>>[...about borage (starflower)] Old posts on Bee L suggest the plant will bloom for
the entire summer. [...] The plant is self seeding so I am hoping its like
sweet clover once you get it established and apparently the honey is very good quality.
I grow it in my garden. It does reseed readily and blooms the entire season until the plants succomb to the cold weather. Weeds might effectively compete with your reseeding borage in subsequent years... You might have to cultivate.
Bees work borage very eagerly. Even isolated, single plants get their attention. Nectar production, based on the number of visiting bees, is less in persistant heat.
>>I found one possible supplier of seeds, Fisher Seeds in Manitoba and have contacted them
but not heard back yet.
Wildseed Farms in Texas used to sell bulk borage seed. They also carry another long blooming honey bee plant, Phacelia tanacetifolia. A western US native that should be more drought tolerant than borage. Both phacelia and borage are well used and appreciated honey plants in Europe. It's often used as stock feed or green manure.
I would think a dual use plant would be more cost-effective. Is it worth growing these plants for honey production alone? Seems like a lot more work than just moving the hives.
Waldemar
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