Sunflowers

[SteveG]

Morning, I've several hives close to this field of late flowering sunflowers.
Anyone experienced with sunflowers? worthwhile leaving the hives for few weeks etc?
Thanks

 

[beeno]

I know they collect the pollen, but no idea about nectar. Would like to know that too and did not realise they were farmed as a commercial crop in this country. Lots of them in France though.

 

[Murox]

A farmer local to me grows some each year for pleasure and for selling the blooms.
Ive seem bumbles all over them and sometimes honeybees. I wonder if the length of bee tongue and type of sunflower are and issue or perhaps its more a numbers game i.e. a field full of them. I understand that the nectar does make a decent honey but have yet to see the evidence.

 

[Erichalfbee]

A farmer local to me grows some each year for pleasure and for selling the blooms.
Ive seem bumbles all over them and sometimes honeybees. I wonder if the length of bee tongue and type of sunflower are and issue or perhaps its more a numbers game i.e. a field full of them. I understand that the nectar does make a decent honey but have yet to see the evidence.

I have bought sunflower honey in Germany. Can’t remember what it tasted like. Sorry

 

[beeno]

I looked it up for you, they are classified as 2 for both pollen and nectar which on this scale means good.

 

[Angry_Mob]

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/sunflower.47315/
Post recently from one of the Ukrainian beeks who's said its the main flow for them.

 

[beeno]

Hopefully, farmers will switch from OSR, now they will lose the EU subsidy for growing that, to Sunflowers. Wonder if they need spraying as much as OSR?

 

[Swarm]

Nice honey, granulates quickly.

 

[Murox]

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/sunflower.47315/
Post recently from one of the Ukrainian beeks who's said its the main flow for them.

Well remembered.

 

[happyculteur]

Firstly, in France not all regions can produce sunflower honey. It's a question of climate/soil. Even in the South West where most of the production is concentrated,many farmers are using newer varieties which give better oil yields but are not so attractive to bees. The beekeepers with good yields are near to farms that still have seeds of the old varieties.

 

[Amari]

Has anyone got more experience of sunflowers since the above posts? As I've posted before, SteveG and I have hives on 8 acres of buckwheat (now fading) but an adjacent area of sunflowers is coming into bloom. Our landlady asks if the sunflowers are likely to yield?
We had hives there last year with the same two crops but had to move our hives away because of severe wasp invasion.

 

[Ian123]

None myself but spoken with foreign beeks who take bees to the crop. I’d leave them there nothing to lose as long as you have a plan for treatments. In terms of wasps big hives should not have an issue, restrict the access and there should be little to worry about. Ian

 

[WoodenBeam]

Amari, I’ve colonies close to sunflowers, no bonus crop
has come in thus far. Given the current weather I’m not expecting anything either, hopefully you’ll fair better - anything better than that Buckwheat anyhow.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Can’t remember what it tasted like.

Tastes biscuity; imagine a background flavour of stone; not particularly moreish. Memorable because it's the colour of an orange traffic light.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I've heard it's hard work on the bees, I'm sure a beefarmer or two in this country take hives to sunflowers .

 

[Amari]

Amari, I’ve colonies close to sunflowers, no bonus crop
has come in thus far. Given the current weather I’m not expecting anything either, hopefully you’ll fair better - anything better than that Buckwheat anyhow.

Buckwheat honey? It's the nectar of the gods....