Pampas Grass

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Your blue bee plant looks like a hyssop, or rather an Agastache (not the same as herb hyssop although the flowers are very similar). Garden centres are keen to sell them, mostly Agastache foeniculum hybrids ("anise hyssop" or "giant hyssop"). They vary a lot in blue-ness and length of flower spike. They're all very popular with bees.
 
Your blue bee plant looks like a hyssop, or rather an Agastache (not the same as herb hyssop although the flowers are very similar). Garden centres are keen to sell them, mostly Agastache foeniculum hybrids ("anise hyssop" or "giant hyssop"). They vary a lot in blue-ness and length of flower spike. They're all very popular with bees.

My wife had a good look through on google at the various varieties and she said one or two look a perfect match.

Thank you Gardenbees, we will buy a few more now we know what to look for.
:hurray: :cheers2:
 
I have a lovely tall one called Agastache Black Adder, My bees ignore it but the bumbles adore it. I like the look of yours, any idea of the variety?
Cazza
 
My wife thinks its Agastache Golden Jubilee thanks to Gardenbees. :hurray:
 
:) "Golden Jubilee" looks really nice - I must look out for it!
Must get some more Agastache next year... thanks Mike a, you've reminded me of what a good bee plant it is!
 
A little late up here but whilst the bees are foraging as though there were no tomorrow they are steering clear of it

ALIM0004-1.jpg


Bees are bedded down ,did my Autumn grass bashing around the apiary , mouse guards next (after first frosty night).
I intend making new hive stands this Winter and plan to revert to solid floors, save the odd omf for mite drop checks!

John Wilkinson
 
Brilliant.

I heard it was a tradition in the 70's to have a pampas in the front garden in the middle of the lawn, if you were a 'swinging' couple. Is there something your not telling us?:reddevil:


I think most people had that terrible plant in the 70s. They used to go out for steak and chips with all the trimmings, a bottle of blue nun and Black forest gateau too. I'm sorry I hate Pampas grass. I poured paraffin on mine and burned it.
 
I intend making new hive stands this Winter and plan to revert to solid floors, save the odd omf for mite drop checks!

John Wilkinson

Why's that then? First time I've heard anyone speak of preferring solid!
 
Observation over the last three years has indicated that colonies Wintering on solid floors use less stores and get off to an earlier start the following year.
First noticed in club apiary (short of a couple of omfs)
I Wintered with trays in, similar result !.

My old Ukrainian friend had double walled hives(not wbc),each Winter he would pack the gap between the walls with newspaper (a practice he had learned back home). He also used quilts rather than crown boards.
His bees were a little feisty at times but year on year he maximised his honey crop, plus he didn't believe in Autumn feeding (unless absolutely necessary ,which was seldom the case) .

At least one other subscriber on here runs most of his colonies on solid floors :D

John Wilkison
 
Observation over the last three years has indicated that colonies Wintering on solid floors use less stores and get off to an earlier start the following year.
First noticed in club apiary (short of a couple of omfs)
I Wintered with trays in, similar result !.
At least one other subscriber on here runs most of his colonies on solid floors :D

John Wilkison
Whenever I think I've got it.... I guess with most or all aspects of beekeeping there is no single correct answer, it's what works for you, with your bees, in your microclimate, in combination with your other management techniques etc etc. Anyone else want to chip in in support of OMF/ solid floors?
 
Yes indeed. I do believe they help shed the mite load, I also think that mites that drop off a Winter cluster have a slim chance of returning to the cluster .(Bees keep the cluster warm, not the hive). The cold will keep the fallen mites moribund and as they have no hibernation strategy they are doomed ?.

John Wilkinson
 
Please help identify what these are in the pampas grass. Sorry for the rubbish pictures, there are a lot of them and they are very quick.IMG_20200915_170803.jpg
 
Please help identify what these are in the pampas grass. Sorry for the rubbish pictures, there are a lot of them and they are very quick.View attachment 22140

Probably wasps as already noted but if you have lots of ivy around they may be Ivy Mining Bees as mentioned elsewhere on this forum a few days ago. Here's a web site with a few photos Colletes hederae (Ivy Bee)
 
No it is not wasps. It is bees collecting grass pollen.

We don't look for what we have been told doesn't happen. How many of you look at grass for foraging bees, or do your eyes naturally gravitate towards colour?

Read in BBKA magazine couple of years back a research led pollen analysis of honey to determine nectar source. There was a lot of grass pollen in some samples of honey, but unlike every other pollen which they took as an indicator of foraging habits, the grass was deemed 'to have blown in'. As a research scientist I was cross. They should be ashamed. The data was there. They should have reached a new understanding.

I have photos of bees collecting pollen on Holcus lanatus, Yorkshire fog grass, the soft hairy leaved one that is common in un-managed grass that gives a pink tinge to meadows when in flower.

Is this important? Is pamaps important? It is increadibly important. Holcus has been almost entirely eradicated from meadowlands because it is low nutrition poor forage and replaced with Lolium perrenae. It was a ubiquitous plant for bees in the past, now almost gone. We don't think about grasses as beekeepers, but here is some data that should tell us that there is more to think about for maintaining forage for polinators than just flowers.
 

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