# Sunflowers Linked to Reduced Varroa Mite Infestations



## William Bagwell (Sep 4, 2019)

Only skimmed the news article, worth a look at least.
Sunflowers Linked to Reduced Varroa Mite Infestations

And the study abstract,
Journal Article


----------



## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

Interesting.
Almost unbelievable.
IF sunflower Then what other flowers???
I have the ability to add some to my food plots, so I plan tothanks William for posting.

GG


----------



## crofter (May 5, 2011)

From the article.
_"Although further research is needed to determine whether the observed effects represent direct inhibition of mite fecundity or mite-limiting reductions in honey bee brood-rearing, our findings suggest the potential for sunflower plantings or pollen supplements to counteract a major driver of honey bee losses worldwide." _

Should ask Ian Stettler; he has huge crops of sunflower. I thought its pollen was not considered to be a well rounded nutrient source and the honey high in solids content. 

May need to be taken with that proverbial "grain of salt"


----------



## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

crofter said:


> I thought its pollen was not considered to be a well rounded nutrient source and the honey high in solids content.


for bees,, but maybe for the mites it has something Like Garlic does for humans.
not hudge desirable food but bad for bugs in our gut.

I do not think it works by making the bee more healthy, but some component once ingested, and integrated in to the bees fat, messes with the mite. sun flower pollen could even be an irritant, mite sneezes and gets dislodged.


I did not see clarity on HOW it works just that it does.
I presume more studies to come.

GG


----------



## crofter (May 5, 2011)

Aspirins work for birth control too; not ingested, but held between the knees! The devil is in the details.


----------



## drummerboy (Dec 11, 2015)

Very interesting study. From what I've gathered, the WHY hasn't been determined yet. 

In America the correlation seems logical enough when we consider that sunflowers, as a cash crop, have been declining for years, in favor of corn, corn...and more corn . Bees don't get much of anything from corn.

Didn't Ukraine once grow the most sunflowers globally. That status has likely been reduced, all things considered


----------



## Litsinger (Jun 14, 2018)

Interesting study- thanks for sharing. This part stuck out to me:

_Although we did not find significant effects of sunflower pollen on endoparasites or viruses in laboratory or field settings, sunflower pollen was associated with reduced levels of Varroa mites in honey bee colonies. Specifically, we found negative associations between sunflower cropland—even as a minor proportion of total land cover (median 0.32%)—and Varroa infestation, and, in a field experiment, reduced mite levels in colonies supplemented with sunflower pollen. It is well established that floral resources from specific plants have the potential to shape both the nutritional status and parasite loads of pollinators._

Makes me wonder if (given the fairly well-studied anti-viral effects of the Asteraceae family in general) this result is representative of more of a landscape-level phenomena associated with the availability of more herbaceous native forbs, allowing colonies the opportunity to self-medicate.


----------



## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

Medicinal value of sunflower pollen against bee pathogens - Scientific Reports


Global declines in pollinators, including bees, can have major consequences for ecosystem services. Bees are dominant pollinators, making it imperative to mitigate declines. Pathogens are strongly implicated in the decline of native and honey bees. Diet affects bee immune responses, suggesting...




www.nature.com






https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022191022000026










[SEMINAR BLOG] EXPLORING THE ROLE OF SUNFLOWER POLLEN IN MEDIATING DISEASE IN THE COMMON EASTERN BUMBLEBEE


ENTM Blog



entomology.umd.edu


----------



## nailbender0259 (10 mo ago)

More info on this


----------



## ursa_minor (Feb 13, 2020)

This is interesting for sure. I grew sunflowers as a part of my cut flower farm. If one was inclined to grow some sunflowers to aide the bees remember, some of the sunflowers now are pollen less because of allergy concerns when using them as cut flowers. 

Just thought I would throw that out there for future readers who might wish to add sunflowers to their bee friendly flower garden.


----------



## Snarge (May 4, 2015)

Lemon Queens in our plot (a few years ago) were shown to have one of the best sunflower sources of pollen.

We have variable success growing them from year to year and zero hard data to show that they aid in mite control. They sure are beautiful, though, and were absolutely covered in honey bees, as well as 100s of other pollinators.


----------



## Meady Beekeeper (9 d ago)

We are planning to plant a larger plot on our farm this year. I would love to hear other peoples favourite varieties and how they plant larger plots? 
I believe I read somewhere that sunflowers are very good for pulling toxins out of soil. Has anyone else heard this?


----------



## A Novice (Sep 15, 2019)

crofter said:


> Aspirins work for birth control too; not ingested, but held between the knees! The devil is in the details.


Oddly, aspirin fed to pigs makes them gain weight faster. The process is patented...


----------



## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Meady Beekeeper said:


> We are planning to plant a larger plot on our farm this year. I would love to hear other peoples favourite varieties and how they plant larger plots?
> I believe I read somewhere that sunflowers are very good for pulling toxins out of soil. Has anyone else heard this?


Just be aware of the pollenless sunflowers - don't want those. 

Pollenless Sunflower Info – Learn About Ideal Sunflowers For Cutting (gardeningknowhow.com)


----------



## Litsinger (Jun 14, 2018)

nailbender0259 said:


> More info on this


Cool to see @Marcin listed in the credits!


----------



## AR1 (Feb 5, 2017)

Funny, rarely see honeybees on my sunflowers. Lots of various flies and wasps and bumble bees, and only the occasional honey bee.


----------

