Rhododendrens and bees.

[JackM]

Well seems that they do indeed utilize rhodies as a nectar source. 
http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2016/11/21/nepalese-mountain-climbers-risk-and-limb-for-hallucinogenic-honey.html

Now, the question comes about, why there and not here?  Is there just more other stuff in my environment (Pacific Northwest) than theirs?  Indeed it is toxic if it gets into honey.  Yet even in dearth my bees avoid it completely.

[Kathyp]

I have seen them in mine a little.  They seem to get into the small flower variety more than the large.  As I understand it, it needs to be more than just a little to harm the honey, and because of the time ours bloom, I suspect they have used that collection for brood long before we take honey.

[Dallasbeek]

I've read about an hallucinocogenic honey somewhere in the middle east or mesopptamia that was used to confuse whole armies in ancient times, so that the defenders could sweep down and wipe out their enemies.

[Kathyp]

yes, they left jars of honey and the armies were happy to find it. 

[Dallasbeek]

Turks versus Rome, about 63 BC, according to one source.  Didn't the Romans learn anything from the Trojan horse gift?

[BeeMaster2]

Jack,
The bees in the video are not the same type of bees that we have, they are  Dorsata.
On top of that, there terrain is totally different than ours and it is probably the case that this is the only flower that is available when they are collecting it. Here in north east FL, I never see bees on Rhododendron and we grow lots of them around our houses. There are a lot more flowers available that the bees prefer.
Jim

[Troutdog]

It is toxic to humans ,  definitely not a hive pleaser.

Sent from my QTAQZ3 using Tapatalk

[Michael Bush]

I saw it selling in Turkey for $50 an ounce as treatment for ED.