Courgettes as nectar source

[Jimmy]

Visited one of apiaries today and in one substantial neighbouring field (~5 acres possibly) they've planted it up with courgettes to supply the catering trade. The plants have about 4-6 leaves at the moment so are a good few weeks from flowering.
I know honeybees can pollinate courgettes (and get covered in pollen doing so) but is it a meaningful nectar source? Will be very useful if so as there's always a dearth between the end of the summer flow and the ivy.
I had a quick google search but am no wiser. I think there's an Eva Crane publication with a comparison of plant nectar sources but I can’t find it online.

 

[Jimmy]

Checked my copy of Plants for Bees by Kirk & Howe and they say it's a good source of both nectar and pollen. I guess large courgette fields are so few and far between in the UK no one really knows. With the increase in pyo pumpkin fields I wonder whether this will change.

 

[Finman]

Pumpkin has much nectar in a flower , but flowers are not many.

There are other bee plants outside the pumpkin field too.

There are other hives too on the area.

First I would look the surrounding, how much beeplants already have bees per square meter.

One bee per 10 square meter
One bee per 1 square meter... it is much

5 bees per square meter ... that is awfully much.

 

[Jimmy]

Pumpkin has much nectar in a flower , but flowers are not many.

There are other bee plants outside the pumpkin field too.

There are other hives too on the area.

First I would look the surrounding, how much beeplants already have bees per square meter.

One bee per 10 square meter
One bee per 1 square meter... it is much

5 bees per square meter ... that is awfully much.

Thanks Finman.
The area is densely populated with hives (mine and plenty of 2 hive owners in surrounding villages) but the available forage is good. I'm nowhere near your yields but most years it's my best apiary when looking at the honey harvested per hive.

 

[Jimmy]

Turned out to be pumpkins, now flowering. Photo is about half the field. My hives are less than 100m from this field but judging by the bees behaviour around any open hives or weak nucs there's not much to be had. The field's not irrigated though so not surprising.

 

[Belgianbeekeeper]

Visited one of apiaries today and in one substantial neighbouring field (~5 acres possibly) they've planted it up with courgettes to supply the catering trade. The plants have about 4-6 leaves at the moment so are a good few weeks from flowering.
I know honeybees can pollinate courgettes (and get covered in pollen doing so) but is it a meaningful nectar source? Will be very useful if so as there's always a dearth between the end of the summer flow and the ivy.
I had a quick google search but am no wiser. I think there's an Eva Crane publication with a comparison of plant nectar sources but I can’t find it online.

If you follow my link you find a huge valuation list of plants giving them points on a scale of 1 to 5 for P=pollen and N=nectar,seen towards honeybees.The page is in dutch but the scrollist of plants is both in latin and dutch.It says cucumber P5 N5 and melon P3 and N3. Drachtplanten - Imkerpedia

 

[Jimmy]

If you follow my link you find a huge valuation list of plants giving them points on a scale of 1 to 5 for P=pollen and N=nectar,seen towards honeybees.The page is in dutch but the scrollist of plants is both in latin and dutch.It says cucumber P5 N5 and melon P3 and N3. Drachtplanten - Imkerpedia

Thanks, Google translate helped.
I think the drought prevents any firm conclusions based on my experience. I took my supers off 4+ weeks ago and there has been enough to keep them ticking over but nothing to make me regret not leaving a super in place.

 

[Belgianbeekeeper]

Thanks, Google translate helped.
I think the drought prevents any firm conclusions based on my experience. I took my supers off 4+ weeks ago and there has been enough to keep them ticking over but nothing to make me regret not leaving a super in place.

excactly,the list is a guidance to a potential,but wether conditions will always have an influence,just as the choise present,if they have the choise lets say between 6 acres of sunflowers and 6 plants of helenium.....