Moving Hives to Red Clover Meadow

[canaday]

Thinking about moving a few hives into an 80 Acre Meadow of blooming Red Clover, However dont know how HoneyBees and Red Clover mix, Would someone advise whether this would be feasable or not. Thanks for any Help Lou

[denise_ky]

It's my understanding that honeybees cannot get the nectar from red clover. You need white clover.
Denise

[The Honey House]

For pollination purposes
or for honey?

Several website say that adding bees
to red clover definately increases
the pollination aspect but I could not find
any references to gathering honey.

Pollination Information


[This message has been edited by The Honey House (edited May 10, 2003).]

[ziggi_m]

http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/programs/...ture/index.htm
Red clover
Trifolium pratense

Flowering: Five million flowers per hectare; 200 million florets per 0.4 ha. On average a honeybee visits 800 red clover flowers per hour (New Zealand).

Hives per hectare: 3 to 7; 3 to 15; two colonies per 0.4 ha (USA).

Nectar production: Requires several days of over 22°C before flowers begin to yield nectar. Volume ranged from 40 to 44 µL per inflorescence.

Honey production: 100 to 200 kg/ha. Honey is water white, very sweet, no flavour and granulates within two months of extraction. Pollen can be abundant and colour is brown.

Review of bee pollination benefits - red clover:

77 to 89 per cent of the flowers pollinated by honeybees (New Zealand).
70 to 80 per cent increase in seed production within 500 m of apiary.
24 to 82 per cent (average 62 per cent) of flowers were pollinated by honeybees.
72.5 per cent increase in seed production with native bees and honeybees.
For variety Redquin, increased yields of 42 per cent were obtained (NSW).
Red clover flowers are deep and honeybees have trouble gathering nectar (Diploid and tetraploid varieties differ in length of corolla - tetraploid varieties generally have longer corollas).
Red clover pollen collection increased by 5.2 times following sugar syrup feeding to beehives.
50 per cent reduction in seed yield when beehives were 122 to 183 m from the crop. Seed yield was negligible at 640 m (USA).
Honeybee pollination gave an advantage of 37 kg/ha of seed.
Red clover yields declined when apiaries were more than 0.8 km distant. http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/programs/...spolln.htm#red

[hoosierhiver]

i've seen bees work what is called here medium red,but not the giant red clover.

[denise_ky]

That's what I like about beekeeping-you learn something new all the time!
Denise

[BILLY BOB]

I have also seen that my black AMM (Apis Mellifera Mellifera) bees don't take to the clover like my other bees. They have shorter tongues.

[This message has been edited by BILLY BOB (edited May 12, 2003).]

[canaday]

Thanks to all for Info
Decided to place 2 hives at pond near center of Red Clover and see what happens. Again thanks Lou