PLANTING FOR BEES

[Terri]

Yes, the Plains Indians DID burn. They used to send messages to any friends they may have had down wind.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

>They used to send messages to any friends they may have had down wind.

Yeah, like.... RUN!!!

[Matthias Smith]

I don't know if this was asked before but how much of a honey flow would you expect from a few acres of wild raspberry ,wild rose and wild black berry/dewberry ?

[jaydee]

Is the mimosa tree good for bees.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

Contrary to my previous posting, I do not recomend that you burn off your clover field.

I lost my hubam field due to overcrowding last year and was concerned that my yellow clover had too much competition from the broam that came back after planting the field to clover. The weekend before Easter I burned my field, the clover was 6 to 10 inches tall in places. It must have been too late to burn as I have no bloom in that field this year. The plants are growing well and so is the broam. I guess we'll have some feed for the cattle and horses.

The CRP fields we burned all have both alfalfa and clover blooming. Somethings just don't add up.

I have a beautiful field of hairy vetch blooming! I'll get pictures up in the near future. The bees are going crazy! I'm adding a super about every two weeks. This is a great year for honey.

[David Stewart]

<Is the mimosa tree good for bees.>

I've been curious about that myself. The bees are working them over heavy at first light then tapering off through the afternoon. Searched the forum and found several mention mimosa but can't find many opinions as to quality/quantity. They "seem" to be working hard fighting through the fringe part of the flower (with the pollen) to get at the center of the flower presumably for nectar. Whole yard is fragrant with the smell.

[power napper]

How about butterfly bush--around here it is just starting to bloom, the flowers are almost flourescent orange and the seed pods look like miniature canoes. The bees really go to them and since they are perrenial and self seeding no work involved. White sumac is really good also and the goldenrod plants of many species are abundant here but the bees almost totally ignore them for some othe more attractive nectar source. In the fall the wild asters are are really appreciated by my bees. I have tried buckwheat and the bees ignored it, whatever suits them best is where they go in my opinion.

[Ronnie Elliott]

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Lacy Phacelia
Phacelia tanacetifolia (A)

Lacy Phacelia is one of 80 species in our Wildflower Seed Encyclopedia.
1 Oz.size: $3.95
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Type: Annual—lives just one year. Grows quickly, blooms heavily, then dies with frost.
Native to: American Southwest
Where to Grow it: All regions of North America
Bloom time and height: mid-season, 2 to 3 feet
Sun/Shade: full sun
How to Grow it: Since this is a desert species, give it sharp drainage. It demands full sun, and appreciates dry conditions. Plant in spring.
Etc: This lovely lavender flower is more a curiosity than major colormaker in any meadow. It also should be used sparingly, since it can easily become weedy.



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[Billy Y.]

BILL:

I think if there was clover already in the green when you burned then you burned too late in the season. I read that cattle will eat the clover down too much and kill it eventually - better to cut it and feed as hay.

Your honey flow is going much better than mine this year. My scale hive gains only around a pound a day if at all. Only a super or so per hive. Too dry for me in April and too wet in May methinks.

[ClatsOre]

Phacelia tanacetifolia
Common name(s): Lacy Phacelia
Genus: Phacelia Species: tanacetifolia Variety: Cultivar:
An annual wildflower of sizable portions that grows under creosote and other desert shrubs in the Mojave, Quercus dumosa, Q. Douglasiana and Juniperus californica and other dryland trees in the California interior, and drier sections of Southern California. On of the many plants that you cannot figure out how exists in such a harsh site looking succulent and full of blue flowers in spring. Come back in July and there is nothing there, it disappears back into the earth. Give sun to part shade and a bush or tree to hang around, good drainage and this plant may work for seeded in spring color.

[DZE]

What about pecan trees?
I noticed my wild hive working mine this year to the point I thought there was a swarm in the tree.
I have not found it listed as a pollen or nectar producer.

[ikeepbees]

I must admit that I've never seen honeybees working pecan tree blooms.

As to the mimosa question, I've seen honeybees working mimosa and bottlebrush. Don't know what or how much they were getting from it though.

[Matt K]

I did notice on one of the lists that bees work bind weed has anyone ever seen this? It seems to me this might be the one good thing about the nasty stuff.
Matt

[BULLSEYE BILL]

I've seen them on bind weed. I don't know what they get from it though. I wish I could remember what time of day it was, that could tell me wether it was nectar or not.

[Mabe]

In July and August the anise hyssop (purple agastache) is covered with bees. This plant is a prairie native, grows from seed and spreads easily and is gorgeous. I sell scads of it at my native plants nursery. They also love lavender. There is a hardier one that we can grow in WI.

I also overseed all of my lawn area and meadows with white dutch clover. That is "lawn sacrilege" here in the midwest, but my lawn looks better than anyones around here and I don't fertilize.

[BerkeyDavid]

Mabe
We had a long discussion about anise hyssop on here last year. Have you ever started it from seed?

[Matt K]

I would guess nectar from the shape of the flower and the little interaction I have had with it ripping/digging it out of the ground.

Mabe, funny you mention lavender I just planted some in front of my hives. I just planted about 400 square feet of dutch white clover in my back yard good ground cover if nothing else.
Matt

[Mabe]

David,
Yes, you can easily start agastache from seed...in fact, once you get it, it reseeds itself EVERYWHERE! I have about a million plants in my gardens (not where they need to be). You can easily pull up the seedlings, but I hate to compost bee plants. Will be slowly moving them all to my meadow.

Matt,
We lived in Colorado for years...the white dutch clover really helps get the grasses established. In Lakewood you probably have a real lawn. In Black Forest we grew the xeriscape grasses with the clover. Hint - trim back your lavender a few times until it thickens up and then let it bloom in July-August.

[BerkeyDavid]

Mabe
Can you tell us when the best time to start Agastache from seed is (Fall or spring) and a good cheap source for seed? also ground prep, etc. Thanks!

[Matt K]

I kept my eyes open this weekend and indeed bees in the bindweed flowers and they could be getting pollen for sure lots of white power.

Mabe,
Yes I have a "real" lawn. I want to get rid of the bulk of the bluegrass in favor of perennials. The clover was a long strip that nothing much was growing on in my back yard close to the bees. Thanks for the advice with the lavender will you remind me next year please?
Matt