natural poisoning

hi all can any body shed any light on the natural poisoning of the rhodenendron, as my dad has three large bushess of these in his garden where i plan to keep my bees.

do you mean you want to get rid of the bushes?

i think he means will the toxicity of the bushes affect the honey or the bees

dai said:

hi all can any body shed any light on the natural poisoning of the rhodenendron,

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Don't think there is an effective natural poison for Rhodedendron.

ahhh

Our association apiary has loads of rhodi around it no problems with it

no has any body heard of any cases,its some thing i have read in the a book by ted hooper,and is going to course a problem for me later on?

ok thanks all

dai said:

no has any body heard of any cases,its some thing i have read in the a book by ted hooper,and is going to course a problem for me later on?

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suck it and see

It won't affect the bees but some say the honey can give babies a bad belly and that is why they do not recommend giving honey to babies, however there are stories of this honey left for roman soldiers to disable them in battle as it makes the legs go weak or symptoms of a paralytic state but effects where only temporary

Hivemaker. said:

Don't think there is an effective natural poison for Rhodedendron.

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We can always dig them up and then burn them perhaps large beacons burning throughout the country to celebrate the jubilee.

My bees feed of rhody and I am still alive......I think! .....or am I ?

Rhododendrons don't really flower for long. If they're not too big, you could perhaps cover them with small mesh netting or something similar temporarily, whilst flowering?

Luminos said:

Rhododendrons don't really flower for long. If they're not too big, you could perhaps cover them with small mesh netting or something similar temporarily, whilst flowering?

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What about any other Rhododendrons within a three or four mile radius of the hives,net them all?

Hivemaker. said:

What about any other Rhododendrons within a three or four mile radius of the hives,net them all?

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OP mentions only the rhododendrons in his father's garden, not any neighbouring ones

A quick google brings up this

http://www.paghat.com/toxichoney.html

I have a hive next to a very large rhododendron about 30ft across...if any of my punters go mad, i will post on hear

MuswellMetro said:

A quick google brings up this

http://www.paghat.com/toxichoney.html

I have a hive next to a very large rhododendron about 30ft across...if any of my punters go mad, i will post on hear

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got 6 mega large rhodedendrons on my garden, one almost on top of the hives, bees seem to ignore them

My understanding is that while the honey from at least some rhododendrons is toxic to humans, the only time it's ever a problem is if that is pretty much exclusively what they're foraging on. The odd bush or 3 in the couple of square miles they cover is not going to have much effect.

REDWOOD said:

some say the honey can give babies a bad belly and that is why they do not recommend giving honey to babies

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Are you sure you're not thinking of botulism here?

We used to source and pack Rhododendron honey for Fortnum and Mason. Delicious stuff, delicate and slightly floral flavoured and was produced as a monofloral speciality in the Pyrenees.

There is reputed to be a significant difference between the European and Asiatic Rhododendron in this respect. European no issues at all, Asiatics with many reports of toxic nectar, especially from the likes of Nepal where Rhododendron forests are extensive and go to high altitudes.

I personally have no idea how to tell them apart, and most garden cultivars are hybrids and can be the result of several lines. Your bog ordinary semi wild purple ones are normally the European type.