It’s amazing how many people think we have Abominable Snowmen inhabiting the U.S.! I got to say; Not Yeti, but Bigfoots. Yeti are native to Asia mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Perhaps they were brought here by early settlers to work in the forest industry and escaped then bred with Bigfoots, and now we have a hybrid, Bigfooties.
What would be the consequences of F2 aggression from their offspring? Imagine an even worse unstoppable Asian invader????
Just think of an organism that grows expansively and humans can’t stop it. Even when action is taken it still expands more than we are able to make it retreat. Sounds like a 1950s horror movie! Add in the fact that other invasive organisms help it to propagate! You might not see people running in the streets screaming and being chased, but it’s happening. And that humans actually help the “other invasive” because we need them. I’m speaking of Knotweed and honey bees!
On June 30th, 2022, while driving home from work I see knotweed with bloom spikes on them. I think not yet, it’s too early. Usually, it blooms in mid-July or later. This seems early. When I get to RT 42 in Beacon Falls I see some possible flowers! I get home and check my Facebook history posts and just as I thought, it’s very early. Beacon Falls has knotweed growing in most yards and all along the Naugatuck River. There are no signs of the spread stopping.
Knotweed honey is some of the darkest you’ll find. Comparable to buckwheat honey in color. When I saw it as nectar dripping out of comb for the first time, it reminded me of the cherry cough medicine my mom gave me as a child. When it’s cured it looks like used motor oil! The darkness also causes the comb to be darker. Even the brood food has an orangey tinge to it. I thought my brood was sick because of the orange shade in the cells. As I looked closer, I realized it was the food. The larvae were still white!
Extracting it is difficult. It needs to be warm, or most of the honey will stay in the cells. Cleanup also takes some extra time.
It’s a plentiful fall flow that helps to get bees ready for winter. If you see a frame with dark cappings from the source hidden behind, harvest some. You’ll like the taste! You can always leave it for the winter, it seems to be a love it or hate it flavor.
Knotweed is on the list of invasive plants, but it’s here and the bees love it!