Winter Bean VS OSR

[iand]

An old adage never "take your bees to beans", if they want want it they will find it. I guess it just reflects the fickle nature of the crop.

If our farmers locally are talking about wheat/barley/osr/beans they are referring to a winter crop. Only in the odd field be it because of weather/rotation etc will a spring crop now be sown, and will be specified as such.

 

[mbc]

Fertiliser for osr is comparatively expensive, so if the Autumn sown, Spring flowering crop is damaged early ( pigeons or hard frosts before its big enough to be hardy ) then farmers will sometrimes plough it back in and reseed in the Spring for a Summer flowering crop.
Some years field beans are great for a good crop of lovely dark honey, I think the soil has to be saturated and the temperatures steamy while its in flower to give a good crop.

 

[bobandbec]

I agree with what has been said above. My bees are either in the bean field or next to it, depending upon the rotation year, and they have never worked it to any great degree.
Peter

 

[stilllearning]

never say never...we're due a bean year..........but when ????