# Are Japanese Pieris poisonous to my bees?!?!?!



## Spark (Feb 24, 2011)

Googled it ... heres what I got from one site

Honey made from the plants has been reported to cause cardiac arrhythmias, emesis, mild paralysis and convulsions in humans and is known as “mad honey”.

I'd get rid of them quick


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## robherc (Mar 17, 2012)

YIKES!!! According to Univ. of Pennsylvania, the nectar's toxic/lethal at 0.3ml/kg??? medical dosages are generally (or at least WERE generally when I was employed in that field) based on a 75kg adult; which makes an "average" toxic dose 22.5ml or just over 1.5TBsp of NECTAR! Assuming 5:1 concentration on the low side, that's under a TEASPOON of honey! I don't think I'd need any more convincing to get rid of those things!

http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/projects/poison/plants/pppieri.htm


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## diver123 (Feb 8, 2012)

I have some serious doubts about the validity of honey being toxic. Since bees go anywhere they want it would only be logical that they collect nectar from these shrubs. You might not have any but your neighbors could. So there is no way to prevent the bees from collecting nectar from them. So either it is simply not true or one other possibilty is it is toxic but the bees prefer to collect nectar from a source with a much higher nectar flow than the pieris has. I just think that if there was a risk to honey especially in areas where these plants are popular there would be more caution in the local comunity and awarenes. With that all being said I am trying to get a hold of the Dept of Agucultre and see what they know.


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