Bite the O.S.R. bullet?

[NoelH]

I have two nucs coming my way soon. The area i have selected is full of forage and well sheldered. The problem i have is there is OSR less than two miles away. Should i just bite the bullet and move them next to it and build up well or put them in my first choice location and run the risk that theyll ignore the adjacent forage and become worn out travelling for the osr. Thanks

 

[flemage]

Good question…

Do you like OSR honey?

I have mine right on top of it and the flow is not as certain as some would have you believe last year they (as far as I can tell) took nothing from it at all too wet and cold.

I think if it was me I would site them where I wanted them as the farmer is Likly to move the OSR some where else next year!

 

[Winker]

As they are only Nucs, I would just put them on the OSR its good for drawing out foundation and brood rearing. The OSR is coming to an end and the bees will use what ever they get. I don't think s Nuc will collect it in excess

 

[psafloyd]

I like OSR, Noel. I'm eating it at the moment.

As long as you extract it quickly, you can stick it in a bucket and even make some lovely soft set as I have done, following some of the (excellent) advice on here.

 

[DanBee]

The problem i have is there is OSR less than two miles away. Should i just bite the bullet and move them next to it and build up well or put them in my first choice location and run the risk that theyll ignore the adjacent forage and become worn out travelling for the osr.

Why not trust the bees' judgement? They are not foolish - they know better than us the cost/benefit ratio that has to come into play when foraging at that distance. Sure, they can forage up to 3 miles or more, but I would be very surprised if you did not have anything else flowering and of interest to them within much less than two miles. A circle of two miles radius covers roughly eight thousand acres... how many of those will be OSR?

I say put them where you want to, and OSR be damned. It'll only be in flower for about 5 weeks of the year anyway

 

[snoop]

The oil seed rape here where I am in Cork (about 10 miles from you )will be finished in about another 2- 3 weeks , its in flower since the 1 May unless you have a later crop .The bees were a month late going on to it & will be a month late leaving it. I would put them in my first choice location so you don't have to go moving them again this year. If they are this years nucs they are unlikely to be very strong yet . There is plenty of forage around at the moment which would be more balanced for them

 

[Skyhook]

The oil seed rape here where I am in Cork (about 10 miles from you )will be finished in about another 2- 3 weeks , its in flower since the 1 May unless you have a later crop .The bees were a month late going on to it & will be a month late leaving it. I would put them in my first choice location so you don't have to go moving them again this year. If they are this years nucs they are unlikely to be very strong yet . There is plenty of forage around at the moment which would be more balanced for them

They'll work it out.

.

 

[NoelH]

Snoop- Im thinking that your probably right. Moving them to OSR for a few weeks is a bit of a hassle seeing as i would have to move them twice in order to return them to my preferred location