Wow, is that rosemary?? It’s gorgeous! I had a great big bush of it established over about five years in my garden, but after two seasons of bunnies choosing the roots for a place to raise babies the bush died. This pic has made me determined to get another one going…
HA! not rosemary, but still lovely - I’ve never heard of ‘Erica’, does it have a common name where you are?
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Just bought it the other day from the garden centre. My instincts told me that bees will be on that. So bought it.
I would like to make cutting out of this surround my apiary with this as would look pretty during the winter.
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I think the other name is heather did a search on the net to learn about it before I plant it in the soil.
Did not go over board with my buying the plant thought I buy one and see if I can get cuttings out of it.
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It is heather. Makes thixotropic honey… 
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Oh dear, I do know heather 
time to get my eyes checked!
Paras, you might want to exchange that lovely specimen, or at least not grow a ton of it - Dawn is right, the honey made from this nectar turns into jelly 
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I just have the one plant and don’t think that the nectar quantity from that would have a huge impact to the honey.
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Agreed. Plus it is very pretty and bumbles love it too. 
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To cheer up our friends in Northern hemisphere 
We have Marri trees in bloom here in Perth, Western Australia. Photographs were taken today in local park, 200 metres from my house. Marri (Corymbia calophylla) is one of the major honey plants in Australian south-west.
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Thanks ABB that is a welcome sight! It’s been pretty gloomy around here. But, judging by our fluctuating temps here in eastern Pennsylvania, US it won’t be long before we see the earliest flowering on trees like witch hazel and willow.
It’s called Mexican heather in the states and fount in zone 7-9
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My bees activity on 31 January 2020
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Just a thought that it might be the right time to do a ‘touch-up’ paint job on the hive to help preserve the timber Paras 
Cheers
Looks like a good old British fence to me. Could be wrong though. 
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Thanks Peter, I gave i oiled the hives on 3 sides yesterday and the roof, will wait to do the front side. Later on.
If you are relating to my picture of the bee, she is resting on the shed, which is near the hives, they land there on their returning journey sometimes and then fly back into the hives.
I guess they sunbathing on the shed.
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Hi Dawn that is the Shed for the garden tools and now used for a resting point for the bees on their returning journey home.
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Ok Paras, yes I was thinking the photo of the bee was on the hive. My mistake. 
Cheers
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