Fields of OSR coming in to flower

[dn170221]

Hi all,
I have spotted a large field of OSR coming in to flower near my apiary.
Apart from hefting and checking the hives haven't blown over I wasn't planning on doing anything until the weather gets warmer.
Should the presence of the OSR make me change my plans at all?
Many thanks

 

[Arfermo]

no!!

 

[Poly Hive]

Absolutely not.

The plant breeders are doing us beekeepers no favours at all.
The hives are full of aging winter bees and they are in no condition to flog themselves in an OSR field which may well pretty much produce no nectar due to it being too cold.

Back in the day, it flowered for 6 weeks and poured nectar as it began in the last week or April or the first in May. So there is a five week difference right there. Now it's lucky if it lasts three weeks.

In my view it's pretty much a waste of time now. Peak flowering is what 7 days? And the hives should be keeping the expanding brood nest warm.

My hives at the start of the rape were mostly on 8 or 9 frames of brood and had foragers brand new and raring to go.

I good colony now is on what 2/3/4? Pick a number.

PH

 

[BeeJayBee]

Don't count your honey jars just yet dn1. A couple of weeks ago I saw the glint of what looked like a field of rape coming into flower, it was away from the road so I could only see the haze of yellow flowers. On Friday there were sheep in the field, so it will have been a fodder crop.

 

[mbc]

In my view it's pretty much a waste of time now.

PH

For osr honey maybe, but it's still a wonderful builder of bees ready for the hawthorn and sycamore.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

For osr honey maybe, but it's still a wonderful builder of bees ready for the hawthorn and sycamore.

win win really - colonies bursting in pretty quick time and no mazola honey clogging up the combs

 

[Plenty of honey]

we've got the same here in North Brittany, but.... lots of fields of rape are actually not flowering properly. Meaning that if you look closely, there is flowers coming on some plants and not on others, quite definitive, meaning that the rape has been affected by the mild winter and has not had long enough in the cold (only my point of view) But it seems that is may be a very long flowering season, the other half may come a few weeks later, if so, then thats not a bad thing. By that time we may have some foraging bees to gather nectar.
I might be wrong, but its looking like that!

 

[Millet]

If I never see oil seed rape every again it will be too soon, not just for bees but them B*****d pigeon bangers are a nightmare two of the dogs are petrified of fireworks and loud bangs and them bangers going of all day is a nightmare.
Ban the stuff.

 

[Poly Hive]

I suspect charlock.

PH

 

[Fatbee]

It's a funny old season - 6 weeks ago the OSR looked really strong but recently it's slowed down.
It yields for me.

 

[Poly Hive]

Pounds per colony please?

PH

 

[Plenty of honey]

I suspect charlock.

PH

Definitely OSR, fields of Charlock are nearly finished!! Phacelia about to start flowering as it wasn't frosted this year, but sadly the farmers will be turning that in to the soil to start getting it ready for the maize sowing in late April / May!

 

[Fatbee]

Pounds per colony please?

PH

Looking at how much set really hard, I would estimate last year 50 lbs extracted but did get caught with some supers that had set which have gone on a couple of colonies this year - hopefully cleared over winter.

 

[deanrpwaacs]

Is this OSR ? There are 4 large fields over the road from me that the farm worker sets the bangers off in every day . Here are a couple of pics i took 2 weeks ago . I think it is but am unsure .

 

[mbc]

The close up looks like osr but the other shot looks like it's sown too close for osr. Definitely a brassica by the leaves anyway imho more than like it is osr.

 

[deanrpwaacs]

I keep trying to catch the farmer to ask him when he starts the bangers up but seem to miss time it . Maybe i will pull up a chair next to the scarer very early and wait for him .

 

[Fatbee]

The fact that there are bangers there would suggest it is although the first photo doesn't look like the correct plant spacing - shouldn't be rows between plants, should be a dense mass. 99% sure it is though by the second photo and quantity grown (4 fields)

 

[BeeJuice]

That is OSR

The bangs will probably be coming from a gas gun. Round here they fire three shots in quick succession every hour. It drives me mad - it's like being in Beirut. The 'gun' is a 4 inch pipe connected to a bottle of gas, a battery, timer and gas release mechanism.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I keep trying to catch the farmer to ask him when he starts the bangers up but seem to miss time it . Maybe i will pull up a chair next to the scarer very early and wait for him .

Some scarers operate on a time clock, some have a daylight sensor. You might have a long wait if you sit by the scarer until the farmer turns up which might be to change the gas bottle.

 

[deanrpwaacs]

I have seen him flying round the fields on his quad starting them up so im hopeful i will catch him . Looking at the pics from 2 weeks ago . How long would you then say it may be from flowering ? Just trying to get an idea so i can prep the bees if need be . Have read i can give them a boost with a bit of syrup prior to flowering .