On another post, which I am not sure which, someone made a comment about striped sunflowers and black oil sunflowers. One was good for the bees in pollen and/or nectar, and the other was not. Does anyone know which is which and can comment on the benefits of planting one compared to the other?
Thank you.
BjornBee,
I've got the answer to that question in a book I've got on the farm, I'm going up there this week so I'll look it up and get back to you. Been toying with the idea of planting sunflower seeds myself and not just for the bees benefit, quite a big call for sunflower oil out here due to the fact it's cholesterol free. It might be an idea to google your question and see what answers you get,
Good Luck
Can't remember if I saw the bees working the black oil sunflowers last year. But the gold finches sure love them.
I bought a large bag of the black sunflower seeds last week. I wanted to make sure they would germinate if I took the time to plant them large scale. So I planted a few seeds on Wednesday with my daughter. They are already peaking through the soil. I am amazed that in five days the seedling are all ready here. Guess I answered the question if they would grow. I was not sure if the seeds were treated somehow that would prevent them from growing. I guess not. The bag is just the ordinary stuff sold as birdfeed.
Moderator
I had some black oil sunflower seeds in a feeder last year and let some that fell to the ground grow. Bumblebees loved the flowers but I didn't see any honey bees on them - and a neighbor about 1/8 mi away has several hives, so I'm sure there are plenty of bees in the area. They were all over my anise hyssop, lemon balm and rasberries. Honey bees may like black oil sunflower, but it's possibe there was something else in bloom they prefered more.
To everything there is a season....
Black eyed Susan is a good sunflower for bees. Look at Ohio State University web site and they have a list of flowers/plants that are in their "bee garden".
you must endeavor to persevere
Not sure if you aware of this, but in France, sunflower seeds were treated with "gaucho" which caused many deaths among bees. I believe that gaucho can no longer be used in France now.
Are your seeds treated with anything at all?
Is gaucho legal in the US?
I wouldn't worry much about seed treatments affecting honey bees. By the time the plant grows large enough to bloom, the amounts of treatment left from seed treatments are so small that they're ineffective against virtually all insects. Seed treatments are intended to protect seeds before germinating and even for a period of time after germinating, but they won't protect sunflowers long enough to remain in the plants when the plants begin blooming.
The bigger pesticide issue with sunflowers and honey bees involves spraying the plants while the plants are blooming to reduce weevil and moth damage to seeds developing in the heads. That's what can really kill off huge numbers of bees.
I've seen many bees working both types of sunflowers here in SD. Both are insect pollinated; I don't know why why one be "good" for bees and the other wouldn't. Oil seeds and confectionary seeds are still just varieties of sunflowers, all one big species.
The anise hyssop is an amazing honey producers, although the honey seems to get a minty flavor to it (there was also mint in the area, so it could have been both). Anywho, the hyssop is a sure thing for necter production.
>The anise hyssop is an amazing honey producers, although the honey seems to get a minty flavor to it
Hyssop is a member of the mint family, so that explains it! Most members of the mint family are good nectar producers- cat mint comes to mind right off. I suspect all of them make honey with a minty flavor.
Dulcius ex asperis
They take honey off both, but seems i believe the oil type gives off the most nectar. Confection have bigger heads and you would think otherwise, but I believe the oil gives off more. I'll check on that.
>>Is gaucho legal in the US?
Not sure if this is the same stuff, but my neighbour, comming from France left because of the huge losses beekeepers there were encountering, blamed on the pesticide used on the crops, sunflowers I believe he said. Not used here on the crops as he discribed, but there is a soil drench potato producers use, and in much the same effect, and with much the same effect apperently on the bees. Impachrid SP??
Whats worse, constant leathal dose of pesticide contaminated nectar, or insecticide spraying every 10 days??
Ian Steppler >> Canadian Beekeeper
www.stepplerfarms.com
Constant. Oooooh. Did I get it right? What do I win? [img]tongue.gif[/img]
Hawk
KC0YXI
Maximillian sunflower, drives the bees crazy. blooms in fall, lasts 2-3 weeks.
Anise hyssop, they work it for months.
"Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes"
Henry David Thoreau, Walden
<<I wouldn't worry much about seed treatments affecting honey bees. By..>>
Kieck, that is wrong. -Sorry-. Systhemics treatments in the seed stay in the plant and kill bees. Soil contamination has been observed too.
About the nectar production in the sunflower -in oil varieties- have been studied that the hybrids made in USA have 60% of oil and few nectar production, the old Russian species had 25-30% of oil and very much nectar.
About a year ago, I read the same post about the striped seeds being the most attractive to honeybess and so planted a zillion of them. I also planted a zillion of the black seeds just to see. About an eighth acre each.
The honey bees were attracted to both kinds, the ones with the very large heads (Giant, striped seeds) and the ones with mulitiple, colorful heads (black seeds).
But there was never a huge amount of bees poring over these plants like they were when my oriental poppie patch kicked in. The sunflowers were more of an attraction to the bumble bees I think than to the honey bees.
Once you see the bandwagon, it's too late...
BjorBee,
I planted about 1/4 acre of the black seeded sunflowers last year and the bees had a grand old time working them. The bumble bees also liked them. [img]smile.gif[/img]
I bought a 25 lb bag of the seeds sold in the store as bird feed, had no problem with germination. I tilled the soil with a five foot tiller pulled behind my tractor, broadcast the seeds by hand, then packed them in with a cultipactor(Sp?) pulled behind my mini tractor. After the seeds were mature I had more gold finches working them than I thought there were in the whole state. [img]smile.gif[/img] [img]smile.gif[/img]
Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Taken!
Territorial Seed Company has numerous species of culinary herbs including anise hyssop plus vegetables, clovers, sunflowers, etc.
Territorial Seed Company
Anyone interested in heirloom seeds should check out Baker Creek Seed Heirloom Seeds Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
James Henderson
Golden Delight Honey; 225-803-5406 (cell)
>On another post, which I am not sure which, someone made a comment about striped sunflowers and black oil sunflowers. One was good for the bees in pollen and/or nectar, and the other was not.
That was probably me. The bees will work all types for pollen, but only the gray stripe makes nectar.
Bullseye Bill in The Scenic Flint Hills , KS
www.myspace.com/dukewilliam
Bullseye Bill in The Scenic Flint Hills , KS
www.myspace.com/dukewilliam
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