I've seen it mentioned in the bloom thread. Do bees work these blooms?
Quote from: RHBee on March 22, 2014, 09:06:44 AM
I've seen it mentioned in the bloom thread. Do bees work these blooms?
They definitely will work Bradford pear my mother has 3 treees a few hundred yards from my hives and I've seen them working it. However, i asked this same question last year, and I think the consensus was that they will work it when their choices are limited but they don't get a whole lot from it and it's not real high on their list.
Thanks. They are in full bloom all over here. Good to know that the bees get some benifit from them.
Not on this end. At least not enough to mention. Just note the bloom for records.
I've been around a bunch of them this year. I don't recall any "bee" working them.
My 95+yo neighbor called last night wanting to know if I had any bees. He said his son said there was honey bees all over his pear trees. I know they were mine. We have pear, crab apple and other stuff blooming and they ain't touching them. They done the same with gr last fall. flew one or two hundred yards away to service gr and there was acres of it starting about 30 feet from the hive.
Pear or Bradford pear. I think there is a difference? Or you may have meant fruit pear as in edible fruit? I see wasp etc on the Bradfords not honeybees.
On a list of Trees that bees work the Bradford Pear is on the bottom of the list.
They are in bloom all over the place here in Central Arkansas but you very, very seldom see Honey Bees on them.
I wonder if it depends on location (I'm in central SC) because my bees or someones bees are all over my bradford pear trees and my bees are bring in some light cream color pollen that maybe bradford pear.
dan
My bees are working it now. They seem to be busy on it.