Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => NATURAL & ORGANIC BEEKEEPING METHODS => Topic started by: Hopeful on December 23, 2007, 02:05:22 pm

Title: Red Clover
Post by: Hopeful on December 23, 2007, 02:05:22 pm: Hi all,
The man who wishes to keep my bees on his organic farm told me yesterday that he is going to plant 5-10 acres of red clover at the request of another farmer. I know that yellow and whiote clover are cnsidered "the bee's knees" for pasture, but what about red clover? Good, bad or indifferent? Also, how many hives can be supported by 5 or 10 acres of red clover?
Title: Re: Red Clover
Post by: Kathyp on December 23, 2007, 03:27:24 pm: mine didn't go for it. the bumble bees loves it.
Title: Re: Red Clover
Post by: Michael Bush on December 23, 2007, 04:31:26 pm: Honey bees usually don't get anything off of Red Clover. Red has very deep flowers that the honey bees can only rarely reach if they get really full or some insect chews out the bottom of the flower so the honey bees can get in.
Title: Re: Red Clover
Post by: TwT on December 23, 2007, 09:08:09 pm: bee's cant work red clover, now just because the color is red doesn't mean bee's cant work it, crimson clover can be work good by bee's, red clover isn't really red, its purple, its about the only clover bee's cant work, heres a picture of red clover..

(http://www.featurepics.com/FI/Thumb300V/20071214/Red-Clover-545132.jpg)
Title: Re: Red Clover
Post by: Cindi on December 24, 2007, 10:36:33 am: Hopeful, I know the answers to your queery must be disappointing, but the truth must be told. The red clover is indeed great for the bumblebees. Honeybees have a significantly shorter tongue than the bombus and that is why they do not attend to nectar gathering from the red clover, the nectaries are too deeply set within the flower head. The short and long of it, but your neighbour will have lots of bumblebees for sure. Sorry to burst that bubble. Have a wonderful and great day. Cindi

Could you encourage your neighbour to grow something different, hee, hee :( ;) :)
Title: Re: Red Clover
Post by: Hopeful on December 24, 2007, 11:01:05 am: >>>>>Could you encourage your neighbour to grow something different, hee, hee <<<<<

I'm a gonna try. :)
Title: Re: Red Clover
Post by: JP on December 24, 2007, 12:55:00 pm: Hopeful, any idea why the other farmer requested red clover? If you can figure this out perhaps there lies your reason to persuade the farmer not to plant it.

Sincerely, JP
Title: Re: Red Clover
Post by: Kathyp on December 24, 2007, 03:02:23 pm: TwT, i have some crimson clover and they don't seem to like it much either. the only clover i see them on is the white. i would plant more of the crimson if i saw them on it. it's very pretty.
Title: Re: Red Clover
Post by: TwT on December 24, 2007, 04:14:12 pm: Quote from: kathyp on December 24, 2007, 03:02:23 pm
TwT, i have some crimson clover and they don't seem to like it much either. the only clover i see them on is the white. i would plant more of the crimson if i saw them on it. it's very pretty.

if you were judging by this past year I would agree they didn't work it much, it was so dry the clover didn't produce much nectar, I plant on average 7 acres a year of crimson, every year but this past year I have gotten good results but this past was to dry, I usually buy 100 pounds of seed......, its cheap compared to white Dutch, yuchee yellow leaf, Ladino Clover, ect.. I get it $54 for 50 pounds.....
Title: Re: Red Clover
Post by: Hopeful on December 24, 2007, 06:10:31 pm: Crimson Clover? Why does Tommy James come to mind?

Yeah...
La La
La la
La la :)
Title: Re: Red Clover
Post by: Kathyp on December 24, 2007, 07:24:00 pm: mind altering substance of choice and head stuck between the stereo speakers.......just something i heard about.......

as for the clover, i will try planting some more. if nothing else, i will have a pretty pasture. :-)
Title: Re: Red Clover
Post by: Hopeful on December 25, 2007, 12:18:56 am: Kathy,
I like your new signature line. Even better than the Dune line (because it is real). What's next, Churchill?
Title: Re: Red Clover
Post by: Kathyp on December 25, 2007, 11:20:51 am: old teddy is one of my favorites. he'd be thrown in jail or worse in these days.

i don't know if i have done a Churchill yet. also one of my favorites. i have had some other fiction stuff. Wheel of Time, LOTR, etc. just depends on how tired i get of the one that is up....and my mood :-)
Title: Re: Red Clover
Post by: Burl on December 26, 2007, 12:37:22 pm: Hey , I know this is slightly off topic , but does anyone have experience with ALSIKE CLOVER ? We sure seem to have a lot of that in this area . I've heard that it causes some problems for horses when they eat it , but how is it for honeybee forage ? ---Burl---
Title: Re: Red Clover
Post by: Shawn on December 26, 2007, 06:06:06 pm: I heard the same about the clovers, crimson, yellow, and dutch white, so we are going to try some here in SE Colorado. Here is a web page I found for clover seed and they talk a little about the clover. http://www.outsidepride.com/store/catalog/Clover-Seed-p-1-c-314.html
Title: Re: Red Clover
Post by: Michael Bush on December 26, 2007, 09:58:01 pm: >does anyone have experience with ALSIKE CLOVER ?

Good for bees. Bad for horses.
Title: Re: Red Clover
Post by: bens on August 01, 2008, 11:00:20 pm: I have 6 acres planted in red clover/alfalfa, I have the hay harvested 2-3 times per year, and use it to feed a few steer and a small horse. I would like to plant a hay crop that my bee's can use also. I'm not a farmer just a city boy learning and playing hobby farmer. I read that white clover can't be used for hay, grows too short. Any recommendations?