The Importance of Dandelions. :)

BS Honey Bees
Shop deals on ebay
shop deals on amazon
Advertise with us
Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Twas a time not so long ago that small boys were paid to rid the orchards of "pee the beds.".. could distract the bees ( Amms of course) from pollinating the apple and cherry crops!

Yeghes da
 
As a beekeeper I had a dilema, last weekend, when it looked like I had a crop of dandelions on my allotment.... and also trying to dig over my allotment, because I've spent time with the bees, in the last two years...

I was in two minds, digging out 3 wheel barrow fulls of dandelions in flower, in fear, they would spread over other peoples allotments, when they go to seed...(that was on a 5m x 10m plot!). rather than leave to the bees, although I didn't see a single honey bee, but then, 10m across the road is a large field of OSR!

Still more to dig out....
 
einsteinagogo said:
As a beekeeper I had a dilema, last weekend, when it looked like I had a crop of dandelions on my allotment.... and also trying to dig over my allotment, because I've spent time with the bees, in the last two years...

I was in two minds, digging out 3 wheel barrow fulls of dandelions in flower, in fear, they would spread over other peoples allotments, when they go to seed...(that was on a 5m x 10m plot!). rather than leave to the bees, although I didn't see a single honey bee, but then, 10m across the road is a large field of OSR!

Still more to dig out....
Click to expand...

Yeh ... I had to dig mine out as well ...they go to seed so quickly once they have flowered .. lots of pressure form the bloke next door who is WEED FREE ... but he's been tending the same plot for 45 years and the weeds never get beyond poking their heads above the ground.

The way I have it figured is that the bees may not get the benefit of my dandelions but they get raspberries all summer and into autumn, beans (broad, runners and french climbing), marigolds that I plant round the edges and lots of soft fruit .. So ... small price to pay for what they get. And I don't use weedkillers .. which is why my plot never looks perfick !!
 
Society as a whole should embrace our 'wayside' heritage, but then perhaps that is just pie in the sky stuff - I'd wager the majority of people in Britain couldn't tell a dandelion from a daisy and furthermore, couldn't care less either way. Much more important things to think about like who's going to win Britain's got the x factor in the jungle, or brooding over a 64 plate car because next doors only got a 62 plate.

Utterly depressing really
Click to expand...

Now, you have hit the nail on the head , likewise I find it really sad to see the widespread " disconnect " from the environment and nature, kids that run as soon as they hear a "buzz" and adults who do likewise, the lack of importance attached to enviromental issues and nature in general.

Sad, kids more interested in Play Stations, 1D Hype, X Factor crap, etc etc than in rummaging in the pond for frog spawn, catching stickle backs in the local stream etc.

Think we are serious remiss at governmental levels and in with educational authorities at highlighting and bringing to the fore topics and issues relating to the natural world. End result... further disconnect , more apathy, further degrading of the environment.
 
Last edited:
interesting talk by Adam Hart at Harper Adams about public perceptions of inverterbrates.

Apparently in the public mind from the surveys :
The bee is almost universally connected with good useful things
yet
bee = bumblebee
honeybee = wasp

The ony inverterbrate that comes anywhere near in the public perception is a Ladybird.
 
BrianO said:
Now, you have hit the nail on the head , likewise I find it really sad to see the widespread " disconnect " from the environment and nature, kids that run as soon as they hear a "buzz" and adults who do likewise, the lack of importance attached to enviromental issues and nature in general.

Sad, kids more interested in Play Stations, 1D Hype, X Factor crap, etc etc than in rummaging in the pond for frog spawn, catching stickle backs in the local stream etc.

Think we are serious remiss at governmental levels and in with educational authorities at highlighting and bringing to the fore topics and issues relating to the natural world. End result... further disconnect , more apathy, further degrading of the environment.
Click to expand...

It's Darwinism in action: see the fatties around#. Who breed more fatties and die early.

Only those who can ingest lots of sugar and not become overweight will survive long term...

# Judging by their trolley contents at supermarkets, they want to remain fat or grow fatter..
 
Thymallus said:
There is a safety issue with high uncut verges in the countryside at some road junctions . Common sense might dictate they cut them there and leave the rest uncut for economic reasons. Guess common sense and councils don,t get on very well.
Click to expand...

Not just safety at road junctions. Here in the countryside some people still walk from A to B (shock, horror!) and walking in a narrow lane with lunatic drivers when you can't leap into the verge without seeing whether there's a ditch there or not is a little hazardous. Please don't let's get like the USA where you are seen as certifiable if you walk anywhere?

BTW there are more dandelions here than I have seen for years; more blossom in general, especially blackthorn. Something is happening!
 
Last edited:
My bees haven't touched my fine dandelions nor have they looked at the gone to seed purple sprouting broccoli.....last year they were all over them not this year. There's no oil seed rape around here.
 
Road verges covered in Dandys here & the council started mowing them last week, they are starting to come again though but they never seem as big as the first flowers do. I think even when you have bees on oil seed rape, they arent all on it, my bees are on everything at the minute, such a variety of colours of pollen coming in & oil seed rape only half a mile away.
 
.
Good honey plant and great aroma. But needs good weathers that bees can work on it.
It blooms in Finland at same time as apple trees.

voikukkapelto.jpg


.
 
Last edited:
Finman said:
Dandelion honey? It has strong aroma and gives flavour to honey mixtures.

It is easy to note when honey cell capping are colored orange.
Click to expand...

Thanks Finman. I cancelled my reply as, in haste, I thought it was OSR. Then I realised my mistake - but you were quicker!
 
Erichalfbee said:
What a wonderful view.
Yellow one week white the next :)
Click to expand...

Normal people hate dandelion. They know that it is weed, even if they have lived in towns 3 generations.

Modern farming favours dandelion, because grass/hay is harvested many times. Dandelion grows then well on the bottom of field.
 
Finman said:
Normal people hate dandelion. They know that it is weed, even if they have lived in towns 3 generations.

Modern farming favours dandelion, because grass/hay is harvested many times. Dandelion grows then well on the bottom of field.
Click to expand...

Like alan tichmarsh says ". Its not a weed its just a plant in the wrong place" i think theres nothing better than a field full of these mini sunflowers, its a sham they go to seed so quickly. A garden full of these is brighter than most garden flowers, its a shame people dont see their value :-(
 
Made me laugh the other day the miss got me a gardening mag and on one page there is a peace on flowers for bees and on the next page they are on about how to get rid of dandelions now that's a thinker lets all lover song birds and have lots of cats
 
Last weekend the grass verges suddenly turned yellow with dandelions. Must have been the previous two glorious 14c days, that brought them into flower. Back to cold winds now, some osr fields now looking mostly yellow. Lets just hope we get some warmth to allow the bees to forage for longer in the day. Then spring will really get underway.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

understanding_bees
Honey Biscuits
Replies
5
Views
2K
Erichalfbee
Erichalfbee
bobba
Colur of honey.
2
Replies
22
Views
3K
Niv
N
K
People who have inspired us
Replies
19
Views
3K
pargyle
pargyle
citrus
Puerto Rico Bees - article in New Scientist
2
Replies
26
Views
3K
Steve at Westerham Beeks
S
I
this might sound silly part 2
2 3
Replies
43
Views
3K
peteinwilts
P

Latest posts

Back
Top