Hello:
 
A friend of mine hosts a call-in gardening radio show in Edmonton.  Two of her
callers recently spoke of finding dead or "drunk" honey bees in the vicinity of
BULL THISTLES.  They believed that the thistle caused their condition.
 
The bull thistle is the one with the large (2" to 3") flower heads.  The Latin
name is either Cirsium drummondii or C. vulgare.  One caller had dead bees, the
other caller had drunk bees.  The radio host asked me for an explanation!?????
 
Has anyone out there seen or heard of this effect?   Better yet, does anyone
have some reasonable theories on what might have caused these effects.  I know
that bees frequently work thistles (especially Canada thisle) without any ill
effect.
 
... Joan                                   ([log in to unmask])