White Lupin Cattle feed crop

[stechad]

Hi
Has anybody had any experience with White Lupin crop. The farmer at one of my apiaries Has a good few acres of this growing, from what I have read honey bees do like this stuff but thought I would throw this out there.

 

[enrico]

If they are like ordinary lupin then only good for bumbles

 

[stechad]

No they are not like the normal Lupin you see in gardens, they still produce pods but much larger more like a bean.

 

[enrico]

It's the flowers that matter!

 

[stechad]

the flowers also are totally different, doesn't even resemble the same plant doesn't form a spire of blossoms. The lupin I mean't is an agricultural food crop.

 

[masterBK]

Enrico: if you watch them you will find Honeybees do, in fact, work ordinary lupins

 

[enrico]

Enrico: if you watch them you will find Honeybees do, in fact, work ordinary lupins

But not in quantity I wouldn't think.

Stechad I tried looking the flower up on the internet but couldn't find a cattle feed lupin.
E

 

[Ian123]

Also check with the farmer with some of these feed crops they will cut or let er the animals graze before they flower. I’ve been caught out a couple times

 

[Erichalfbee]

But not in quantity I wouldn't think.

Stechad I tried looking the flower up on the internet but couldn't find a cattle feed lupin.
E

Forage Lupins
https://www.feedipedia.org/node/24347

 

[stechad]

It's called dieta white Lupin and there is 20 acres of which is being grown to completion for the beans it produces.

 

[enrico]

Flowers don't look honey bee friendly to me!

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

Always worth a try, you just never know. We have 400 acre Linseed which everyone says is hopeless, but last year we had 35lb @ colony of the most delightful honey which is extremely popular with foodies.

 

[Repwoc]

Flowers don't look honey bee friendly to me!

In the link that Dani posted it says: "White lupin is a good honey plant".

 

[stechad]

Apparently I have discovered that this crop originated in Oz and new zealand and honeybees were taken to the crop and they did work it but there was only a 15% increase in yield, this meant that it was not worth the farmer paying for the honeybee pollination service.
So hopefully they will work it as there is 200 acres of it and finishes flowering just before the heather.

 

[Ian123]

Whilst some crops benefit more like borage 15% is still a good percentage. Other benefits also include a vaster and more even set on the seeds. You may want to drop that in with you’re farmer..Ian

 

[stechad]

Whilst some crops benefit more like borage 15% is still a good percentage. Other benefits also include a vaster and more even set on the seeds. You may want to drop that in with you’re farmer..Ian

Hi Ian,
This is a new apiary so don't know if they will work it.
The farmer has grown this for 10yrs so not going to change as it provides ALL his winter feed.
The research on it was based in new zealand and based on the cost of hiring a pollination company, If the bees are there free then it hopefully benefits us both.
The benefit to the farmer is I believe larger Pods and Beans.

 

[Ian123]

Sounds like a plan to me farmers are normally very good landlords.

 

[stechad]

Finally got my honey survey report and it seems that the bees did not work the dieta white lupin, however the lupin is grown with a triticale grass which did contribute to a large portion of the honey, so a win in the end.