Trees and bees

[BeeJayBee]

Ignoring other flowering plants for the moment, how many mature flowering trees does each full colony of bees need, for pollen and nectar?

I'm thinking mainly of urban and parkland trees - such as fruit trees, Lime (Tilia), Hornbeam (Carpinus), Willow (varieties of Sallow/Pussy Willow), Beech (Fagus), Birch (Betula) etc.

And is this site http://www.themelissagarden.com/TMG_Vetaley031608.htm correct when it says that Oak nectar is poisonous to bees?

 

[Finman]

.

The author says that oak gives as much nectar as willows.

As far as I know, oaks are wind pollinators and they have not nectar in flowers.

http://www.hastingsreserve.org/oakstory/OakFlowers2.html


Pollination biology of northern red and black oakwww.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/12763

No mention about nectar here or somewhere else.

Tilia flower is poisonous to bumbblebees.

.

 

[Finman]

Ignoring other flowering plants for the moment, how many mature flowering trees does each full colony of bees need, for pollen and nectar?

You cannot count it this way.

Each plant specie blooms perhaps 2 weeks, what the bees do then when blooming is over.


We have 40 willow species. Perhaps 15 usual and their crossings. Willow blooming lasts 3-4 weeks.
Apple trees and Salix alba and dandelion bloom often at same time. Willows bloom in May.

Blooming of trees are over at the beginnng of June. Tilia comes in July but it is rare outside of towns.

.

 

[Finman]

.
Nectar plants of North America

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_American_nectar_sources_for_honey_bees

Pollen plants of N A

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollen_source

 

[Hivemaker.]

Blooming of trees are over at the beginnng of June.
.

Sweet chestnut is one that blooms here at the end of june, and during july as well.

 

[Finman]

.
INVESTIGATIONS ON CHESTNUT POLLINATION
Authors: A. Manino, A. Patetta, F. Marletto
Abstract:
In 1986 and 1987, investigations were carried out in a specialized chestnut grove made of plants belonging to different cultivars: European (Castanea sativa Miller), Japanese (C. crenata Sieb. et Zucc.), and Euro-japanese hybrids. The aim of these studies was to ascertain the relative importance of wind and insect pollination for this crop. Branches of plants of the cvs Ishizuki, Tsukuba, Marigoule, Vignols, and Marrone di Luserna were caged during blossoming by means of a net having meshes that prevented the entrance of insects, but did not disturb pollen conveyance by wind. Differences between free and caged branches were statistically significative in several occasions and concerned the number of set inflorescences, of ripe burrs, and of tradable chestnuts and also the global nut weight. These results suggest that the insects observed to visit the inflorescences do not play a negligeable role in chestnut pollination; they were mainly butterflies, syrphid flies, beetles, and bees.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Chestnut honey is quite a bitter taste,lots of them in this area.

 

[Apiglen]

From what I can remember, a mature tree in flower is equivalent to an acre field in flower, lime is good, willow is good for pollen early in the season, fruit trees are good but usually quite small, beech, hornbeam, birch are all wind pollinated (I think ) so not a whole lot of use

 

[Winker]

I have 29 Bee trees (Tetradium danielii) saplings to plant this spring, with the permission of a farmer to plant them in the edge of a field just behind my house. But its going to take 10 years before i see anything back from them. But im told that 1 tree can give back 10+ Supers of honey when fully grown.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have nine on the go
Mmmmmmm I wonder if you could plant them as a layed hedge?

 

[bee ginnner]

I have 29 Bee trees (Tetradium danielii) saplings to plant this spring, with the permission of a farmer to plant them in the edge of a field just behind my house. But its going to take 10 years before i see anything back from them. But im told that 1 tree can give back 10+ Supers of honey when fully grown.

HI Winker,why leave till spring. the best time to plant trees is usually winter .

 

[BeeJayBee]

The author says that oak gives as much nectar as willows.

As far as I know, oaks are wind pollinators and they have not nectar in flowers

I thought the same, which makes me wonder if the rest of the information on that site is a bit unreliable. It's also US-based, so may include species or varieties that don't grow as well here in UK or mainland Europe.

From what I can remember, a mature tree in flower is equivalent to an acre field in flower, lime is good,

And an acre of flowers would support 2 or 3 hives?

willow is good for pollen early in the season, fruit trees are good but usually quite small, beech, hornbeam, birch are all wind pollinated (I think ) so not a whole lot of use

Yes, but I thought they collect and store it because it's their only source of protein. I don't know if they deliberately collect pollen from catkins though.

