corn fields--part of honey flow??

chemlight · June 24, 2008, 05:55:43 AM

Another newbie question...do bees get nectar from corn tassels? or any other part of the plant? If so how does the honey taste?

I have about 200 acres near me that has just began to tassel. I want to be prepared with more space for honey if need be.

SgtMaj · June 24, 2008, 06:16:13 AM

I think I can answer this. Maze (corn), is not considered a bee pollinated crop. That being said, a few bees may in fact visit the corn to gather pollen, but it won't produce any nectar, so you won't get any honey from it. Incidentally, the corn will still benefit from the bee pollination, even though by in large it is wind-pollinated.

ccwonka · June 24, 2008, 08:55:08 AM

I have a 20x10 patch of corn sitting right next to my bees, and ever since the corn tassled, you can't get within 10 yard of the corn without the buzzing being louder than it is when I open the hives. I don't know what they're getting, but they absolutlely LOVE the corn tassles for something . . . . :)
CC

wtiger · June 24, 2008, 12:04:45 PM

Does teosinte produce nectar? If so you would think that at least some varieties of corn also produce nectar since corn and teosinte are only seperated by a handful of genes.

Frantz · June 24, 2008, 12:22:23 PM

One of my mentors from Jones Bees says that bees will travel miles and bypass other sources of pollen and nector to get to corn. I think that his words were "its like bee knip" They love the stuff. I have not experienced it for myself but his family has been doing bees since about the late 1800's here in Utah.
He did not say anything about honey flow though. I will ask him..
F

doak · June 24, 2008, 01:47:55 PM

They would go for the pollen, although wind pollinates corn, mostly.
If not pollen then there is another substance they get from corn, could be for making glue.???
doak

Cindi · June 24, 2008, 03:30:57 PM

I don't know, but one thing that I know for surely. When my corn is tasselling, the beautiful scent that comes from the tassels takes my breath away. I can smell it a longs ways away, if I can smell something so sweet in the air, I can bet my bottom dollar the bees would be interested in this beautiful smell too....

The only unfortunate thing is, I plant the supersweet corn (sh2) and the soil has not warmed enough for it to germinate. I may try to set some seed anyways, but doubtful it would mature before the cool autumn weather sets in here.....beautiful and wonderful day, Cindi

chemlight · June 24, 2008, 08:03:55 PM

okay I'm still trying to figure it out :-P

SgtMaj · June 24, 2008, 08:31:08 PM

My corn this year is downright pathetic. I'll be lucky to get 4 good ears of it. We've just been too dry.

ccwonka · June 24, 2008, 09:24:15 PM

So far I have a host of non-believers, but I'll share with ya'll as well . . . my G90 sweet corn (was about 180 stalks, lost about 15-25% to blowdowns that I wasn't able to stake back up) tassled at approximately 9'8" tall. It now has two beautiful husks on each stalk, and the tallest ones stand at 10'6", though I must admit some of the shorter, runty ones are at a measly 6'. :-D

No lie, and I have no idea how I did it, it's my first year with any kind of sizeable garden!!!!!
8-)
CC

Frantz · June 25, 2008, 12:33:31 AM

You know what they say...."Trust but Verify" I want pics of that corn!!!
F

tig · June 25, 2008, 09:46:06 AM

corn gives a lot of pollen. when the corn fields near me start to tassel, i know i have to start trapping the pollen or my queens will get plugged! there's no nectar to speak off....

eri · June 25, 2008, 09:52:37 AM

Quote from: tig on June 25, 2008, 09:46:06 AM
corn gives a lot of pollen. when the corn fields near me start to tassel, i know i have to start trapping the pollen or my queens will get plugged! there's no nectar to speak off....

What do you mean by "queens will get plugged"? I am surrounded by nearby corn fields.

Erik T · June 25, 2008, 10:11:15 AM

By plugged up, he means the comb will get packed so full of pollen that the queen will have no place to lay eggs.

ccwonka · June 25, 2008, 12:53:22 PM

I'm too new to post pics, ya'll just have to believe me this year! :-\

Jerrymac · June 25, 2008, 03:29:46 PM

Quote from: ccwonka on June 25, 2008, 12:53:22 PM
I'm too new to post pics, ya'll just have to believe me this year! :-\

You can Get the moderators to post them or copy/paste the link and break it up, we'll figure out the rest. :-D

SgtMaj · June 26, 2008, 02:29:23 AM

I have tassels on some 2" stalks this year. Same last year too. Droughts are tough, even on corn.

Michael Bush · July 03, 2008, 11:04:06 PM

I've seen them all over sweet corn. I've seen the gather corn pollen anytime there is a dearth of pollen. I'm sure they gather more of it than I know as there are literally hundreds of acres of it around them.

SgtMaj · July 04, 2008, 02:11:24 AM

My corn this year has aphids on it... strangest thing I've seen. hundreds of aphids, being farmed by the sugar ants.

Cindi · July 04, 2008, 03:05:56 AM

Eeew.....how do you spell, ucky anyways......aphids on these types of plants that never have had them as long as I can remember.....I am speaking of the Elderberry. The ones that, as children, we used for that witches' brew. Never seen aphids on them until this year, I think they are stressed too...along with my asparagus...ramblin...beautiful and most wonderful day, we be life. Cindi