Honeybees and Sunflowers

bwallace23350 · June 28, 2017, 11:01:00 AM

I think mine are mutts now

tycrnp · June 28, 2017, 10:27:27 PM

I too am in the southeast USA, have sunflowers, and the bees ignore them. But I like them!

BeeMaster2 · June 28, 2017, 11:44:08 PM

Thanks Bill.
We have sunflowers here in my wife's garden. One is about 11" in diameter. I have not seen any bees on it.
Jim

Jim134 · June 29, 2017, 08:12:12 AM

I did know a beekeeping from Sorth Dakota USA. Now is retired from keeping bees. Puting bees on sunflower would be his last resort.. The honey was dark and it did crystallized fast I'm talking like 5 days or less after being capped. No not all some flowers I create equal. Some are great sources of nectar While others are great sources of pollen. And somewhere more like dual purpose. Farmers do plant hundreds of Acres of a sunflower in South Dakota.. From what my friend said about sunflower.. Sunflowers have very little value for a honey producer..

BEE HAPPY Jim 134

bwallace23350 · June 29, 2017, 09:16:10 AM

Quote from: Jim 134 on June 29, 2017, 08:12:12 AM
I did know a beekeeping from Sorth Dakota USA. Now is retired from keeping bees. Puting bees on sunflower would be his last resort.. The honey was dark and it did crystallized fast I'm talking like 5 days or less after being capped. No not all some flowers I create equal. Some are great sources of nectar While others are great sources of pollen. And somewhere more like dual purpose. Farmers do plant hundreds of Acres of a sunflower in South Dakota.. From what my friend said about sunflower.. Sunflowers have very little value for a honey producer..

BEE HAPPY Jim 134

If we knew the right varieties that are dual purpose they could serve a great purpose for me. I could plant a lot of them to help lessen our coming dearth.

paus · June 29, 2017, 12:17:06 PM

I just looked at sunflowers, Bumble bees no honey bees. The ladies are bring pollen and nectar, no idea from what source. I did a lot of reading on the best variety of sunflower and "Lemon Queen" was the best according to those that had tried different varieties Lemon queen is NOT a hybred.

bwallace23350 · June 29, 2017, 02:15:30 PM

THanks. I might plant a lot of Lemon Queens then