Is it worth moving bees closer to OSR?

[poshpikey]

My bees are just under a mile away from the nearest OSR. I have the option of moving them to another area five miles down the road and then they would be right next to a different crop of OSR. Will I get more honey/better build up from being right next to the crop? (Last year I took about 60lbs of OSR honey from two colonies and my hives were about 1km from the OSR) Thanks.

 

[Heather]

The bees will find OSR a mile away... and when that finishes if the other, 5 miles away, is still producing, they will find that too.
Damn them, they will ignore all the lovely wild flowers etc to get to blasted OSR

 

[oliver90owner]

Yes.

Think shop next door or ten miles down the road - which is easier or at less reavelling time and cost.

 

[itma]

My bees are just under a mile away from the nearest OSR. I have the option of moving them to another area five miles down the road and then they would be right next to a different crop of OSR. Will I get more honey/better build up from being right next to the crop? (Last year I took about 60lbs of OSR honey from two colonies and my hives were about 1km from the OSR) Thanks.

4 colonies?
How about moving two and doing the comparison for yourself?


Being closer should produce a larger yield. Less wasted effort (and thus fuel) and time, so more effort and time available for production, showing through as more stuff stored.


Might be worth checking with the farmer(s) though about spraying, etc and also the varieties of OSR chosen. It has been suggested to me that some varieties (particularly those chosen for the biodiesel market?) offer massively less for the bees than the (recently) traditional varieties.
Anyone know anything specific on this?

 

[DanBee]

It has been suggested to me that some varieties (particularly those chosen for the biodiesel market?) offer massively less for the bees than the (recently) traditional varieties.
Anyone know anything specific on this?

I've offered on a number of occasions to collate information relating to yield on different varieties of OSR, particularly through the BFA. My conclusion was that the enjoyment of grumbling that "it ain't like it used to be" far outweighed the trivial effort required to ask the farmer which variety had been planted, or any real commercial interest in yield. Thus the debate never even gets to comparing known hybrid or traditional varieties, so is meaningless.

Not a dig at you, ITMA, just "caveat emptor" in general on the topic

 

[Pete D]

YES- to the original question

all things considered is there really scope for the answer to this question (as posted) ''Will I get more honey/better build up from being right next to the crop?'' to be no ? with the information given.

Yes move them on, the sooner the better looking out of the window here at the moment, brilliant sunshine and 15'' high OSR, just need the temps to come up in about 3 weeks time.

 

[oliver90owner]

Unless the variety is very stinted on nectar production, and I am not too sure that some are, the two most likely reasons for a low yield is either the weather or the colony is not yet developed sufficiently to get the surplus. So most likely beekeepers complaining about nothing. OSR can be an early crop these days, comparative to the late seventies.

 

[itma]

I've offered on a number of occasions to collate information relating to yield on different varieties of OSR, particularly through the BFA. My conclusion was that the enjoyment of grumbling that "it ain't like it used to be" far outweighed the trivial effort required to ask the farmer which variety had been planted, or any real commercial interest in yield. Thus the debate never even gets to comparing known hybrid or traditional varieties, so is meaningless.

Not a dig at you, ITMA, just "caveat emptor" in general on the topic

As I contemplate taking some bees to the OSR for the first time (my bees don't seem to get out of town on their own!), I thought it worth suggesting that the OP might ask the farmer about the varieties planted at the two sites in question.

Might be worth checking with the farmer(s) though about spraying, etc and also the varieties of OSR chosen.

The suggestion about biodiesel varieties actually came from the 'training co-ordinnator' of a local BKA ...

 

[masterBK]

I may be imagining it but I think my bees tend to be more aggressive on the biodiesel OSR than on the double low OSR varieties grown for edible oils.