# Honey bees and red clover



## tsmullins (Feb 17, 2011)

It has been said that honey bees do not work red clover. We have a field next to our home apiary that has several acres of red clover. Checked yesterday and today. There are definitely honey bees working this red clover. 

Previously I thought honey bees do not work red clover. Since our sourwood bloom was a bust, guess they have little choice.

Shane


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## SteveStevenson (Feb 14, 2014)

Is it red clover or crimson clover? My understanding is that bees do work crimson clover


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## Thershey (Mar 12, 2014)

SteveStevenson said:


> Is it red clover or crimson clover? My understanding is that bees do work crimson clover


Over and over, na na na na na na

Sorry, couldn't resist.


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## biggraham610 (Jun 26, 2013)

Shane,
They definitely work the crimson here, and I have seen them lightly working the red(which is actually pink) I'm like you my understanding was that their tongues weren't long enough to work the red. I just assumed they were using it for a pollen source when I saw bee activity around it. G


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## AHudd (Mar 5, 2015)

I had been confused by this for a long time, due mostly to the color of Red clover being pink and Crimson clover being red. Bees get nectar and pollen from Crimson clover and pollen from Red clover, over and over. 

Alex


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## psfred (Jul 16, 2011)

Some years the flowers are short enough for them to get nectar from red clover, but that's not the usual case. They will use whatever they can get to, and bees LOVE clover of all types. They go nuts over honeysuckle when bumblebees cut the flowers open, but they can't (or won't) do it themselves.

Peter


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## Sharpbees (Jun 26, 2012)

I read somewhere, and don't ask me to remember where, that although honeybees tongues are shorter than the florets of the blooms that with good conditions the florets fill enough that the bees can work them. Also heavy dews and light rain will fill them enough for the bees.I personally have watched honeybees work red (pink) clover for both pollen and nectar every year.


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## tsmullins (Feb 17, 2011)

SteveStevenson said:


> Is it red clover or crimson clover? My understanding is that bees do work crimson clover


We have red clover in abundance. We do not have crimson clover.

Shane


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## Dave A. (Mar 13, 2015)

I have patches of red clover in my lawn. I see honey and bumble bees on it.


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## NewbeeInNH (Jul 10, 2012)

Wow. Wish my bees would go to the red clover because there's enough of it around. I've never seen a honeybee on a red clover tho, only the bumbles. But they sure do like the dutch white clover, which since I refuse to cut my lawn for their sakes, is all over the place.  Seems like it must take a lot of energy to get enough from a white clover tho, the way they go from one to the next.

Right now they're loving the elderberry blossoms too.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

There are several scenarios where the honey bees can reach the nectar but under normal conditions they can't. Sometimes another bug eats a hole in the side of the flower. If enough of them do, the honey bees will notice and start working it. If it is wet enough sometimes the nectar gets high enough for the honey bees to reach. But if you're planting for a honey crop, I would plant other kinds of clover...


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## rolftonbees (Jul 10, 2014)

It seems that back in the day bees were working red clover as they are today. They do in my pastures. 

It was my understanding that years back some did not, but when people started using larger cell foundation that larger bees can generally use red clover.

Perhaps not all red clover is the same?

https://books.google.com/books?id=8...=onepage&q=large cell bees red clover&f=false


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## NewbeeInNH (Jul 10, 2012)

rolftonbees said:


> https://books.google.com/books?id=8...=onepage&q=large cell bees red clover&f=false


What a great link! This is going to keep me busy for hours. Thanks!


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## rbcsaver (Jun 26, 2015)

I have a lot of clover, but I'll have to research the type. Regardless of the clover, my bees absolutely love, my now blooming, Russian Sage.
rbcsaver


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## AHudd (Mar 5, 2015)

http://www.pollinator.ca/bestpractices/clover.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_American_nectar_sources_for_honey_bees
https://books.google.com/books?id=T...Hf_vBCg#v=onepage&q=red clover nectar&f=false
According to Wikipedia red clover is a major source of nectar. I have Red clover growing on my place. I do not see honeybees on it. I do see honeybees on Crimson clover at roadsides and other public places.
I planted some Crimson this year just to see. It has yet to come up though.

Alex


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

In scanning through wikipedias list of nectar producing plants there are a number that I would take issue with. Red clover is a minor nectar source at best, I have rarely seen bees working it, at least in my experience in central South Dakota or western Minnesota.


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