In a message dated 11/19/98 11:39:46 PM Eastern Standard Time, [log in to unmask]
writes:
 
> Can anyone tell me about beekeeping in pecan orchards? How many hives
>  are required per acre? What taste does the honey have? Where might I buy
>  some?
 
    I doubt that pecan blossoms have any significant nectar. They are wind
pollinated, so would have no need to attract bees for pollination. We have
pecans in our yard, and I have never seen bees work the blossoms (though I
have seen them sometimes work pines, and corn, which are also wind
pollinated). I presume that wind pollinated plants would also have low grade
pollen, as far as the nutritional requirements of the bees, and they would
only gather the pollen if there were a dearth of better pollens.
 
    At the time the pecans bloom, there is an abundance of honey sources in
the southeast USA, so bees in a pecan orchard would probably make honey, just
that they would be finding it from other plants within flight range.
 
[log in to unmask]     Dave Green  Hemingway, SC  USA
The Pollination Scene:  http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html
The Pollination Home Page:    http://www.pollinator.com
 
Jan's Sweetness and Light Shop    (Varietal Honeys and Beeswax Candles)
http://users.aol.com/SweetnessL/sweetlit.htm