oats ??

[trumpet01]

A farmer friend of mine is going to plant some white/yellow clover for me, for the bees on his place.He wants to maybe plant some oats with the clover as cover until the clover is established. He can harvest the oats late on. Are oats any good for the bees and if so what type ? He Will plant what ever I want so if a wheat or rye is better he'll plant that.It's just that he can combine the oats and feed the chickens with it. Thanks.

[wetland bee]

Oats, wheat or barley won't do much for  your bees. But it will help the farmer cover the cost of planting it. and it will start the clover nicely. Clover should Be nice next spring

[doak]

Wheat, Oats, and barley, pollinate from the wind. But they are very good for helping clover and some other such crops get started. :)doak 

[David LaFerney]

They can also be used to make a refreshing beverage.  The barley can anyway.

[trumpet01]

Thanks so much for your replies. The farmer has already purchased the oats and is fired up about planting it and the clover. He is also going to plant a few acres of soybeans, and plant some blueberrys. He is very happy to have bees on his farm and wants to help any way he can. He also has about forty apple trees and some peach trees. He's a good friend !! :-D

[greenbtree]

Hey, those 40 apple trees aren't going to hurt!  Bees also can utilize the soybeans from what I hear....

[ziffabeek]

He is a good friend! And a nice person, that's awfully good to hear these days :).

[Sparky]

As doak mentioned. The oats will make a good companion, cover crop to help the clover get a good hold. This helps a bunch if you have deer eating it as fast as it grows. This is a good friend indeed. ;)