Borage for game strips

[steve's bees]

I have been talking to the farmer where I have some of my bees about what to plant in some game strips. There is 4-6 acres so I was thinking about Borage to fill That June/July period.
Does any one know where I can buy bulk borage seed from and am I right thinking I can put 2 hive per acre.

Steve

 

[Winker]

I just got 15,000 seeds for under a £10. I have sent a PM with the details

 

[oliver90owner]

thinking I can put 2 hive per acre.

Only two?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I was going to put a link
Yes, I will
£25 for 1 Kg will do 300 sq metres
http://***originaltouch.co.uk/acatalog/Borage.html
*** is www

 

[wightbees]

What do you do with these seeds,just start chucking them over the field lol

 

[tonybloke]

What do you do with these seeds,just start chucking them over the field lol

yes!

 

[steve's bees]

thinking I can put 2 hive per acre.

Only two?

How many hive would you advise per acre?

 

[Beekeeping]

Try these people at Driffield
hmseeds.co.uk/

 

[BBG]

Cotswold seeds on Need Advice? 01608 652552

They do Borage and many others

By the Kg and plenty of advice buy £50 + free delivery

and best for cover is Melilot and Chicory - bees like them.

Get him to plant 10 acres of Sainfoin - good for cattle and horse hay but ensure they let it flower first - for the bees to enjoy!

 

[iand]

How many hive would you advise per acre?

When borage was grown around here the consultants preferred 2 hives/acre to get max pollination. Beekeepers preferred 1/acre max nectar yield per hive. Depends what else is available I guess.

 

[susbees]

I thought it was 1/acre

 

[oliver90owner]

I would think borage would easily support 2 hives per acre. One has to remember, though, that they would be moved as the blooms emerge and removed very shortly after the flow has gone over.

It may depend on whether the beek wants the maximum from each colony or the maximum from the crop. It might also depend on the strength of the colonies. I remember more than a dozen hives dotted around a barely 5 acre patch, but they were not there for very long..... Modern varieties are likely blooming over a very much more defined time, so should support more than historically reported. Perhaps ITLD would know a little more about borage. I got the impression that the beek was following the borage for the crop, but maybe pollination was an issue, too.

RAB