Quoting from a chapter on Buckwheat authored by Harold Marshall, USDA-SEA and Pennsylvania State University in Hybridization of Crop Plants published by Crop Science Society of America concerning methods of crossing and breeding various crops: "The plants produce blossoms daily for about four weeks. Flowers are open for only 1 day, and the stigmas normally are receptive as long as the flower is open and not withered. Buckwheat anthers dehisce early in the morning and essentially turn inside out in the process. The pollen is sticky and is arranged in rows on the walls of the inverted anthers." In another book Chapter 9 Crop Plants and Exotic Plants Dr. Marshall stated: The flower, which opens in the morning around 8 a.m., has eight yellow nectaries alternating with the eight filaments at the base of the ovary, bound together by a cushionlike swelling (Knuth 1909*, pp. 341 - 342). The flower (fig. 56) secretes nectar in copious amounts, but only in the morning hours, during which time it is highly attractive to bees (Phillips and Demuth 1922). Toward noon, the flow lessens, and during the afternoon honey bees usually abandon the plants. Pollen is also collected by honey bees from buckwheat. A colony of honey bees having access to a field of flowering buckwheat may store 10 to 15 pounds of honey per day (Versehora 1962), and collect 90 to 290 pounds of nectar per acre (Free 1970* Martin and Leonard 1949*). The honey produced by buckwheat is dark with a strong flavor that is usually relished only by people who are accustomed to it; however, there is a greater demand for this honey than can be supplied. The honey is used primarily in the baking of foods. During a buckwheat nectar flow, the apiary may have a strong sometimes nauseating aroma which can be detected for some distance (Pellett 1947*). Mel'nichenko (1963) thought that removal of nectar by bees stimulated greater secretion. He stated that secretion ceases after the flower has been fertilized. Full article can be accessed at : http://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/book/chap9/buckwheat.html Glenn :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::