Red clover

[TOBY-3652]

Hi could anyone answer a question// does red clover produce any nectar. Because a farmer near me is growing a field of it ??

 

[bee ginnner]

yes but only the bumble bees really feed on it ,honey bees cant reach it so prefer white clover.
there is of course many varieties of clover and they all vary.

 

[Swarm]

Carniolans are able to forage red clover.

 

[TOBY-3652]

its a farm where they used 2 grow borrage still got loads of it in there sugar beet and they grow rape so probably a good area 2 move my bees to. was just curious about the clover

 

[susbees]

From tongue length and nectary length and height of nectar most Apis mell should be able to feed from red clover.....but tend to bother only after the first or maybe even the second cut when the nectaries are shorter.

I assume that like white clover temperature and soil alkalinity are important and being shallow rooted will suffer badly in a drought.

 

[Skyhook]

generally, the flowers on red clover are too deep for honey bees to reach the nectar- however, if it is mown, apparently the flowers on the regrowth are smaller and they can use them.

Also, I've read that if there are no bumbles taking nectar the flowers will continue to fill up until honey bees can reach it.

 

[victor meldrew]

yes but only the bumble bees really feed on it ,honey bees cant reach it so prefer white clover.
there is of course many varieties of clover and they all vary.

If the field is mown the regrown red clover will have shorter florets giving access to the honey bee
VM

 

[Finman]

.
I have here tens of hectars red clover. What ever the weather or moisture of soil is, it gives nothing. Over 20 years ago I got sometimes a good late yield. At least clovers need 25C temp and moist soil to give nectar but even that does not suit to red clover.

I believe that red clover has been breeded to grow continuosly and it does not make nowadays nectar.

One example: there was 6 hectars blooming red clower in July. I saw only one bumble be in the fied.
Two weeks later, when all other flowers have bloomed away, there were 5 bumble bees per square meter. So 6 x 10 000 m2 x 5 bb/m2 = 300 000 bb on one field.

when red clover has been cut in the middle on summer and it blooms again 1 months later, it gives a good pollen to winter bee rearing here.

But normally, when red clover start to bloom, the farmer wraps the clower into white plastic balls to make forage.

.

 

[Finman]

.
now farmers have started to rear a new clover mixture sweet + red clover.
Bees love to visit in sweet clower.

 

[TOBY-3652]

Thanks 4 the answers ile probably move them later iff the self set borage blooms then i mignt get some nectar off either