It´s said that bees only drink the grape juice when the fruit has been damaged by another insects, like wasps.
But I have had to put away my hives from my citrus field where I have grape too and it is the first year that I can see my grapes totally clean. :?
(http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/7305/p1010215od8.th.jpg) (http://img385.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p1010215od8.jpg)
Abejaruco, interesting what you have said. BUT....I love the picture of the clusters of hangy-down grapes, simply beautiful, like so many of your pictures of your orchards to bring to share with us, thank you....have that most wonderful, beautiful and great day, Cindi
Those grapes are gorgeous. How old are they?
My cousin brought back cuttings from Macotera, reds/whites...I started some, 24 are now growing, year 3, but they did suffer some damage from deer last year, so I think that set them back. A few did make fruit this year, but barely.
Do you fertilize your grapes, give them much water???
¡Muchísimas gracias!
I was reading "The Secret Life of Bees" and they talked about purple honey from when bees use elderberry juice - hoping I get some of that someday.
These grapes/vines are 12 y.o. at least. They are the moscatel or sweet variety. I don´t water and I don´t fertilize them, only plant vicia faba around the roots in autumn. But the weather is soft here. They are in a corner where I can´t hear if they protest.
The secret is the vine shoot pruning in spring, and the higienic behavior (you have to put away, far away, the branches that you cut). That´s to prevent the mildiu. And use sulfur on the leaves.
Oh thank you for the advice, yes I think this is the type of grape we have too. No mildew yet, and our weather here is very Mediterranean...like you say..."soft" or "mild"...
We put a high fence around the area to try and keep the deer out!
Hope our vines look as beautiful as yours some day!