View Full Version : Sericea lespedeza
okiequeenbee
08-28-2008, 10:29 PM
I just bought some land that has quite a bit of sericea lespedeza on it. My question - is it a good honey plant or do I need to get rid of it? The google search that I did has conflicting reports.
kyfarmer
08-29-2008, 05:24 AM
I have loads of this stuff on a farm in CRP and it has recently bloomed. I have yet to see a bee on it. I was happy to see your post with it in the title- I thought you were going to have the answer!
On a side note I don't see much good in this stuff other then erosion control-- cows don't really 'love it' and it gets to stemmy for good hay
Hambone
08-29-2008, 08:44 AM
I think that's what I've here. Been trying to figure out what this was.
http://inlinethumb15.webshots.com/40846/2721330260103391520S600x600Q85.jpg
http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/42907/2347174160103391520S600x600Q85.jpg
brooksbeefarm
08-30-2008, 09:00 PM
My brother has alot of it on his 70 acres.I have 5 hives on him and had never seen a bee on it and have heard other beekeepers say they don!t work it.Well last year [2007]my brother called me and said he was mowing this stuff out from between his tame blackberries and the bees were all over it.I thought he was pulling my leg so I went up there the next day [60 miles]to work them and he was right,they were all over it all day long.I had never seen them working it before and I never seen a bee on it this year?You never know.It is very evasive and gets a hard stem,cattle won!t eat it then.
paintingpreacher
08-31-2008, 04:05 PM
The roadsides are covered with sericea around these parts. It seems like some years the bees work it heavy and some years they do not work it at all. I noticed in 2006 it was covered with bees. Last year I did not see any bees on it nor have I seen any this year.
I suppose the weather plays a part.