At 07:07 PM 2/18/98 -0600, you wrote:
>Besides using honeybees for pollination, who have too short a tounge for
>some flowers like red clover I have read that bumblebees for this
 
>sorry but last year i planted 3 acres of red clover on the outskirts of
>town and had a record amout of clear honey, i averaged 4 full suppers of
>crystal clear honey, i have had the same hives there for about 4 years,
>i have always been told that bees wouldn't work red clover but i am
>sorry i disagree!!
 
I am sure your bees did well on your Red Clover. Different soils, different
climates, different verities make all the difference. Here is in Central
California years ago there was many hundreds of acres of Red Clover grown
for seed. The honey bees did work it and it produced fair seed crops but
was not a producer of honey. We seldom see Red Clover here today being
grown for seed, but have large areas of white dutch clover below Sacramento
that does produce fair crops in the areas it is grown for seed so I am
told. Alfalfa grown for seed is a good producer if not overloaded with bees
or sprayed every few days and many thousands of acres are still grown in
the west side of the valley.
 
Over the years almost every kind of clover, vetch, and alfalfa variety have
been grown in California and honey bees used to increase their seed yield.
In almost every case this has been good farming practice but for most not
good beekeeping and without payment of pollination fees beekeepers would
not move out of their way to pollinate these crops. The main reasons for
this is overstocking, pesticides, and mono culture and the lack of the
variety of bee pasture plants needed to keep bees healthy.
 
ttul, the OLd Drone
... Barbs has it, like a bee.
 
 
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