corn/maize

[Nige.Coll]

has anyone had experience with these crops.
i have been reading a few bits on the internet and it seems not too good for bees, mainly due to pesticides.

only reason i ask is that next year there will be fields of it near my apiary .
i am not sure if they will be growing corn or field maize for animal feed atm as i haven't seen the farmer.

 

[enrico]

Wind pollinated.... Bees won't touch it
E

 

[maddydog]

Wind pollinated but I'm sure i recently read somewhere that bees will occasionally collect the pollen, of which, there is plenty.

 

[Nige.Coll]

from what i have read it isn't pollinated by them but they will visit the crop.

 

[Goran]

Abundance of pollen. ask if the seed will be treated with neonics. if not, should no worry. bees will have heavy load of pollen on their feet. In short time lot of pollen but not of great quality for bees.

 

[Limousin Lass]

Bees do visit Maize. If nothing else they collect moisture when it's really hot.
Not all Maize or Rape was (Is outside of Europe) Neonicotinoid treated. You specify at ordering which seed dressing you want.
Maize "Gutates" which means a globule of sweat forms on the leaf. (This is different from normal transpiration.) The problem with Gaucho or Cruiser (Neonics.) is that a tiny trace is found in the globule. Cherries and Strawberries Gutate as well but are not Neonic. treated.
Although the Neonics. have been banned off Maize and Rape, they have not been banned off Potatoes, most Greens and Carrots, these are crops which have some of the highest pesticide use on farms.

 

[Little John]

As I see it, the only things worth worrying about in life are those that might possibly be changed by such concern.

The unfortunate reality of the situation (for all of us, not just the OP) is that beekeepers have absolutely no control over what crops are planted where, and what those crop seeds may or may not have been treated with - provided of course, that the farmer is working within existing laws.

So, unless there's a second apiary available to move the girls to, with an assurance that exactly the same situation won't occur there as well - it's a hard fact of life that the bees will fly onto whatever crop happens to take their fancy. And we just have to live with that.

Wish it were otherwise.

LJ

 

[oliver90owner]

I believe the biggest losers were in Italy where neonics were applied as seed dressings. Two problem areas, both colony killers - guttation and air-drills. Apparently proven by a ban after some heavy losses.

RAB

 

[Skyhook]

Bees do visit Maize. If nothing else they collect moisture when it's really hot.
Not all Maize or Rape was (Is outside of Europe) Neonicotinoid treated. You specify at ordering which seed dressing you want.
Maize "Gutates" which means a globule of sweat forms on the leaf. (This is different from normal transpiration.) The problem with Gaucho or Cruiser (Neonics.) is that a tiny trace is found in the globule. Cherries and Strawberries Gutate as well but are not Neonic. treated.
Although the Neonics. have been banned off Maize and Rape, they have not been banned off Potatoes, most Greens and Carrots, these are crops which have some of the highest pesticide use on farms.

Nice informative post!

There seems little doubt that they will also collect pollen, though whether they actually do in any given situation probably depends on what other sources are available.

.

 

[Nige.Coll]

if nothing else they will have an extra food source when the osr has stopped.
the farmer does use all legal products. not that that helps much.
he also grows lots of potatoes too lol.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Bees also visit hop and grape flowers, for pollen, same as they do with hazel catkins.

 

[Limousin Lass]

The unfortunate reality of the situation (for all of us, not just the OP) is that beekeepers have absolutely no control over what crops are planted where, and what those crop seeds may or may not have been treated with - provided of course, that the farmer is working within existing laws.

LJ

Farmers (and I am one) do their utmost to work within the law, deliberate breaches are very rare. Be aware that Winter Rape which is planted in August (end of) and September (beginning of) , still, in some cases has Neonic seed dressing to allow seed supplier stocks to be used up. All stocks must be used up by November 1st 2013. No 2014 Spring Rape will have these dressings.

 

[Goran]

Well, only pollen they get from corn, but a lot in short time.. Our bee at sweet corn..

 

[Little John]

Little John: The unfortunate reality of the situation (for all of us, not just the OP) is that beekeepers have absolutely no control over what crops are planted where, and what those crop seeds may or may not have been treated with - provided of course, that the farmer is working within existing laws.

LJ

Farmers (and I am one) do their utmost to work within the law, deliberate breaches are very rare. Be aware that Winter Rape which is planted in August (end of) and September (beginning of) , still, in some cases has Neonic seed dressing to allow seed supplier stocks to be used up. All stocks must be used up by November 1st 2013. No 2014 Spring Rape will have these dressings.

I did not intend to imply that some farmers were not complying with their country's laws, although I can easily see how this interpretation was made.

Perhaps I should have said something like: " - provided of course, that the farmer is working within existing laws - which they perfectly entitled to do, as opposed to organic farms on which these concerns would not apply."

It's my experience that not just farmers, but contractors also, are in the main a very responsible and professional bunch of people. There may be a few 'cowboys' around, but those exist in all walks of life.

The problems for beekeepers do not arise from farmers or contractors (although it may sometimes appear so), but from the chemical manufacturers themselves, and the powerful lobby they exert on governments, and thus are manifested in the chemical regulations which duly emerge - more so in the United States than elsewhere.

LJ

 

[Limousin Lass]

I did not intend to imply that some farmers were not complying with their country's laws, although I can easily see how this interpretation was made.

Perhaps I should have said something like: " - provided of course, that the farmer is working within existing laws - which they perfectly entitled to do, as opposed to organic farms on which these concerns would not apply."

It's my experience that not just farmers, but contractors also, are in the main a very responsible and professional bunch of people. There may be a few 'cowboys' around, but those exist in all walks of life.

The problems for beekeepers do not arise from farmers or contractors (although it may sometimes appear so), but from the chemical manufacturers themselves, and the powerful lobby they exert on governments, and thus are manifested in the chemical regulations which duly emerge - more so in the United States than elsewhere.


LJ

If I jumped to the wrong conclusion
LL
I did start a different thread, not wishing to hi-jack this, but its been shufted and I can't see it due to not having enough posts!