Beans

[Hans wilson]

Have been offered a 30 acre field of flowering beans (beans used for human consumption)
Are bees attracted to beans ? And can they extract the nectar from the flowers ?
Thanks for any advice

 

[enrico]

Do you mean broad beans (field beans?)
If so we used to put them on the crops at the farmers request years ago. We got paid for the privelege
I know on this forum people say that the flowers are no good for a honey bee but if you watch them they will not always enter the flower, they go to the bottom outside of the flowers for the nectar. Gives a reasonable return in my opinion.
If you mean other beans then I have no idea!
E

 

[Finman]

.
I have noticed that honeybees get nectar from field beans only, if bumblebees make hole into flower tube. If bumble bees have easier flowers to forage, they avoid that hard job.

It is very rare that my bees get yield from field beans.
.

 

[Hans wilson]

Just phoned the Farmer - They are Field beans, at present just out in flower

 

[B+.]

Just phoned the Farmer - They are Field beans, at present just out in flower

My test colonies are surrounded by field beans. The flowering is just coming to an end. The beans are just forming at the bottom of the plant.
The bees will do well on them.

 

[Hans wilson]

Thank you,that sounds positive

 

[philipm]

I always though that Honey bees didn't forage broad beans but last week they were all over the ones in my garden.

 

[Curly green fingers]

I always though that Honey bees didn't forage broad beans but last week they were all over the ones in my garden.

My grandad use to say broad bean honey was a really nice honey mine left my broad beans this year prob.. Because of all the Hawthorne that was about..

 

[oliver90owner]

They would need more than a couple of rows of broad beans to make a decent amount of honey.

 

[Finman]

.
IT is easy to see, what bees do, when you go to the bean field.
You will hear wing sound first, are they there in the middle of leaves. And how they reach the nectar from flower tube.

 

[Brian Bush]

Broad Beans have extra-floral nectaries that honey bees can feed from as well as the holes made by bumbles.

 

[Beefriendly]

They can't easily get nectar from broad bean flowers; unless assisted by Bummble bee eaten holes. They get if from the extrafloral nectaries found on the base of the upper leaves of the plants.

 

[Finman]

.
There are a research "Bees on faba beans pollination", 2002.
IT says that bees do not have so long tongue that they can reach nectar.
Bees gather pollen, and they rised bean yield 25%.
.

 

[Finman]

They get if from the extrafloral nectaries found on the base of the upper leaves of the plants.

Do they.... Every year I have field beans beside my hives, but I cannot hear any bee inside bean plants. But theoretical hope is important in beekeeping.

Bumblebees are busy in bean plants near forest. They have their nest in forest, and they do not fly very far to forage pollen. And mostly there are no bumbles in fields.

 

[Tomlow bee]

Whatever the naysayers and experts pontificate, honey bees do collect nectar from field beans and it provides excellent honey. I currently have two large fields over the hedge from my garden which the bees are accessing to fill up the supers.

 

[Finman]

Negative person: It cannot go worse

Positive person: Yeas, it can....

 

[Beefriendly]

Do they....

Yes they do have extra floral nectaries, at least the ones in the UK do...those grown near the arctic circle may be different.

 

[Finman]

Yes they do have extra floral nectaries, at least the ones in the UK do...those grown near the arctic circle may be different.

No wonder that you have there so big yields nearer equator. But the same plant here.

Our beans are now 2 inches high.

We have here very hot and dry. 10 mm rain inside 1.5 month.
.

 

[masterBK]

Broad/Field beans have blackish extrafloral nectaries on the leaf stipules which attract ants which in turn probably protect the plant from certain grazing insects (but not Black aphids!). Honeybees will work the extra floral nectaries as well as the floral ones and also collect honeydew from the aphids. Short tongued bumbles bite holes in the base of the flower to get to the nectaries which are, in turn, exploited by Honeybees.

 

[philipm]

Funny thing is I'm weeding between the rows of beans today and there is not a bee to be seen,Is it temperature thing and they only forage them when it is really hot?