood), sumac, knapweed (thistle), joe-pieweed, bamboo (japanese knotweed), clematus, goldenrod, and purple aster. Flows often overlap and so combinations can occur, like raspberry-rose.