Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: asprince on February 04, 2011, 09:13:00 PM

Title: Canola Time
Post by: asprince on February 04, 2011, 09:13:00 PM
The canola is about three weeks from the start of bloom. If the rain clears, we will be moving hives Sunday. Any one else place their bees on canola?

Let the fun start....canola - clover - squash / cucumbers / cantaloupe - sunflowers

Steve
Title: Re: Canola Time
Post by: AllenF on February 04, 2011, 09:51:27 PM
Do they grow much canola down there?    The deer mix I planted in the fall had rape in it, but it ain't nowhere near blooming. 
Title: Re: Canola Time
Post by: asprince on February 04, 2011, 10:08:23 PM
Yes, hundreds of acres. The bees build up really fast while on canola.

Steve
Title: Re: Canola Time
Post by: AllenF on February 04, 2011, 10:24:05 PM
Sounds good.   So just how fast does canola honey crystallize?
Title: Re: Canola Time
Post by: asprince on February 04, 2011, 10:32:47 PM
Pretty fast and the bees make lots from it. We don't harvest much honey. We use it to build up our hives, draw wax, and make splits.

Steve
Title: Re: Canola Time
Post by: OPAVP on February 05, 2011, 09:44:56 AM
First: Rape seed and canola makes little difference. Up here we used to grow and call it rape.
Then they developed a variety with less of a certain acid,and called it canola,

In northern Saskatchewan is a town that had a sign by the road: Jonestown,The Rape Capitol of Canada".

But the sign is gone.

About crystalisation: You've got to warm the frames to extra,most of the time.
I have some cans yet from last year,hard as concrete!

But the bees can do well on Canola.
Depends on the weather,

Greetings from Alberta,Canada.