Rosebay Willowherb

[Chris Luck]

Has anyone any actual first hand experience of honey bees on Rosebay Willowherb in either the UK or France and whether it produces much of a yield?

Cheers, Chris

 

[Hachi]

Has anyone any actual first hand experience of honey bees on Rosebay Willowherb in either the UK or France and whether it produces much of a yield?

Cheers, Chris

Are you kidding?? Its a major source of nectar and has been since the war

 

[REDWOOD]

Bees love it and still a few flowers in bloom here although most have gone now

 

[Amari]

Are you kidding?? Its a major source of nectar and has been since the war

?Trojan, Punic, 1st, 2nd, Falklands, Syrian, Iraq, Lybian, Iceland cod, gender, SWIMBO?
Not convinced locally that RBW helpful.

 

[Finman]

.
It seems that nectar production depends on soil where the fireweed grows. Sandy soil and acid peat does not give much yield. Moist clay areas, where raspberry too grows, produces huge yield. My recods yields are 120 kg in 3 weeks/hive. Rape/canola gives only 60 kg in 3 weeks.

Fireweed pollen has poor nutrition value. It has 10% grude protein.

 

[Chris Luck]

Are you kidding?? Its a major source of nectar and has been since the war

If I was kidding I wouldn't have asked and I'm more than capable of using Google, that's why I specifically asked for actual first hand experience in the UK or France where I live.

As it happens as a naturalist that gets around quite a large area I've never seen it growing here although a number of other willowherb species are quite common on abandoned cereal land, (rare these days), but following another year of declining yields in France due to "green desertification" I was thinking of introducing it to my land to assist the late season flows when the weather conditions are wrong to get a good sunflower flow.

For interest - Limestone / Clay soil structure.

Cheers, Chris

 

[Hachi]

You need to calm down fella, my post was meant in the tone of a end of the day chat over a single pint.

 

[Chris Luck]

I'm probably more calm than you could possibly realise my friend but on the very rare occasion when I ask a question it's because I'm looking for an experienced informed answer.

It's why you don't often see me on these places.

You still haven't said what your personal experience is of Rosebay willowherb.

As I remember it in the UK and I doubt this will have changed much it's generally localised to wasteland, railway embankments, woodland clearings and some types of heath / common land, certainly not available to most peoples hives.

The other issue here is that it would almost certainly coincide and crossover with the ivy, (flowering now), so would probably in part add to winter stores / brood raising.

Cheers, Chris

 

[Hachi]

RBW was introduced by the Govt in the war to try and brighten up bomb sites etc. Now being younger than having experienced the war years, I only have what people tell me about its introduction.

RBW is plentiful in my part of the world and as I hinted, is a major source of nectar as RBW has over 70 years moved and spread to the hedgerows and roadsides. My bees love it.

Sadly, they dont seem to like lime trees which I have within half a mile of me that are plentiful and huge trees.

 

[alldigging]

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...ney per acre rosebay willow herb bees&f=false

That might be worth a look.

 

[Chris Luck]

It wasn't introduced on bomb sites, it took advantage of them as what we now call a pioneer species and I was there then.

Perhaps someone has some first hand experience other than my old mate Finman which although based on first hand experience probably doesn't help me too much. I rather gather that the situation in Finland is somewhat different where in grows prolifically over vast areas, the type of spaces that simply don't exist in the cereal lands of South West France.

Anyone?

Cheers, Chris

 

[Anduril]

RBW was introduced by the Govt in the war to try and brighten up bomb sites etc. Now being younger than having experienced the war years, I only have what people tell me about its introduction.

RBW is plentiful in my part of the world and as I hinted, is a major source of nectar as RBW has over 70 years moved and spread to the hedgerows and roadsides. My bees love it.

Sadly, they dont seem to like lime trees which I have within half a mile of me that are plentiful and huge trees.

It was actually brought to this country in the 19th Century. Bomb sites provided an ideal situation for RBW to grow freely. @Chris Luck. You may find that it is short lived due to other plants competing with it, but you may have to manage the plants to keep them going year after year.
I cannot see a special Altlantic convoy bringing RBW over for the war effort.

 

[BILL.HEARD]

I have it down here in association with Bell heather, its usually tailing off when the Bell is coming out. A major honey crop after the war in bombed out areas as it grows well on the ashes. Canadians take colonies to the fireweed following on from forest fires where it can grow 2 m high, a good water white honey I be leave.

 

[Chris Luck]

For anyone interested this is the distribution in France and is mostly confined to the higher ground and mountains - or non cultivated land. I suspect it will fit in with my existing land structure, I'll try a few different situations.

http://www.tela-botanica.org/bdtfx-nn-82182-repartition

Cheers, Chris