Hi just took a picture tonight of my neighbors 60 acres of goldenrod In full bloom. I heard something and went outside, I couldn't believe it. They are mowing it all off right now!! I am assuming that the 60 acres is not that big of deal as far as total acreage that The bees cover. but does anyone know how big of a massacre it will be or might be that they are Foraging on this fueld while mowing. I wish people had more education on the importance of the fall flowers for pollinators.just two weeks would have given them a huge amount of nectar from that field.
Does mowing field massacre bees?
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If the mower is behind the tractor the bees should get a warning that something is up as the tractor goes through and over the golden rod. I would think a lot of the bees would get out of the way. There will still be casualties I'm sure but don't think it would be a massacre. Seeing that much goldenrod getting mowed might make me feel I was being massacred. Some people just don't know how important fall pollen and nectar is for pollinators. I've only seen one monarch butterfly this year and only six Gulf Fritillaries when I usually see lots, especially the Fritillaries.
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There were 2 fairly large fields near here that last summer were waves of goldenrod. One day recently when I drove by, I saw the one field being mowed... then a few days later, the other field was mowed... UGH! Just when goldenrod is coming out! Don't they know how valuable that is? They don't even use those fields for anything, they're just in front of a long winding road leading to a retirement apartment complex. What could be more attractive than billowing waves of yellow?
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Not wanting to defend mowing just before bloom - but often there are competing interests to the beekeepers. One may be time. If a person wants to keep ground open and the time available to mow is limited then mowing can occur at just about any time - not all convenient to the beekeeper! Think about advances in agricultural mechanics in the past hundred years or so - harvesting for hay (as an example) used to be a many day process. Now huge fields can be cut, dried and baled in a single day.
Another thing to think about is if you are concerned about weeds spreading - the best time to eliminate them is before they go to seed.
Beekeepers regularly make use of other peoples' property - if you are counting on a certain field being let go to Goldenrod - talking with the owner in advance makes sense. So does an understanding of succession - or the natural tendency for neglected fields to return to woods over time.
Another thing to think about is if you are concerned about weeds spreading - the best time to eliminate them is before they go to seed.
Beekeepers regularly make use of other peoples' property - if you are counting on a certain field being let go to Goldenrod - talking with the owner in advance makes sense. So does an understanding of succession - or the natural tendency for neglected fields to return to woods over time.
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When I passed by my hives yesterday morning there were probably 20 dragonflies swooping there. I cringe to look at it today.
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Not sure about a massacre but it can certainly kill a good flow.
If you have not already done so a 2 minute visit containing 5 minutes of smiles wrapping a jar or two of your honey with a short "B" lesson might get a foothold into the back of the mowers mind come next year. Hardly an expensive investment if you ask them to come back for a jar or two more next fall so they can see what their field did....
If you have not already done so a 2 minute visit containing 5 minutes of smiles wrapping a jar or two of your honey with a short "B" lesson might get a foothold into the back of the mowers mind come next year. Hardly an expensive investment if you ask them to come back for a jar or two more next fall so they can see what their field did....
I have wondered the same thing when I walked across the street to my neighbors alfalfa hay field in full bloom with bees everywhere These new self propelled swathers are fast I am sure they grind up a lot of bees.
I understand that the farmer can only cut hay during the day when we have no dew and he needs to get his crop off as fast as possible before it rains on it & that is his living. I am just glad that he let it go to full bloom before he cut it (I always hope for a week of rain so he can't cut it
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My hive is still doing well
I understand that the farmer can only cut hay during the day when we have no dew and he needs to get his crop off as fast as possible before it rains on it & that is his living. I am just glad that he let it go to full bloom before he cut it (I always hope for a week of rain so he can't cut it
) My hive is still doing well
The first time we extracted honey, we had bees in a residential neighborhood, and I took a bottle of honey to all of the neighbors that spent the summer tending nice looking flower gardens. The conversation started with 'I am returning some of your flowers', and handed them a bottle of honey. The next spring, a few of them were asking what to plant for the bees, to get a larger honey crop.
Go talk to folks with a smile, and a bottle of honey. Between now and next spring, every time they hear some dramatic news clip about honeybee die offs, they will remember that conversation, and it will re-inforce that conversation. By next year, you may well be pleasantly surprised, and if there are no overriding reasons to force that cutting schedule, do not be at all surprised if they come over and ask you, 'when is the best time to cut?'. I've seen it, happened to us already with one lot right behind us in our new location after we moved.
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Yeah, but you're in Canada. They're nice up there.
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Look on the bright side,less died than if it were burned. We burn a lot around here, it doesnt cost fuel, plus it kills a lot ofweed seeds. Take him a little honey and ask him to let it stand as long as he can next year.
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Yeah, if he was a beekeeper he might have let it stand, If not, its a nuisance. Just weeds. Before I kept bees you would rarely find a goldenrod in bloom on my farm, except the ones I couldn't get to. Now i try to leave em what I can. G
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