Okay, all of you were so helpful with the blackberry question. How about soybeans do bees utilize them I’ve heard its certain strains of soybean not all types but I’ve read in bee culture mag in December that bees produce from soybeans. What has everybody’s experience been with this? The reason I ask is that I will locate two hives adjacent to quite a few acres of soybeans in the spring and I am wondering if this will provide food for my bees thru the summer, or late spring rather. Thanks in advance.
Keith
South Louisiana
A beekeeper in the MS delta used to get honey from soybeans, but moved his bees due to the farmers using a different strain of beans that did not produce enough nectar.
Do bees ever love soy beans!!!!!!!!!!! Most beekeepers in arkansas take there hives to the soy beans down south Ar. State inspecter and I took Two big trailer loads down to the bean! Sence last year was bad so he only got 4 55 gallon drums of honey from them. I made 120 pounds from my two hives thanks to the beans!! One hive was not doing to good!
Where are hives was, there is 100s of miles with soybeans! So one plot will flower then a diff plot will flower right then the other one stops so 24 7 the bees all ways have soybeans to work. I think soybeans is one of the bigest honey plants there is but im not for sure! maybe some one will help me! There is about 4 or 5 of us buddys that have 40 or more miles taken up with bee yards so no one can move in LOL :evil:
It needs to be as hot out side for a long time to do the best! Now on the Northeast side of Ar you can't make honey off the beans even for that you can't make honey from soybeans on the east side of Ar at all. State inspecter had hives over there and did not make any honey. Kind of think its to do with the dirt! More salt in it! Had a firend that pass away last year that was telling me he put hive on the east side of the river right by a rive crossing and made no honey but his hives on the west made honey! The farmer had both sides of the river and it was the same bunch of beans. So its kind of crazy!
Here is some perspective on the subject http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=211471&highlight=soy+beans http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=199618&highlight=soy+beans soy bean honey is fine honey indeed -dont know much about the farming aspect of it -RDY-B
I just took a look at that link!! In Ar the soybean flowers last for 2 or 3 months. I know we had them down there for about 4 months even after the soybeans was done and they still wan makeing honey!!! but we let the bees have that last stuff
Hey Keith, where in south Louisiana are you located?
A neighbor, JP
YA neighbor :-D soybeans thats the ticket ;) RDY-B
Im in Baton Rouge. gonna put my hives in Rosedale thats North Iberville Parish towards Lafeyette
>How about soybeans do bees utilize them I’ve heard its certain strains of soybean not all types but I’ve read in bee culture mag in December that bees produce from soybeans. What has everybody’s experience been with this?
Some years I get a crop off of it. Some years I get nothing off of it. I've heard various reasons given, but the one that was a reference to a study was about the temperature and moisture having a dramatic effect on how much nectar they make. If conditions are right they make a lot of nectar, if not they may make none.
According to this MS beekeeper the farmers started using a new strain of beans that did not produce enough nectar. He is a large beekeeper. But, I do see hives in cotton and beans fields in MS.
Quote from: Michael Bush on January 26, 2008, 01:08:53 PM
>How about soybeans do bees utilize them I’ve heard its certain strains of soybean not all types but I’ve read in bee culture mag in December that bees produce from soybeans. What has everybody’s experience been with this?
Some years I get a crop off of it. Some years I get nothing off of it. I've heard various reasons given, but the one that was a reference to a study was about the temperature and moisture having a dramatic effect on how much nectar they make. If conditions are right they make a lot of nectar, if not they may make none.
Many plants, during drought conditions, will not bloom sufficiently to produce any harvestable crop. With the exception of annuals, which must reseed each year, the plants efforts go to nourishing the main plant not into reproductive options. This past summer my local blackberry crops (both commercial and wild) were way down due to a light drought the past few years. The plants flowered, but not as abundantly, nor was there much nectar in the flowers that did bloom. The crop was very light as a result. Those commercial growers who irrigated had more of a "normal" crop.
Quote from: keith13 on January 26, 2008, 07:22:14 AM
Im in Baton Rouge. gonna put my hives in Rosedale thats North Iberville Parish towards Lafeyette
You are not far from me Keith. I have a customer in Breaux Bridge, which as you probably know is right before Lafayette. Breaux Bridge boasts to be the crawfish capital, but I think our way of cooking them is better.
Keep in touch, JP
You know I am not opposed to the bees having a good food source. Honey is a wonderful thing.
But I gotta admit if this brings about more tofu I might have to look at having soybean declared an invasive plant. ;)
Miso soup anyone?
Sincerely,
Brendhan
Just another thought on the subject of soybeans. I talked to the farmer who works our land about the harvest he pulled from the land this year. He said he has never seen soybeans as loaded as they have been this year on our property. He went on to say the bushel count ( I guess that to mean how much came off the land) was up around 40%. Was this due to my 6 hives I don't know but I would like to think so. I was away from my hives for 2 months and when I got back a few of them were in the canal so I don't know how much honey was produced. For the two Hives remaining they were chock full of honey. Did they have the perfect weather possible, my farmer said it was dry though.
Just a observation,
Keith
I made some nice soybean honey this year. I don't know what strain, but the flowers were very small, white to pale yellow.
There is a nice beginning beekeeping booklet put out by the Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium that has a nice table of floral sources of nectar and pollen and the value or different plant species for nectar and pollen (page 82 & 83).
This table lists soybean as a minor source for both nectar and pollen. There are no doubt regional, weather-related, species, and other variances.
http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/agrs93.pdf
Nice reference (no doubt I found out about it from this forum).
Interesting, we have some hives in a soybean field just for experimentation, the blooms are purple. I don't know what variety either.
David
my hives did really good on beans this year.i talked to fannbee earlier this year and he gave me the low down.the purple flower strand is what we had this year.they planted them behind wheat,but they were late due to rain/weather.i think this strand is called the early beans.after the beans quit blooming i moved about half of them on some cotton.they did not do that good on cotton.is there different variety's of cotton that affect honey production?thanks
bill