Buckweat

[yem]

I will be using my hives as pollinators for the first time in a Buckwheat field. The area is about 20 acres. I am guessing 4 hives for this. Does that seem right. I am hoping to get a good dark flow from this as well as helping the yeilds of the plants. Any tips for the first timer? I am offering this service free,thinking it will get my name out and expecting a good flow.

[hpm08161947]

Good luck with the buckwheat. Have not seen much out of it down here, certainly no surplus. Beginning to wonder if the seed has been GMOed. There are many stories of huge yields off BW... just have not seen it.

[greenbeekeeping]

I have had some good yeilds off buckwheat in Indiana. It seemed to me that the weather had to be just right though for a good yeild. Also I think that there are different varieties that may affect your yeild too.

[jean-marc]

There are different varieties that affect yield.

Jean-Marc

[Roland]

Last year was a desperate year, and desperate times demand desperate measures. We planted 23 acres of Mancan in front of the shop. The bees worked the aster and goldenrod in the margins, ignored the buckwheat. Got NOTHING!

Crazy ROland

[beeware10]

buckwheat is very sensitive to the temperature. If it is too hot when in blossoming it causes the plant to blast.(I guess that's a buckwheat term?) when things go right the bees work hard in the morning with very little activity in the afternoon. It is a cool weather plant which is why pa, ny canada is well known for high acreage's. good luck

[yem]

I know about the cool weather traits....I was thinking he would plant soon, or even in the fall. I was going to plant a small area near my bee yard to see how they work it. I want to try and time it so it blooms after the tulip poplar flow. I have read it is fast growing.

[beeware10]

ya. here in upstate ny july 4th is a target date for planting. I cant help about the varieties. It grows so fast it is used to kill weeds naturally. It is a common plant for organic growers.

[carbide]

Here in SW Pennsylvania I plant Mancan buckwheat around the end of May. By the end of June the plants are blooming heavily and the bees are working it hard in the morning. Since the plants don't produce any nectar in the afternoon the bees have to find something else to keep them busy afteer about 1:00.

Over the last five years I've gotten a good honey crop out of the buckwheat four of those years. Last year is the only year they didn't produce a good crop. Go figure.

[slickbrightspear]

20 days from coming up till it sets the first flowers.

[Beetrucker74]

The buckwheat has to be a type bees can get nectar from and the right weather. I have bin told 10 hives to an acre is not to many when the buckwheat is producing. We plan to plant some silverhaul this year.

[irwin harlton]

Getting a good buckweat crop .........the odds are way better in vegas

[Michael Johnston]

Buckwheat can yield well on acid soils but yields poorly on high lime soils. I had a bee yard with hundreds of acres of buckwheat around it but was located in an area with high pH soils; the bees brought in just enough buckwheat to darken the good honey that they were making.