plants bees work or not

[beecology]

Ok folks, in the same vein as the Limewatch thread, I am quite interested to hear what other plant species honeybees work.

I have not seen them working the following but would appreciate fellow beeks observations......

Black Medick
Bird's-foot Trefoil
Great Willowherb
Teasel
Common Valerian
Purple Loosestrife
Purple Toadflax
Hemp Agrimony
Meadowsweet
Alexanders
Hedge Woundwort


Thanks in advance

 

[beecology]

Just to add one the bees are definitely working today - Nettle-leaved Bellflower

 

[oliver90owner]

plants bees work or not

Title says it all.

All of them, of course! Either they do or they don't for every single one. No exceptions apart from those they might, but only sometimes.

 

[beecology]

plants bees work or not

Title says it all.

All of them, of course! Either they do or they don't for every single one. No exceptions apart from those they might, but only sometimes.

Which ones? Any observations of those listed above or just a pointless reply?

 

[geebee]

I have seen bees on Hemp Agrimony and smothering Meadowsweet. It may depend on what other forage is available.

 

[beecology]

I can confirm that the bees do indeed work Great Willowherb (and work it well!), but one flower I've not seen mentioned before has got a major flow on and buzzing with bees is St Johns wort - absolutely covered in honey and bumbles.

 

[thorn]

Which ones? Any observations of those listed above or just a pointless reply?

Humour, or what passes for it in Lincolnshire, based on a literal reply to the original question.

 

[Moggett]

There are honeybees (not ours) visiting our purple butterfly bush Buddleja davidii as I type.

 

[peteinwilts]

I planted several hundred sunflowers for my bees a few years ago. The sunflowers attracted scores of butterfly's, bumbles and wasps but my bees ignored them completely.

The reason was not because they did not like them, but was because there were better nectar sources available.... in my case bramble and white clover.


To have a 'not' in the title, does not necessarily mean they will not collect from it... just there may be better sources available.

I have read bees do not like field buttercups, but when in season I often find at least one or two of my hives with bright yellow comb.

 

[Fatbee]

Because so many of these hedgerow plants are much less in quantity than they used to be the bees tend to work the big 'quantity' plants like bramble. Where I live in North Bucks there is definitely less of these types of hedge row plants compared to other parts of the country I visit. I was very envious when I went on holiday to Shropshire to seem much higher densities of wildflowers. I put this down to less arable and so less herbicide drift over years (although no evidence to support this!). So occasionally have seen bees on meadowsweet. Great Williwherb definitely a yielder because it does grow in quantity and often still flowering after the main flow

 

[Goran]

I planted several hundred sunflowers for my bees a few years ago. The sunflowers attracted scores of butterfly's, bumbles and wasps but my bees ignored them completely.

The reason was not because they did not like them, but was because there were better nectar sources available.... in my case bramble and white clover.


To have a 'not' in the title, does not necessarily mean they will not collect from it... just there may be better sources available.

I have read bees do not like field buttercups, but when in season I often find at least one or two of my hives with bright yellow comb.

Climate, sunflower variety. In right climate-hot, sun. Variety - not all give nectar in same qty or in same conditions. But east from me rarely it fails in honey yields. At my place hardly, mainly pollen. I believe your climate is main reason..

 

[oliver90owner]

Bees are foraging my asparagus of late.

 

[Nige.Coll]

plants bees work or not

Title says it all.

All of them, of course! Either they do or they don't for every single one. No exceptions apart from those they might, but only sometimes.

ruined by logic. now i am confused lol
not much for mine to work in the monoculture farmland.
next year should be better as the headlands will be planted with bee friendly plants supplied by defra.