Oil seed rape

[MuswellMetro]

My top tip for avoiding swarms on osr is to add multiple supers well ahead of time to any colonies which are up to strength early enough. It can mean the crop gets chimneyed up the middle of several supers, but IMO, thats a small price to pay for the alleviation of congestion that can occur when the osr flows strongly.

for those who want the book see fleabay listing

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OILSEED-RAPE-BEES-ALLAN-CALDER-P-BACK-1986-1ST-EDIT-ILLUST-/350516658354

 

[sandysman]

Thanks Folks for all your replies.
Poly, Thanks, I have found numerous threads on the forum that will help. My issue here is that we are surrounded by OSR most years and as next year will be ( I hope) my first honey crop I was a little concerned about dealing with the problems that OSR can bring. I think, looking at previous advise I should be okay.
Thanks again everyone and Merry Christmas.

 

[oliver90owner]

surrounded by OSR most years

Concentric rings? It's usually part of a three, or four, year crop rotation.

RAB

 

[Finman]

surrounded by OSR most years

Concentric rings? It's usually part of a three, or four, year crop rotation.

RAB

One reason is : Plasmodiophora brassicae causes clubroot disease in cruciferous plants, and is an emerging threat to Canadian canola (Brassica napus) production. ......................

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21726396

 

[Hivemaker.]

One reason is : Plasmodiophora brassicae causes clubroot disease in cruciferous plants[/url]

Even if our weather is unusual,we know this in England.

 

[oliver90owner]

Even if our weather is unusual,we know this in England.

We also know that the other crops in the rotation have possible disease risks which are reduced by crop rotation.

We also know there are different NPK requirements for the different crops in the rotation, so it is economically sensible to rotate the crops.

Fairly routine decisions for agronomists and farmers, I would think.

Maybe our peculiar weather is affecting some, more than we think? Won't affect the bees though. Never seen a bee with club foot.

 

[Poly Hive]

Crop rotation: Turnip Townshend

PH

 

[iand]

We used to grow Osr on 5 year rotation although 6 years would be ideal. We only grew combinable crops. So the winter beans now grown would have fitted the bill well as an extra break crop. Yes RAB everything fits in a rotation like a glove even cultivations. Doing the them all at the same depth you end up with a "plough pan" through which roots, nutrients, moisture have difficulty penetrating. Result crop loss in a dry time! Plenty of variation just the same with humans or bees
ian

 

[MuswellMetro]

The only crop rotation from OSR that one farmer does near one of the associations apiares is to allow lafarge to dig big hole instead of him planting OSR

They extract 600,000 tons of gravel per year, then fill it up with landfill...............the newest hole appeared in November and is over 2 acres of former OSR . It is only two fields away from the apiary now and they have planing for 25 years of extraction, so it going to be a big hole

 

[iand]

Just read Jethro Tull frustrated with his workers scattering seed on with gay abandon ignoring his protests to be more economical. Constructed a cylinder which fed seed into a tube. Not a success to start with, he had other theories on crop production which led to him growing continuous wheat for 13 years (probably "take all" caught up with him).
Nothing new under the sun is there.
ian

 

[Nic Rhodes]

Any particular reason you recommend it?

I seem to have managed the OSR over the years with out a special book?

All the seeding and creaming info is on here already.

PH

err because the OP asked for books on the subject and it is about the only one It is a nice book on the subject, many of us like to buy and read books, I got mine in 1986 and has been in used continuously since, by Dad especially.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Perhaps an article in beecraft by PH on OSR , following on from his excellent Poly one

If you are not prepared then OSR flow can overwhelm you...and the bees

i will move hives next spring to OSR and will also have to deal with swarms from two feral chimney colonies near the site that will be swarming on OSR ( one of the conditions of having the apiary is to deal with the swarms). it should be an interesting and productive few weeks