Any nectar given in peas and green bean flowers?

CliffDale · Nov 15, 2011

A local farmer, about 6 miles away, has asked if I'm interested in moving some hives to his fields when the peas and beans are about to flower. It is a huge plantation.

I cant find any information about nectar but I know honey bees are a good pollinator for the crop.

Would it be worth moving them for some early honey?

Cliff

gavin · Nov 15, 2011

Peas? Honeybees will sometimes manage to nick a little pollen from them but only when they are desperate as the flower doesn't really suit them. The farmer will get no benefit from bees and there is no nectar worth collecting.

Green beans as in Phaseolus beans, French beans? Ditto.

If they are field beans (aka faba beans, broad beans) that is a different story. Bees of all types will work them for pollen and nectar, and the farmer will get better pollination and pod set. Some years you will get nothing off them, sometimes they will fill supers.

Gardenbees · Nov 15, 2011

In my experience the hum of busy bees in a beanfield is usually bumblebees. Pea and bean flowers have quite a lot of nectar, but the shape of the flower isn't very suitable for honeybees. Bumble bees can make a hole in bean flowers to "rob" the nectar, and honeybees can subsequently use the same hole (if you look closely at some field beans you can see them doing this - it's quite interesting to watch). So if a field gets worked by bumblebees it might also be popular with honeybees. But as far as I know, it isn't the first port of call for honeybees if there's an easier source of more "open" shaped flowers (e.g. rape, mustard, sunflowers, may-blossom, apple) nearby.

Finman · Nov 15, 2011

CliffDale said:
A local farmer, about 6 miles away, has asked if I'm interested in moving some hives to his fields when the peas and beans are about to flower. It is a huge plantation.

I cant find any information about nectar but I know honey bees are a good pollinator for the crop.

Would it be worth moving them for some early honey?

Cliff

They are self pollinating. Bees do not forage nectar of pollen from peas. I have not seen them in beans either.

RoofTops · Nov 15, 2011

I took some bees to a field of broad beans once. The bees ignored the beans, finding some spring sown OSR several miles away more attractive.

However, as I had been told, I found every single bean flower had been visited by bumble bees who chewed a hole in the bottom of the flower in order to access the nectar as their tongues are not long enough to reach the nectar in the conventional way. Honey bees can also use these holes to take the nectar but neither bee does anything for pollination. Honey bees cannot chew a hole inthe flower as their mandibles are too blunt.

I suspect, peas and bees being the same family, the same could be true for several species.

enrico · Nov 15, 2011

Peas and runner beans NO
Field beans used for cattle feed a big yes. If that is the main crop in the are the bees will feed on them but make sure you charge the farmer for the work your bees are doing for him!!!!!
E

susbees · Nov 15, 2011

Peas? No use for honey bees.

Field beans? Yes:

Nectar from extrafloral nectaries; nectar from holes made by bumble bees (as mentioned above) and by moving the flowers whilst doing so aiding pollination; entering flowers to obtain pollen the "traditional" way and nectar to some extent. What they do and when depends on weather and time of day, probably amongst other things.

Go for it. There are beans each year on a farm four miles from here and a well-known beekeeper takes hives there. They are, however, backed up by an avenue of lime trees as the bean crop fades which might just yield a bit in the right year.

gavin · Nov 15, 2011

They will go in head first to a faba/field bean if they really want to - for example to get pollen, or when a stronger bee has already forced the flower open, but they will also go into fresh flowers for nectar sometimes.

Bumblebees are bigger and stronger.

Someone mentioned that bees can also collect nectar from the extra-floral nectaries on the stipules.

The wild relatives of the faba/field bean seem to have these nectaries to attract ants to help look after the plant. They sometimes work the crop too.

And yes, they also nick nectar from round the back after a short-tongued bumble bee has chewed an opening there (sorry, I don't have pictures of that one).

Gavin

Swarm · Nov 15, 2011

Beautiful pics, Gavin.
I can confirm, bees on broad beans every year.

