Rape and heather

[johnandyrob]

Just had a short drive to the heather moors because the advise from the old boys in my assosiation is that it will be early this year its just starting to come into flower in patches but their is a rape feild ( spring sown?) less than a mile away looking rather yellow will the bees go for this instead should I try and find an alternative site

 

[Midland Beek]

I like those stories of people taking bees to heather but then not knowing how to extract heather honey.

 

[iombeeman]

what your seeing at the moment is bell heather,you want ling heather, which wont flower for about another4-5 weeks.you need to go up on the moors,but i dont think any oil seed rape grows that high.bees will gather what ever is best for them so you could get anything.up on the moors there is very little else so what you get is just ling heather,which is nice honey.but can you justify selling at higher price???

 

[Poly Hive]

On the high peaks in Derbyshire on Thursday the ling was just budding.

Another couple of weeks at the earliest.

PH

 

[johnandyrob]

Not bell ling with rape less than a mile away never seen rape at this time of year that is what has thrown me

 

[Poly Hive]

some spring rape round here flowering too. Late though.

PH

 

[johnandyrob]

just popped back up to check and actually got out of the car this time it is the end of the bell but still worried about the rape

 

[gavin]

Spring-sown (March, April) oilseed rape flowers for about a 2-3 week period (for each field) during June or July. If the bees find it they will prefer rape to anything. Last weekend I watched waggle dancers with yellow faces pointing at a spring rape field 4 km away. There were lots of them doing it and they were dancing enthusiastically.

 

[Poly Hive]

The osr should be over by the ling time.

No panic.

PH

 

[johnandyrob]

The osr should be over by the ling time.

No panic.

PH

Thanks P.H. Iv just stopped