honeybees and grapes

[abejaruco]

It´s said that bees only drink the grape juice when the fruit has been damaged by another insects, like wasps.
But I have had to put away my hives from my citrus field where I have grape too and it is the first year that I can see my grapes totally clean. :?

[Cindi]

Abejaruco, interesting what you have said.  BUT....I love the picture of the clusters of hangy-down grapes, simply beautiful, like so many of your pictures of your orchards to bring to share with us, thank you....have that most wonderful, beautiful and great day, Cindi

[DayValleyDahlias]

Those grapes are gorgeous.  How old are they?

My cousin brought back cuttings from  Macotera, reds/whites...I started some, 24 are now growing, year 3, but they did suffer some damage from deer last year, so I think that set them back.  A few did make fruit this year, but barely.

Do you fertilize your grapes, give them much water???

¡Muchísimas gracias!

[Vetch]

I was reading "The Secret Life of Bees" and they talked about purple honey from when bees use elderberry juice - hoping I get some of that someday.

[abejaruco]

These grapes/vines are 12 y.o. at least. They are the moscatel or sweet variety. I don´t water and I don´t fertilize them, only plant vicia faba around the roots in autumn. But the weather is soft here. They are in a corner where I can´t hear if they protest.
The secret is the vine shoot pruning in spring, and the higienic behavior (you have to put away, far away, the branches that you cut). That´s to prevent the mildiu. And use sulfur on the leaves.

[DayValleyDahlias]

Oh thank you for the advice, yes I think this is the type of grape we have too.  No mildew yet, and our weather here is very Mediterranean...like you say..."soft" or "mild"...

We put a high fence around the area to try and keep the deer out!

Hope our vines look as beautiful as yours some day!