Firefly · Nov 15, 2011

Peas & beans flowering now? Odd; why? I know winter seems to be cancelled but, even so, this is a strange time to have them flower

Finman · Nov 15, 2011

I had beehives just on bean field. It was only 3 metres to flowers.

There was no bumble bees nor honey bees in flowers. They visited somewhere else. The olant was exatly the same as Gavin's picture.

Watse of hives if you put hives there.

chrismcd · Nov 15, 2011

Lovely Honey

Some friends of mine put a hive on a Field Bean crop two years ago and got a good crop of honey off it.

The honey was almost colourless with a lovely delicate floral flavour. At the shows it was one of the most popular for tasting.

Skyhook · Nov 15, 2011

Gavin, fantastic series of photos!

not worthy

RoofTops · Nov 15, 2011

chrismcd said:
Some friends of mine put a hive on a Field Bean crop two years ago and got a good crop of honey off it.

The honey was almost colourless with a lovely delicate floral flavour. At the shows it was one of the most popular for tasting.

Possibly a case of disobedient bees not working the flowers the script said - as mine did. Might have been clover. My understanding is honey from beans is darker - but of course who knows in these high tech DNA manipulating days?

Skyhook · Nov 15, 2011

Finman said:
I had beehives just on bean field. It was only 3 metres to flowers.

There was no bumble bees nor honey bees in flowers. They visited somewhere else. The olant was exatly the same as Gavin's picture.

Watse of hives if you put hives there.

I've seen lots of reports of field beans giving a good crop. I guess its another one that needs the right conditions to yield.

Andy Duff · Nov 16, 2011

gavin said:
Peas? Honeybees will sometimes manage to nick a little pollen from them but only when they are desperate as the flower doesn't really suit them. The farmer will get no benefit from bees and there is no nectar worth collecting.

Green beans as in Phaseolus beans, French beans? Ditto.

If they are field beans (aka faba beans, broad beans) that is a different story. Bees of all types will work them for pollen and nectar, and the farmer will get better pollination and pod set. Some years you will get nothing off them, sometimes they will fill supers.

On our allotments bees are hardly ever seen on French or climbing beans, almost never on peas but they love broad beans and are mad for runner beans.

Sorry.
Angus

CliffDale · Nov 16, 2011

Firefly said:
Peas & beans flowering now? Odd; why? I know winter seems to be cancelled but, even so, this is a strange time to have them flower

Firefly

I have been asked to move them early spring. I'm asking now whether its worthwhile for future planning.

Peas and beans are definitely not in flower at the moment!

Firefly · Nov 16, 2011

CliffDale said:
Firefly

I have been asked to move them early spring. I'm asking now whether its worthwhile for future planning.

Peas and beans are definitely not in flower at the moment!

Duh! OK - I'm slow on the uptake :dupe:

I'm with the others who say beans can yield honey. They are a very common field crop in this particular corner of England (they suit S Warwicks Lias Clay). I have been sold honey by a local beek that I trust, and he said it was mainly beans - also v light colour and delicate flavour, as described above

A field of beans in flower smells like Ponds Cold Cream (but not the honey

)

Having peas and beans mixed in the same crop would be very unusual. I cannot believe that is what he means. I'm guessing there will be some areas with exclusively beans and some with peas

Firefly · Nov 18, 2011

Just discovered a field of beans emerging less than 50m from my hives

We should keep in touch!

There is a field of OSR even closer. I do not think they will flower together, but bees might turn their noses up at beans after the joys of OSR

How long until spring?

Cazza · Nov 18, 2011

Firefly said:
Just discovered a field of beans emerging less than 50m from my hives

We should keep in touch!

There is a field of OSR even closer. I do not think they will flower together, but bees might turn their noses up at beans after the joys of OSR

QUOTE]

Lucky you. The OSR should flower first, then the beans. I love the smell of beans in flower and my bees usually go for them too.
Cazza

Any nectar given in peas and green bean flowers?

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