Dr. Eric Ericson of the bee lab in Tucson Arizona did some work on this back in
the 1970's He had test plots in Wisconsin, Louisiana and at the
Arkansas?Missouri boarder about 100 miles north of Memphis along the
Mississippi. The test turned out different for Wisconsin where little soybean
pollination occurs. In the Missouri Bootheel and Louisiana, soybeans had quite a
benefit. Basically, bees work soybeans when the crop has enough flowers to set
fruit for a yield of 25 bushels per acre or more. If the bees work the soybeans
then the crop will get a yield boost of 10% on average with a range of 5% to 15%
depending on the year. If a 30 bushel bean crop has a yield increase of 10%
those 3 bushels are worth about $20.00 per acre these days on 100 acres that
would be about $20,000. The bees will pollinate eveerything within about 1/2
mile of a good apiary (20 colonies). That would be about 640 acres. Not a bad
return for a good West Tennessee farmer. Good Luck
                                Ray Nabors
 
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Pollination of Soybeens
Author:  Discussion of Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]> at internet-ext
Date:    6/7/96 10:42 PM
 
 
You wrote:
>
>
>Does anyone have info on the effects of bees on a soybean crop.  Are
there
>any reports on the possible increase in yields.  Are there certian
soybean
>plants that the bee's like and others that is does not.
>
>Thanks!!!
>
 
Hi,
 
I'd be interested in this...soybeans are a major crop around here
(memphis, tennessee area)...cotton can be a good honey crop under the
right circumstances...it's a non-floral nectarine...it -oozes- nectar!
(so do citrus trees)...the problem is all the insecticides that are put
on it....there are some organic cotton growers though...and they are
usually more co-operative.