nectar/pollen source

[Mikeb123]

hi,

I'm starting my first year of beekeeping in spring and wanted some advice.
I have a fairly large garden so can accommodate many different flowers for my bees all season round.
I understand it would be best practice to give the bees a large variety of pollen/nectar sources for as long as possible but as far as the taste of the honey is concerned is it best to mix many different sources or try to stick to maybe one or two all season hardy flowers in the immediate area? or will the bees just forage many different sources further afield...

many thanks

 

[BeeJayBee]

or will the bees just forage many different sources further afield? ...

Yes, especially in a town where there are mature gardens and parks.

The only time we see a lot of bees in our garden is when the weeping willow has catkins, although there are usually quite a few around the pond.

 

[Into the lions den]

hi,

I'm starting my first year of beekeeping in spring and wanted some advice.
I have a fairly large garden so can accommodate many different flowers for my bees all season round.
I understand it would be best practice to give the bees a large variety of pollen/nectar sources for as long as possible but as far as the taste of the honey is concerned is it best to mix many different sources or try to stick to maybe one or two all season hardy flowers in the immediate area? or will the bees just forage many different sources further afield...

many thanks

Its a laudable thought and one that comes up again and again. Not suggesting that you shouldn't bother, as every little in gardens adds up, but a proper strong colony on most things needsd a large area of flowers to actually obtain any sort of honey crop that would be of a discernable type.

Specifically discussed once was someone who was planting up a 20yd x 20yd plot with lavender.................and the honey yield off that, which the beginner thought would be significant........was not more than an ounce, and actually was estimated at a 'thimbleful' by someone more expert than I. There is library data published by Eva Crane on nectar availability for many flowers and trees, and its potential yield, not actual, as weather conditions can make the yield much reduced or even nil.

Unless you go for things like acacia, whch will take a few years to mature, then there really is nothing you can plant in a single garden that will give significant enough necter. If your garden is VERY large (my fathers is an acre in a semi rural setting) you could plant it all in Borage or Phacelia, and THAT would be enough for your colony.............but would also be a magnet for the bees for the whole area, so you would be sharing it.

 

[beeno]

Hi MikeB123,
Welcome to the forum and enjoy. The only time I saw my own bees out in force on my garden was on white clover. They covered that systematically one bee per square metre - amazing. Tell a lie, I also saw three bees in one of my oriental poppies charging around trying to cover themselves in pollen. Otherwise only bumble bees on my buddleias whilst the neighbour's was covered in presumably my bees. I personally would make sure they had early pollen.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Hi MikeB123,
Welcome to the forum and enjoy. ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;. I personally would make sure they had early pollen.

agree, goat willow or those ornamental weeping pussy willows are covered in bees in spring, likewise for a few days spring croci, both flower when pollen is short supply.

i also have a Bee tree, but cant remember the botanical name..anyone out there google it , as my ISP is slow tonight as i have gone over my limit

 

[itma]

As above. Your contribution will be a tiny one.
Early (willow) or late (eg Ivy) is likely to be where a little can make a useful difference - if there is a local shortage.


Something you should aim to provide is a water source.
A still pond with a *sunny*, mossy 'beach' should get a lot of traffic at various times of the year, particularly spring and midsummer.
Expect the bees to make most use of a water source that is *not* very close to their hive(s).

 

[Mikeb123]

thanks to all for your input. I understand the part I can play in their forage will be very small but as you can imagine, being my first year I want to be able to provide them with everything in my power that I can and see the the best results

 

[madasafish]

agree, goat willow or those ornamental weeping pussy willows are covered in bees in spring, likewise for a few days spring croci, both flower when pollen is short supply.

i also have a Bee tree, but cant remember the botanical name..anyone out there google it , as my ISP is slow tonight as i have gone over my limit

Korean Evodia

I have 5 plants...

 

[greengumbo]

This new book is pretty comprehensive.

http://www.plantsforbees.org/

I was in the same boat last year Mike and planned my entire garden around food for me and food for the bees. I know my contribution will be negligible (especially when the OSR 10m away from the hive kicks in!) but I figured I wanted to see my bees about the place as much as possible. I mainly went for things that flower in early spring and late in autumn.

The RHS has a lot of info about bee friendly plants.

I can dig out a list of what I stuck in if that helps.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Korean Evodia

I have 5 plants...

yes, thanks Madasafish

Korean Evodia (now known botanically as Tetradium daniellii)

 

[SimonJoy]

I wouldn't worry too much about your garden Mike. Plant it with things that you like and which are beneficial for bees (there was a book published before Christmas which updated the Hooper book from the 1940s about bee friendly plants) but your bees will be out foraging from monocultures where they can. If you're in east Rainham your bees will be out on the fruit tree blossom, there are still a good number of orchards in Lower Rainham and loads of damson blossom early on. Then they'll hit the OSR later on....

 

[Swarm]

Agree with earlier posts about Spring pollen. I was always told the bees won't forage too near their hives as the area is their latrine. That is just not true.
With a good flow, the majority of your bees will be shooting off in the same direction but you will see bees in your garden throughout the season if it's thoughtfully planted. You can literally watch them fly back to the hive.
Try some of these..
Crocus
Snowdrop
Lenten Rose
Flowering Cherry (I have two dwarf types)
Skimmia Japonica
Echium
Limnanthes Douglasii
Cranesbill Geranium
Wisteria
Poppies (various)
Green Alkanet (watch this, it takes over a bit)
Fuchsia
That's just a small selection, there are plenty of others but avoid double blossoms.
You will have not only your own bees but loads of bumbles as well.

 

[oliver90owner]

That is just not true.

You are right there. Bees do not normally use the immediate area as a latrine.

A more likely hypothesis is one of security for the colony. Another likely one is that the returns further afield are more attractive.

Bees do forage close to their hive if one includes robbing as a form of foraging.

 

[REDWOOD]

Lots of plants here to choose from
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Sustainable-gardening/pdfs/RHS_Pollinators_PlantList_v1

http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Sus...20702_PerfectForPollinators-WildflowerList_V1

 

[YorkshireBees]

As others have pointed out the amount of nectar produced by the average garden is negligible but if more people plant bee friendly plants it all adds up!

An early source of pollen is always on my list + plants that flower over the traditional (if it's really still happening with climate change) June gap.