My hives are located at the Minnesota Horticultural Research Center, which is right across the street from the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. I think that there is no better site in the entire state for honeybees. There is always a steady supply of flowers providing abundant sources of nectar and pollen for my honeybees. There is no plant in Minnesota which is not represented at the Arboretum, and there are many non-native species growing there as well. I suspect that because of the unique location, I am in a much better position than most beekeepers, in that I have a more constant, uninterrupted source of nectar and pollen.
I am very excited to taste the honey from my hives.
During my visit to the area today, I noted bees working on: Weigela florida, Peashrubs, Lonicera trichosantha (honeysuckle), Berberis koreana (Korean Barberry), Japanese Barberry, Kolkwitzia amabilis (Beauty Bush), Viburnum trilobum (Cranberry Bush), Elaeagnus umbellata (Autumn Olive), Cottoneaster allochrous, Spirea, and Black Lotus.
Also, I took some pictures. The first is a honeybee working on a Peashrub:
The second picture is of a honeybee on the front of one of the hive bodies. I was writing across the front with a Sharpie, and I think she was attracted by the smell. This picture is an answer to ufx's question as to why I got into beekeeping. If you can pardon the minor typo (I was writing from memory), and my kindergarten-level Arabic penmanship, the answer is there in black and white.
