What plant do honey bees like the most?
Top honeybee choices for summer are Alyssum, Basil, Borage, Cleome, Cosmos, Salvia, Sunflowers, Tithonia and Zinnias to name a few. These annuals, along with fall blooming perennials such as the various Asters, Goldenrod (Solidago), Sedum and Chrysanthemum will provide more end of the season pollen sources. Some of the plants that are most attractive to bees and produce high quality honey are the flowers of blackberries, fruit and citrus trees, herbs (like rosemary, borage and sage), flowering bushes, clover and other wild flowers and, in the case of Monte-Bellaria, lavender.Black Locust Tree (Robinia pseudoacacia) Black Locust and other Locust Tree blossoms are highly fragrant and irresistible to bees. The honey is pale, clear, and slow to crystallize – a beekeeper’s favorite.One of the best additions to any apiary is a garden full of colorful, thriving blooms. Your hives will look even better nestled within such natural beauty, and your honey bees will also have access to some of the best plants for nectar and pollen collection.
What are the top 10 plants for honey bees in India?
The following are some of the important plants either wild or cultivated visited by bees for collecting nectar or pollen or both. All kinds of citrus, litchi, peach, apple, guava, jamun, date palm, apricot, quince, pear, almond, plum, loquat, phalsa, and cashew. Bees are attracted to floral scents, such as lavender, geranium, and clover. They also seek out flowering plants and sweet-smelling fruits. Avoid wearing strong floral perfumes if you don’t want to attract bees.When we talk about attributes in plants that are beneficial to bees, look for flower colors such as pink, blue, white, and purple. Though there are a large number of plants that bees are attracted to, plants in the mint and daisy families are especially popular due to their nectar-rich blooms.Many bees feed on the nectar from flowers. Since nectar is sweet, it makes sense that bees would be attracted to sugars and fragrances that smell flowery or sweet. That’s why you may notice bees at your picnic, especially if you’re drinking sugary sodas or eating fruits, such as pineapple and watermelon.
What is the number one killer of honey bees?
Varroa-associated damage is caused by the female Varroa mites. They go through two phases in their life cycle: the phoretic and reproductive phases. The phoretic phase refers to when the female Varroa are feeding on adult honey bees and are passed from bee to bee as they walk past one another in the colony. Varroa mites are one of the most significant threats, as they feed on bees and transmit harmful viruses that can devastate entire colonies. These mites not only weaken individual bees but can also lead to the death of entire colonies during the autumn or over winter.There are effective naturally-derived treatments to control mites: formic acid (organic), oxalic acid (organic), botanical oils of thymol formulations. These treatments are discussed in the Honey Bee Health Coalition’s Varroa Management Guide, and we urge all beekeepers to carefully follow the label on these products.Aside from citronella, other plants and their essential oils like lavender, eucalyptus, and lavender are great at repelling bees because of their strong scents.Fill the bottom part of the bottle with sugar water or sweet juice. This mixture will attract the bees.
How many bees do you need to make a profit?
Beekeepers with 300 or more hives are considered commercial beekeepers, and their beekeeping businesses can be very profitable. Many commercial beekeepers migrate their colonies to provide pollination services to farmers while simultaneously providing their bees with abundant nectar sources for honey production. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are eusocial insects that exhibit striking caste-specific differences in longevity. Queen honey bees live on average 1–2 years whereas workers live on average 15–38 days in the summer and 150–200 days in the winter.High Maintenance and Seasonal Work Bees require regular monitoring and maintenance, especially in spring and summer. You’ll need to inspect the hive for signs of disease, manage swarming behavior, and ensure your colony has enough food and insulation going into winter.A colony of honey bees in early spring can have approximately 10,000-15,000 bees. A colony of honey bees in summer has 50-80,000 bees. A honey bee flies up to 24 km /hr or 15 mph and its wings beat 200 times per second or 12,000 beats / minute.Mistake #3: Not feeding your bees During the winter months, to avoid starvation, each colony needs at least 50 to 60 pounds of stored honey. Ideally, you won’t ever need to feed your bees.
What is the 3 3 3 rule for bees?
Move a beehive 3 feet or 3 miles This saying implies that you can move a beehive up to 3 feet from it’s original location and the bees will still find their hive but if the distance exceeds 3 miles or more, the bees figure they are not in Kansas anymore and they reorientate. The bees’ flight path will extend in a straight line out of the hive entrance. Don’t point the hives toward the neighbor’s yard, street traffic, your back door, or your doghouse unless you have a hedge or fence to force the bees high into the air.
What is the 7 10 rule in beekeeping?
Congested Hive Many beekeepers follow the 7/10 rule. This rule states that the best time to add a super is when the bees have covered seven of the ten frames in the existing box or boxes. If your colony is growing, the 7/10 rule could help you determine if it is the right time to add a super. In beekeeping, there’s a concept called the “7/10 rule” that states “when seven out of 10 of the frames in a box are being actively worked by the bees, it’s an indication that the colony is ready for more space.Some bees who were separated from the original colony might search for a new queen to start another colony. But, straggler bees can only survive for a week or two without the hive, and often they are not successful in starting a new colony.