Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: contactme_11 on September 26, 2008, 05:35:56 PM

Title: Are bees attracted to sunflowers?
Post by: contactme_11 on September 26, 2008, 05:35:56 PM
Do sunflowers have any pollen that honey bees are attracted to?
Title: Re: Are bees attracted to sunflowers?
Post by: KONASDAD on September 26, 2008, 06:02:56 PM
yes. bees like sunflowers
Title: Re: Are bees attracted to sunflowers?
Post by: rdy-b on September 26, 2008, 06:15:52 PM
lots of pollen -but i think it is the hybrids that dont make nectar versus non hybrid which make nectar- so there is a difference in-type and variety -RDY-B
Title: Re: Are bees attracted to sunflowers?
Post by: EasternShore on September 26, 2008, 07:09:41 PM
Oil seed are the favored sunflowers here in MD.
Title: Re: Are bees attracted to sunflowers?
Post by: Cindi on September 27, 2008, 12:35:58 PM
I have masses of sunflowers and they are covered with bees, the pollen they copiously gather is shown on their bodies, it is quite amazing.  Speaking of hybrids.  In my Stokes catalogues, there is two types of sunflower that can be ordered, the ones that have pollen and the ones that are pollenless (sterile), which do not make any pollen.   Beautiful and most wonderful day, Cindi
Title: Re: Are bees attracted to sunflowers?
Post by: rdy-b on September 27, 2008, 11:32:34 PM

Many plants - including sunflowers used for hybrid seed production - produce two kinds of flowers: pollen-bearing male flowers and nectar-bearing female flowers. In hybrid sunflower seed production, rows of one cultivar that bears only male flowers are interspersed among rows of another cultivar that bears only female flowers.
:) RDY-B
Title: Re: Are bees attracted to sunflowers?
Post by: 2-Wheeler on September 28, 2008, 12:06:09 AM
Not just bees are attracted to sunflowers, also some of the honeybee's enemies will hang-out there too. Here is a picture of an assassin bug capturing a honey bee on a sunflower.  Ouch!  :(


   (http://www.23hq.com/23666/3382965_c0aaf2fe3bb67b4a61adef9ba94b6481_standard.jpg)
(http://www.23hq.com/2-Wheeler/photo/3382965)