What should you plant to help your beehives? For areas around Bryan-College Station, TX

What, EXACTLY, are we trying to accomplish? Chase a “nectar flow”? This is primarily a concern for commercial beekeepers that will move their hives from one location to another Plant things in a garden to help with pollination (ie. Attract bees to your other garden plants)? This is primarily a concern of the “master gardener” group – whose focus is on their gardens, not their beehives (the purpose in THIS presentation is to focus on the beehives)

What, EXACTLY, are we trying to accomplish? Plant things in “acreage” (to help increase honey production)? The next 3 slides talk about this Plant things to help the bees in “tough times”? This is really the focus – and what (I feel) most beekeepers ought to be doing.

Planting for your bees: to help with honey production???? ….I used to do this – until I did the math Bees commonly travel 3 miles to gather pollen & nectar – and sometimes as much as 6 miles a 3 mile circle is square miles (area = π r^ 2 ) 1 square mile is 640 acres 18,086 acres are in a circle w/ a 3 mile radius!!!

This is a 3 mile radius circle around my house…

Which means: Planting 10 acres to help with a nectar flow is an insignificant drop in the bucket! Exception: fruit orchards Either the nectar is there, or it’s not

Where we CAN do something to help: Planting things to help the bees in “tough times”? In Texas, we have 2 “dearth” times (when there is very low amount of nectar available for bees):  Summer (early July through mid September)  Winter  Low bee activity – first frost (~Nov) through mid-Feb(ish)  High bee activity – mid-Feb through end of March (this is THE most likely time for a hive to starve)

Planting for a Winter “Dearth” Mexican Plum trees (Prunus Mexicana)  Begin flowering in late Feb  FIRST real nectar source in our area  Relatively fast growing, gets up to 25’ tall  Partial shade to full sun  Fruit is “tart” (but good in jams & jellies) If you were going to plant only 1 thing, this should be it!

Mexican Plum trees (Prunus Mexicana)

Planting for a Winter “Dearth” Texas Persimmon trees (Diospyros texana)  Begin flowering in mid-late March  Usually 10-15’, but can get to 35’ tall  Very drought tolerant

Planting for a Winter “Dearth” Hawthorn trees (Crataegus texana)  Begin flowering in March & April  Small tree / large bush  Prefers “bottom land”  Branches have thorns…

Planting for a Summer “Dearth” Texas Lilac Trees (Vitex agnus-castus) also called “Chaste tree” or “Vitex tree”  Officially designated as a “Texas SuperStar”  Produces HUGE amount of pollen & nectar  Bloom from June until first frost in November  Prefers full sun & well drained soil  Can be grown as a bush or tree (depends on pruning)

Texas Lilac Trees (Vitex agnus-castus) aka “Chaste Tree”

Planting for a Summer “Dearth” Mexican Sage (Salvia leucantha )  Brushy shrub ~3-4’ tall (and wide)  Blooms summer through fall (usually after a rain or watering)  Provides good levels of both nectar & pollen  Very drought tolerant