Natural Beekeeping International Forum

[catchercradle]

I can't imagine myself ever planting this thug but the one in our back garden and the one in the neighbour's garden are absolutely covered in bees.

I hope they are gathering nectar and or pollen because the alternative is they are picking up resin to make propolis and by the end of today my hives will be one large mass of glue!

[CeeBee]

Well that's a plant I haven't yet seen bees paying huge attention to (whether actual 'leylandii' or the many other similar conifers). My garden hives are located underneath some - must look tomorrow whether they're interested in the trees. I have seen brief periods in which the trees produces lots of pollen - normally wind-pollinated I imagine, so pollen blowing everywhere. No idea if they produce any nectar - I imagine not, but don't really know. Resin seems most likely to me. Favourite 'bee-fodder' in my garden is still water from trays of carnivorous plants that I keep stood in water - all humming away this afternoon - I imagine they're still using this to help with solid ivy-honey from autumn, as not yet so hot that they should need water for cooling.

The rape-fields are coming into flower near here (Cambridge area, UK) - first year I've had bees at this season - so will what the result of that is.,

[Charlye]

I was intrigued to see your note that water from trays of carnivorous plants are attractive to bees. I set up a bog plant area in the garden and honey bees were very interested in the moisture from around the roots of Sarracenia purpurea. Eventually their attentions caused loss of compost around its roots & I had to replace the compost & lay some stones around the plant for protection.

Also, I had some pots of burdock seedling that had died down for the winter & I stood the pots in a tray outside. I hadn't realised the tray had no holes & so the pots became very waterlogged. In the early spring (February/March) they were very popular moisture sources for honey bees.
The common feature here seems to be waterlogged soil, probably acidic & with lots of tannins etc. It seems to me that there is a lot of scope for experiment & observation on bee water sources

[hsilgnede]

There's a few of these round my way. The neighbor installed a few maybe six or seven years ago and they are already approaching the height of the house. Another neighbor had his topped a few years ago after a major storm, it must have cost him a fortune. I'd say he regretted installing them.

I don't get the obsession with them, they aren't particularly attractive trees.