# bees not working goldenrod?



## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

I hear beekeepers taik about their bees working goldenrod and all the honey and pollen they get from it.I have it all over my farm [mostly in the fence rows]and neighbors farms, but rarely if ever see a bee on it.I know their are different varieties of goldenrod but are their some they just don!t work?The aster is about to bloom and they do work it over.I!ve heared some say it!s the soil type we have here but I think it must be something else?Anybody have any ideas?


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Bees will work the flowers in bloom that are the most beneficial to them. Perhaps you have something else blooming in the area that they like better than the golden rod you have there in your fence rows.


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## Jon L (Dec 29, 2007)

My bees didnt work the early goldenrod last year there was no nectar.This year we had about 3 weeks of rain just before the bloom.So this year they are working early and late GR,still drawing foundation and making honey.Last year I had to feed all fall.


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## BjornBee (Feb 7, 2003)

I am not sure of the exact number, but there are about 150 different types of goldenrod plants. I would suppose that it would just figure that some may be better than others, with a few outright ignored by bees.

Any flower, comes down to nectar production. You can have lots of clover, goldenrod, etc., and have bees ignore it due to little secretion of nectar due to drought , etc.

Here, the early goldenrod is usually ignored, even when nothing else is available. The main goldenrod flow, which is a different plant, has just begun to start. With the recent rains, I hope its a good fall flow.


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## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

*bees not working goldenrod*

This aug. was the 2nd driest on record here in sw Mo. we just received 31/2inches of rain over last thur. and fri. maybe this will help?I know that all plants bloom and bees don!t work all of them but bees are known to work sunflowers,chicory,ironweed and goldenrod.I am out every day checking livestock and I rarly if ever see a bee on any of them.When I go by my hives their is little activity going on, I have even took the covers off of some to see if I had a dead out?This has been going on for several years,since I have been retired for several years I!ve payed more attention.The aster hasn!t bloomed yet, they will work it.It!s a mystery to me with all those beautiful golden shining heads in every direction you look and not a honey bee on them?Maybe I have welfare bees?


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## Luke (Sep 8, 2003)

I have a lot of the early goldenrod in my yard that the bees never touch. They just started working the "good" goldenrod in the last week or so. I visited my hives in NH for the first time in two weeks. One hive was only using two frames in the top deep. All of the frames are now drawn and full of honey.


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## Zane (Mar 28, 2008)

Brooksbee I was having the same thing happen over here w/ our goldenrod. No bee's. There is goldenrod all over the fields around here too! Lots of yellow! I have seen some white looking pollen last week before the rain. We got 2.9" this last few days of storm. I was hoping for a little honey of this stuff. My girls have finally got stored up nice enough that I wanted to get a few frames put up for this winter. Time will tell. Its been a weird year.


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## scottsbees (Dec 19, 2007)

Hey guys, I've got the same thing here, Golden rod everywhere and the bees won't touch it. I got 14 hives in the back yard, and finally decided to just start feeding due to the fact that they were bringing nothing in. I'm worried they wont have enough stores for the winter. each hive is taking about 2 gallons of 1 to 1 a week. 

I just don't understand why they wont work the golden rod, This is probably the best golden rod year I've seen in a long time.


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## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

*bees not working goldenrod*

I worked 18 hives yesterday[powdered sugar and fumagilin-B]and saw some bright yellow comb on a couple of frames that hadn!t been completely drawn out.So I got to looking at some goldenrod close by,I saw bumble bees.little bees, a little bigger than a sweat bee? hornets and hundereds of bugs that look like a lightenbug with a longer body.I did find a few honey bees working it but very few,maybe the rain we had is helping?Good luck.


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## Benton2569 (Feb 26, 2007)

Here the bees are working the GR pretty hard (have been for a few weeks). The early GR does NOT produce much nectar but the mid-late season stuff does.

We have had an abundance of rain this summer so the GR flow is early and strong. Last year was drought like and even though the GR was in full bloom the bees did not start to work it until late Sept. I have a field of the stuff and rely on it to bulk my hives up for the winter.


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## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

*Bees not working goldenrod?*

I have been seeing alot of bees on the goldenrod the last 3 days,just the darker blooms the fresh new blooms are covered with soldier beetles and no bees.It rained 51/2 inches last night[thanks to Ike]so I don!t know what will happen now?The aster hasn!t started blooming good yet,hoping for a good flow from it.


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## Zane (Mar 28, 2008)

bbfarm, so those yellow and black striped bugs are soldier beetles? They sure like the goldenrod!!! You got more rain than us!!! but we had some tornado's hitting right next to the city. We got 5" over here! what a mess!!! Still no bee's on the goldenrod though. Real windy today, will dbl ck tomorrow. I saw a little almost white pollen but not much arriving @ the hive.


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## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

*bees not working goldenrod*

Zane,On the 2nd page of bee source under got a question about goldenrod,[dcross]posted a picture of the soldier bug.I!ll bet it!s the sameone you have,if not I have some to spare if you need some.


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## danameric (Mar 11, 2007)

I took my webpage picture about 10 days ago. Fitzpatrickfarm.com The bees were everywhere on all the golden rod flowers.


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## Zane (Mar 28, 2008)

Thats a nice looking stand of goldenrod there! I went and looked and no honeybees on mine. I did see some bumbles and a wasp or 2. The girls are busy but I am yet to figure out what they are sticking their nose into. Maybee some tree I dont know?


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## Zane (Mar 28, 2008)

I saw the girls on the goldenrod Thursday. They where also bringing in an orange/pink pollen. Today no bee's on the goldenrod. hmmm:scratch:


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## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

*not working goldenrod*

Not many of mine on goldenrod now,their after the aster now.They will even work aster after it has frost on it.


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