Interesting information about early honey bees and weed treatments

[TennesseeTarheel]

This was offered on my local Nextdoor by Gracie Lowe. It was a topic I had not considered.



This is a honey bee. The pollen on her legs is from dandelions. Her tongue is sticking out due to what killed her that was on the dandelions. It’s spring, dandelions are the bees first food. This bee is dead from weed killer spread on what we see as weeds, but what nature sees as food. Please don’t spray for weeds until you see the blackberries blooming. In this area, weeds, flowers and fruit trees are bees only source of food until middle of June. There are FAR more weeds than flowers or fruit trees, so it's their only food source. No bees, no food crops for us and we all starve.

 

[SpecialKVolfan20]

👍👍

 

[TennesseeTarheel]

After posting this, now, I am thinking this may be a bit alarmist. While I do care about honey bees and understand their importance to our food chains, I believe there are a lot of other food sources blooming at the same time as dandelions.

 

[Go aeiou]

After posting this, now, I am thinking this may be a bit alarmist. While I do care about honey bees and understand their importance to our food chains, I believe there are a lot of other food sources blooming at the same time as dandelions.

Dandelions are blooming in Nashville now. I've seen honey bees all over an ornamental cherry tree that was blooming, but that's about it. What else is blooming now? Too early for clover here.

 

[TennesseeTarheel]

Dandelions are blooming in Nashville now. I've seen honey bees all over an ornamental cherry tree that was blooming, but that's about it. What else is blooming now? Too early for clover here.

I'm in the Raleigh NC area. The climate is milder than Middle Tennesse. We've had daffodils blooming for a couple of weeks and the Bradford Pears and Cherry Trees are in full bloom. Pretty much the standard stuff maybe a couple weeks early. Bugs and lizards are out, too!

 

[Wireless1]

Back in January I put cracked corn on a platform bird feeder we have for crows ( we feed the crows because they warn
our chickens of hawks and then pester the hawks) for several days a swarm of honey bees devoured the corn

 

[TennesseeTarheel]

Back in January I put cracked corn on a platform bird feeder we have for crows ( we feed the crows because they warn
our chickens of hawks and then pester the hawks) for several days a swarm of honey bees devoured the corn

I never knew honey bees liked corn until now. Interesting.

 

[northknoxvol]

Well I bee darned.........we gotz to organize a zone committee to look into these innocent bee victims! If not for honey bees we would have no sweets and if not for carpenter bees we would have no building skillz!

 

[GVF]

After posting this, now, I am thinking this may be a bit alarmist. While I do care about honey bees and understand their importance to our food chains, I believe there are a lot of other food sources blooming at the same time as dandelions.

Tons of Buttercups/Jonquils/Daffodils in bloom. They almost always come out starting in mid-Feb around our place.

 

[Go aeiou]

Tons of Buttercups/Jonquils/Daffodils in bloom. They almost always come out starting in mid-Feb around our place.

Add Hyacinths here. I havn't noticed bees on them though.

 

[Wireless1]

I never knew honey bees liked corn until now. Interesting.

we didn't either.

 

[TennesseeTarheel]

We have seen bees in our area.(obviously!)