Topic: Anybody any good growing Hazels?

[saddad]

My mind is always on "other" things,  :-[

[Vinlander]

Sure it's wind pollinated, but the point is, it produces lots of nutritious pollen. The bees don't ask the plant what it does with the stuff before they raid it! When we had that odd couple of warm days, my bees were fairly stuffing it in.

I was pointing out in a roundabout way that any hazel that produced pollen disliked by bees would end up with more pollen on the wind and a better chance of more offspring.

Evolutionary pressure - but easily trumped by human selection.

On the other hand the bees might be desperate enough to eat marginal resources - what we would call 'famine food'.

Cheers.

[goodlife]

Code: [Select]

On the other hand the bees might be desperate enough to eat marginal resources - what we would call 'famine food'Yes...bees do do that...generally they have their usual food targets..but if there is long term bad weather or other reason for food to be scarce they will go for those less desirable sources to keep themselves going. Actually Hazel is one of those sources..."faily low nutritive value but usually first the first fresh supply available"
Not so daft little bleeders... ;)                   Belly rules the world

[Robert_Brenchley]

Did you write 'pussy willow'? It's just the automatic sensor, which has such a filthy mind it sees sex everywhere.

[goodlife]

If you are asking from me..no Robert...no girl thingy willow typing from me ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

Yes...bees do do that...generally they have their usual food targets..but if there is long term bad weather or other reason for food to be scarce they will go for those less desirable sources to keep themselves going. Actually Hazel is one of those sources..."faily low nutritive value but usually first the first fresh supply available"
Not so daft little bleeders... ;)                   Belly rules the world

This time of year, there's no pollen in the hives, and all the bees have is what's in their fat bodies. They're starting to build up the broodnest a little, so they've got grubs to feed. They'll be glad of anything. I haven't seen it this early, but I used to have a strain that built up the broodnest too fast, and every time we had a spell of bad weather in May I saw a lot of starved brood. First time, I thought it was EFB, and almost panicked.

[goodlife]

Those few warmer days that we've had recently I've seen my bees flying like mad trying to get together what ever food there is available..
I'm glad that couple of years ago I decided to under plant most of my apples with crocuses, and there is some growing literally under the hive too..
I've never seen them so keen with crocus pollen but I suppose it helps when there is some on your door step.
I used to have one hive that I called 'mother of all hives'..it started really early and built up huge..I was in constant look out that they would not starve..never got much honey out of that hive but certainly it produced plenty of surrogate bees for new colonies.
Sadly I lot the lot last winter..to starvation..and there was plenty of emergency food available, but some reason they didn't take to it...one of those things ???
I was really disapointed with loosing that as I had queen in that was already 3 yrs old..coming 4..and I wanted breed from her and see how long she would keep going on..but it wasn't to be. How many colonies have you got Robert?

[Robert_Brenchley]

Only one at the moment; I want to build up a bit again this summer. I've awaited too long before breeding from a queen myself, it's infuriating. I think a case of doing it a bit earlier. I've found that very large colonies only give a good crop in hit summers; as soon as we get some bad weather, they eat it all again.