How is the Rape looking

[Chrisfnvs]

Went to have a look at a couple of site today where i will be taking some bees to work the rape, i was a little concerned over reports of waterlogging and pigeon damage etc, i was pleasantly surprised as the rape is looking quite good despite the weather!, i am interested has anyone else checked the rape out in your own areas ? Chris

 

[Chris B]

A bit mixed to be honest Chris.
We've got a few hundred acres of good looking rape quite close to home.
Other farms never even got it in. Certainly more brown looking fields than usual.

 

[DanBee]

Same here as Chris B generally. A lot more fields of stubble still than would be expected, plus some obviously waterlogged since October.

 

[OXFORDBEE]

Quite a lot of Rape successfully sown near me. However, there's also quite a lot of water too as there's a few rivers nearby. There's a few waterlogged fields but not much stubble...

 

[beebreeder]

Around here its not just the rape, winter sown crops of all types are waterlogged, huge acreages have not germinated and will have to be re-sown with spring varieties adding to the farmers costs. One of my farmers was commenting on his losses of autumn sown crops that are useless. The shoots have had an excellent winter though, but that has no particular effect on bees!!!!!!

 

[DanBee]

Waterlogging and poor establishment are bad news for farmers, and they have my sincerest sympathies. However from a beekeeper's point of view, you can be in a location (by luck or judgement) where you have winter sown, winter re-sown, and spring sown rape, meaning a greater continuity of flowering. Of course this relies on the spring weather being favourable for both crop and bees, but in recent years it's only the weather from May onwards that we've moaned about...

 

[beebreeder]

I have never known it this bad, I was round checking hives the other day and some sites barely possibly to get around even in a land Rover, it must mean walking if you use a van or small pick up. It must get better soon!!! The bees were fine just some fondant here and there, mostly the nucs.

 

[Chrisfnvs]

There is a bit more to come yet Kev ! we still have roads under water here from before Christmas, that's why i was pleasantly surprised to see the rape look comparatively good despite the atrocious weather, i expect we will see a lot of spring sowing this year.

 

[ROACHMAN]

I havn't seen any Autumn rape in my neck of the woods, all fields were under water all winter, the farmers managed to get the first few ploughed early last week.

 

[beebreeder]

Some of the fields of autumn rape are being plugged and re sown with spring rape, the autumn stuff did not germinate, it just rotted other areas seem better on the chalk.

 

[OXFORDBEE]

Rape not really doing much here yet. Lots of deer damage too...

 

[Chrisfnvs]

That cold spell stopped any growth in its tracks, also pigeons are a real problem this year ! Chris

 

[Chrisfnvs]

Had a long chat with the farmer on one of my new sites for this year, who has a good acreage of autumn sown rape for me to pollinate, he reckons it is behind at the moment but it should be ok just a bit later this year, more worrying was his comment that farmers could feel the affects of last years bad summer and this years bad winter/ spring into 2014 ! lets hope the weather improves very soon Chris

 

[Chrisfnvs]

Going to look around over the next couple of days to select some of the bigger stocks to take to the Rape, hopefully in the next week or two, had a walk round with the farmer last night and it is looking very good now with almost a third in flower, just need some warm weather !!

 

[ROACHMAN]

ITLD, I saw 2 fields within a mile of Coop bees.

Not sure if this is good or bad news for you!

 

[DanBee]

I drove across to Chichester and back in the van this afternoon to collect something... blame ebay! I saw a number of rape fields that all look ready for hives to be going in, but was surprised by how few and far between they were. Difficult to judge height etc, but those that I saw were evenly covered so no poor establishment issues.

 

[OXFORDBEE]

Bit of a mixed bag with rape here. Quite a lot ploughed back in. Some fields coming along quite nicely, others way behind. Early planting, good drainage and absence of deer damage might explain why some fields are ahead.

 

[Into the lions den]

ITLD, I saw 2 fields within a mile of Coop bees.

Not sure if this is good or bad news for you!

Thank you. Just off to London for a meeting with the Minister this afternoon.

OSR nearby is good news at all times in my beek. Does great things for the condition of the bees if nothing more some years. Over 15,000 hive seasons of neonic exposure, and never noticed any effect.

 

[DanBee]

Over 15,000 hive seasons of neonic exposure, and never noticed any effect.

Sadly, that's not important compared to an emotive response to the principle of pesticide usage.

Good luck with the meeting. We do greatly appreciate the work you do on our behalf.

 

[beebreeder]

I would second that statement Dan, I don't think any of us know the time and commitment involved, thanks Murray, it is appreciated.
Our main crop is also OSR and I have had bad losses this year, just the season following the bad one last year.