My entire back yard is carpeted by Lamium, and the bees do indeed
work it throughout the warm months.  Close examination of the pale purple
flowers (my grandmother called them bunny heads - look and you'll see why)
reveals that the pollen is bright red.  I don't think this plant is a
major pollen source, but I can find a few cells of red pollen among the
more prevalent dandelion in my observation hive right now.  The flowers
are small but deeply cupped, and the bees have to thrust their heads right
down in during foraging.  Several times I have been sitting in the
backyard enjoying a beverage, and a bee with an intense, bright red spot
between the eyes has happened by.  It's quite a distinct and unusual
looking pattern.  After following some of these bees, I discovered they
were working the Lamium.
        On the subject of "kill on sight" weeds, here are some disturbing
factoids from the American Lawn Institute:
 
        In the U.S., lawns occupy more land than any single crop,
        including wheat, corn or tobacco.
 
        Homeowners use 10 times more chemical pesticides per acre than
        farmers do.
 
        Of 34 major pesticides commonly used on lawns, 32 have not been
        tested for long-term effects on humans and the environment.
 
        Sub-urban beekeepers, don't think pesticide hive kills are only a
problem in agricultural areas.  Personally, I think keeping grass lawns
(and mowing) is insane.  Fortunately for me, plenty of more interesting
groundcovers do better in my coastal NC area than bluegrass, including
Lamium.  They are prettier, smell nice, and provide continuous summer
forage for my bees.
 
Rick Bodishbaugh