I have 29 Bee trees (Tetradium danielii) saplings to plant this spring, with the permission of a farmer to plant them in the edge of a field just behind my house.

HI Winker,why leave till spring. the best time to plant trees is usually winter .

The best time for planting is while the top growth is dormant, it gives the roots a chance to get established before they need to do their job. Can you get them into the ground soon?

 

[Winker]

HI Winker,why leave till spring. the best time to plant trees is usually winter .

I have them under grow lights, they are growing now as if it was spring. So when spring does come along they will keep on growing when i pop them outside. They are no more than 6 inches tall at this point in time, that said its only took 8 weeks to grow those 6 inches as i just planted the seeds 9 weeks ago after stratifying the seeds for 11 weeks.

My fault for planting the seeds so late in the year, at this point in their life i didn't want to take the chance of frost killing them off.

I want to mother these trees so that they have the best chance a tree could ever have of surviving.

I hear the honey from these trees is exquisite and I am hoping to be able to sell the honey as bee tree honey, if I can prove my bees are working the trees more than any other source for nectar.

 

[Finman]

I thought the same, which makes me wonder if the rest of the information on that site is a bit unreliable. ?

The list has many plants which gives only pollen and the author says that they give nectar. I think that the list bases on imagination. Not a bit research.

Roses and poppies have no nectar.

Nectar per acre: many of these plants do not cover an acre area

One mistake is amounts/acre.

Could you imagine the yield 1500 pounds pollen per acre!
Pollen is valuable. When you turn the yield to money, you should be rich with willows.

acre is 0,4 hectare. Our rape yíelds are 1500 kg per hectare. The list promises 3700 kg pollen/hectare. Pollen price is 12 euros/kg. To value is 45 000 euros per hectare.

or fireweed 400 kg honey per acre is 1000 kg honey per hectare. Of course not.
I have tens of hectares fireweed around my hives and they do not bring 1000 kg honey even from 30 hectares.

 

[madasafish]

I have 8 bee tree plants on the go.. Or is it 12? Some seeds germinated late despite being left in the freezer in moist compost for two months.

I am going to plant then as a hedge.. and see what happens.. They are very cold tolerant once a bit larger so should grow rapidly...

 

[Winker]

I have 8 bee tree plants on the go.. Or is it 12? Some seeds germinated late despite being left in the freezer in moist compost for two months.

I am going to plant then as a hedge.. and see what happens.. They are very cold tolerant once a bit larger so should grow rapidly...

If you want to stunt the height of a tree, its best to bind the roots to a small container. If you wanted the tree to grow like a hedge place it in 30-40Lrt terracotta plant pots and then bury the plant pots in the ground. restricting the roots this way should restrict the height, this tree wants to grow up-to 6 meters high and the same in width.

 

[madasafish]

Thanks for the advice.. Now to find some pots!

 

[BeeJayBee]

Thanks for the advice.. Now to find some pots!

Good luck with them.

One mistake is amounts/acre.

Could you imagine the yield 1500 pounds pollen per acre!
Pollen is valuable. When you turn the yield to money, you should be rich with willows.

acre is 0,4 hectare. Our rape yíelds are 1500 kg per hectare. The list promises 3700 kg pollen/hectare. Pollen price is 12 euros/kg. To value is 45 000 euros per hectare.

or fireweed 400 kg honey per acre is 1000 kg honey per hectare. Of course not.
I have tens of hectares fireweed around my hives and they do not bring 1000 kg honey even from 30 hectares.

The information on that site does seem to be flawed

... how many mature flowering trees does each full colony of bees need, for pollen and nectar?

I'm thinking mainly of urban and parkland trees - such as fruit trees, Lime (Tilia), Hornbeam (Carpinus), Willow (varieties of Sallow/Pussy Willow), Beech (Fagus), Birch (Betula) etc.

Can anybody answer my original question?

 

[Erichalfbee]

this tree wants to grow up-to 6 meters high and the same in width.

That's why I wondered if you could lay it......

 

[BeeJayBee]

...how many mature flowering trees does each full colony of bees need, for pollen and nectar?

Can anybody answer my original question?

Anybody?

Or can I compete with Rooftops for the 2011 Dead Cat Bounce award?