Do bees prefer not to go through woods?

[David LaFerney]

This probably sounds like a stupid question. One reason I got my bees was to pollinate my garden.  I was originally planning to put the hives right next to the garden on the end away from the house, but changed my mind (with my better 1/2s help) and put them on the edge of a pasture about 200 feet down a hill and through some mature oak/maple woods.

 It's a nice little walk through the woods to go see them, and I usually see deer or turkeys, but I rarely see any honey bees in the yard around the house or in the garden, and I can see that when they leave the hive they go straight for the wide open space on the pasture side. 

Honey locust around the yard is now in bloom and crawling with every kind of bee that there is - but very few honey bees.  I know that sometimes in the past the honey locust was just just dripping with honey bees - before the local beek down the rd went out - so I think it is a preferred food source for them.

Maybe they have everything that they need down there but it seems like more of them would end up in our yard and garden only a few hundred feet away.

[Joelel]

This probably sounds like a stupid question. One reason I got my bees was to pollinate my garden.  I was originally planning to put the hives right next to the garden on the end away from the house, but changed my mind (with my better 1/2s help) and put them on the edge of a pasture about 200 feet down a hill and through some mature oak/maple woods.

 It's a nice little walk through the woods to go see them, and I usually see deer or turkeys, but I rarely see any honey bees in the yard around the house or in the garden, and I can see that when they leave the hive they go straight for the wide open space on the pasture side. 

Honey locust around the yard is now in bloom and crawling with every kind of bee that there is - but very few honey bees.  I know that sometimes in the past the honey locust was just just dripping with honey bees - before the local beek down the rd went out - so I think it is a preferred food source for them.

Maybe they have everything that they need down there but it seems like more of them would end up in our yard and garden only a few hundred feet away.

They fly over trees untill they get where their going.

[luvin honey]

This sounds like my hives! We got ours partly for pollination of the garden and fruit trees. Nary a bee on the fruit this spring--just the native ones, a few in the garden now, but mostly 100s of bumble bees. I keep seeing mine shoot up into the sky and over the trees in the woods behind them. I keep meaning to get onto the road behind my house to see what's going on over there!

I guess bees decide what they want to consume and don't consult us on our pollination preferences  :-P

[David LaFerney]

This sounds like my hives! We got ours partly for pollination of the garden and fruit trees. Nary a bee on the fruit this spring--just the native ones. a few in the garden now, but most 100s of bumble bees. I keep seeing my shoot up into the sky and over the trees in the woods behind them. I keep meaning to get onto the road behind my house to see what's going on over there!

I guess bees decide what they want to consume and don't consult us on our pollination preferences  :-P

Yeah, that's what mine are doing too all right.  Bumble bees everywhere in the yard.

[bee-nuts]

It does not matter if they were at the garden edge or where they are now.  The bees will work whatever has the most of what they want.  Could be pollen or nectar depending on what they need.  I saw a patch of sumac that was buzzing with thousand of little bees but not one of my honeybees.  The time of day can also matter as well.  They may work your garden but maybe its not when your looking.  Seriously.  I could not figure out why I could never see my bees on the blooming milkweed.  What I finally realized (I think) is that they are working the milkweed early in the day and when it gets warmer they are on the clover.  If I look before noon they are on the milkweed and after noon there on the clover.  I read that clover produces more nectar when temps reach around 80 degrees.  Either way they will work what they want, that's why they have to over crowd bees on some crops to get them to pay any attention to them at all.

I have lots of choke cherry bushes and trees.  There is one great big chokecherry (40 feet tall or so) tree about 50 yards from hives.  They paid absolutely no attention to it at all or others when in full bloom (at least when I was looking).  It kind of bummed me out but it is a good thing not a bad thing when they pay no attention to something.  It just means the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.

[lakeman]

I also got into beekeeping this spring, because of the last couple of years suffering from poor polination in my garden. I put my two hives an estimated 100 yards from my garden and yard, close to a pond on my new property. I have also been upset at the lack of bees in my garden. although my squash and cukes do appear to be getting satisfactory pollination. Maybe my bees are in my garden when I am not.

[dennis a]

I see them in the garden very early in the morning 5-6 am CST
My hive are close to the garden, maybe easy pickens till they get warmed up.
Dennis

[alflyguy]

I sometimes wonder where the honey bees are. I have four hives that are doing well but in the pastures and trees near my hives I see at least ten bumble bees for every honey bee. I wonder if competition from the bumble bees hurts my hives.

[luvin honey]

It's ironic. I have honeybees largely for pollination, but it has been the bumblebees and natives that I have been in awe of this summer! I love my girls--don't get me wrong--but so glad for all the other pollinators, too.

Regarding competition, I have read that it is actually good to a certain point, that it makes them all work all the more furiously, so better pollination for us.

[fermentedhiker]

I could be wrong, but I don't think honey locust is that good of a nectar source for bees.  It's one of those bait and switch plants.  It smells like its going to have something awesome for them, but fails to deliver.  So they end up working in furiously and not getting rewarded very well.  Black Locust is supposed to be much better.  If I'm remembering my honey plants info correctly that is.  So be happy you've got smart girls who aren't being fooled by the honey locusts false advertisement :)