# Cedar Pollen--Yes or No



## RonS (Dec 28, 2004)

A couple of months or so ago I mentioned to one of our more experienced beeks that I hoped my bees would benefit from the abundant cedar pollen. I live in the Texas hill country, known for its juniper (called cedar) trees. Every spring clouds of yellow pollen drift everwhere. He said that the bees had no interest in cedar pollen because cedar was air pollinated and not dependent upon bees or other insects.

Well, excuuuuuse meeeeee! My wife was worried because she thought a swarm had landed in the trees. I went out and heard a constant buzzing overhead. This buzzing has persisted for a couple of weeks. Yesterday, I put bee to sound. I watched thousands of bees working cedar trees almost everywhere I went, along with few oaks thrown in. Anyone in south Texas seen this?


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## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

Alot of plants are self pollinating. But that does not mean that the bees will not take the pollen anyway. They do prefer some pollens over others, but will work what is available. I don't know about juniper, but I would say if they are working it, they are benifiting from it.


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## BerkeyDavid (Jan 29, 2004)

I'll bet they take cedar. THey take pine. Has nothing to do with pollination. Has everything to do with what is available and what value it provides.


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## tecumseh (Apr 26, 2005)

when hungry for pollen my best guess is that they will get pollen where ever it might be available. quite typically in robbing behavior bees will rob nectar but not pollen.... but this does not mean that they will not later come back and scavange pollen in unprotected combs. unprotected pollen just don't get the girls in a frenzy like unprotected nectar.


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## Beemaninsa (Jun 9, 2004)

Although I have heard one report of bees collecting moutain cedar (one seed juniper) pollen, I have never seen bees work moutain cedar. You mentioned bees were working cedar yesterday, but cedar blooms from Christmas till Valentines day. The bees may have been working something else, perhaps a vine on the tree or honeydew? I suggest you look at the bees working the cedar verify they are working cedar blooms and that their pollen sacs have pollen. I think you will find they are not collecting cedar pollen.


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## Ardilla (Jul 17, 2006)

I read in some bee book (can't remember which one at the moment) that bees collect pine and juniper pollen. Apparently the amino acid content of the pollen isn't all that high, but it is easy pickings for the bees.


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## b_z_genius (Jan 25, 2007)

Our cedars are already getting sticky with sap so maybe they are making propolis to seal them boxes up you keep getting in.


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## Aspera (Aug 1, 2005)

Hungry bees will even take corn pollen. So far as I know, corn makes no nectar, no propolis and is entirely wind pollenated. Maybe bees don't like juniper pollen, but that doesn't mean that they won't try it if they get hungry.


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## Beemaninsa (Jun 9, 2004)

What am I missing here? Moutain Cedar is NOT BLOOMING and has not been been in bloom for a least 2 months, so how can the bees be COLLECTING moutain cedar pollen? I don't buy it. When I see a bee (or picture of a bee) collecting moutain cedar pollen then I might believe it. I had two dozen hives in my home garden this winter which is surounded by dozens of cedar trees. I did not see a bee on a cedar tree when the cedars were litteraly exploding with pollen. I had to dry feed subsitute pollen.
I agree that some wind pollinated plants have useable pollen....peaches, corn, etc.
RonS also mentioned that bees were working oak trees. Although I have seen bees collect oak pollen, the Oak bloom is also over. I believe oaks in our area can be infested with aphids so that is why I suspect that if bees are currently working RonS's oak trees they are collecting honey dew.


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## