Forage question

[jezd]

anyone know what if any herbs bees work when they flower? I cant find info on herbs in particular

cheers

JD

PS I know I should know but I dont

 

[madasafish]

Lavender, borage, thyme.. for a start.

 

[Skyhook]

Marjoram a particular favourite.

 

[Finman]

.'

They must be huge amounts that they have meaning

 

[MuswellMetro]

and can i add that i have found that if the are planted near the hives the Bees do not normally forage on them, they are too near the hive

so plant them 30m away from the hive or get your nearby neighbours to plant them instead

 

[Finman]

and can i add that i have found that if the are planted near the hives the Bees do not normally forage on them, they are too near the hive

When the bee visit there every 10 second, flowers are empty

 

[RoofTops]

In places like Crete they take the bees into the mountains for thyme honey - but as Finman says you need a lot of it to make any difference to the honey.

The most likely hern in this country for honey is probably lavender, which is grown commercially in a few places - but the opportunities to take bees to lavender are few and far between.

 

[BeeNice]

Hi Jezd
If you get Beecraft this month they are giving away a free packet of seeds with an unpronounceable name in Latin that says it a herb. It looks petty but I really don't know what kind of herb it is. Looking forward to the bee meet next week.
regards
Steven

 

[Poly Hive]

Given a hive can cover a radius of 1.5 miles.

Now then how does that compute... pye something? A=pye x radius squared

7.06 miles squared.

Lot of erb mon.... lol

PH

 

[MJBee]

Mint, sage and rosemary to add a few more. We have a lot of butterfly lavender as well as ordinary lavender, the bees love it

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have beds of Marjoram,Mint and Thyme and they flower for a long time. I don't suppose they make much difference to the honey you get from your bees but it's lovely to watch them work the flowers in the sunshine, late into the year.
I have a pot of thyme honey for my porridge in the morning. It's from NZ though but it is lovely. My hubby hates it...says it's too perfumed.

 

[Finman]

Given a hive can cover a radius of 1.5 miles.

Now then how does that compute... pye something? A=pye x radius squared

7.06 miles squared.

Lot of erb mon.... lol

PH

With that calculation average yield should be 200 kg per hive, SET YOUR GOALS

I have seen in England and in Wales hills (almost mountains) but sheep have eaten everything.



.

 

[Vergilius]

Do you count lavender as a herb???

Ben P

 

[freethorpe bees]

I planted some oregano seeds I brought back from Corfu. The bees love it. Wish you were nearer, I need to dig some up as the plants have got too big.

 

[jezd]

thanks all, I must admit I forget sometimes what the herbs are let alone if bees take to them or not -

Lavander, Marjoram, Mint, Thyme, Borage, Rosemary

 

[Cazza]

Do you count lavender as a herb???

Ben P

Very definately yes.
Cazza

 

[Finman]

.
I am going to plant raspberry on the river banks. They spread in hay meadows and give much honey.

I planted Lythrum Salicaria in a big ditch. They have been there 30 years.

 

[peteinwilts]

some of my hives are close to a stream... the stream banks are covered 5ft deep in beds of wild mint (smells great after it has been raining!)

Once it comes into flower, they work it very heavily.

My first year (2009), I planted several hundred sunflowers near the hives. They were ignored by the honeybees completely as they were too busy for the mint, although the bumbles and butterflys enjoyed them..

 

[tonybloke]

.
I am going to plant raspberry on the river banks. They spread in hay meadows and give much honey.

I planted Lythrum Salicaria in a big ditch. They have been there 30 years.

yep, plenty of purple loosestrife round these parts!

 

[Easy Beesy]

Checkout ormskirkbeekeepers website under community. There's a full menu there for bees.
Sorry don't know how to add a link

V sorry to admin if I've broken any forum rules

Eb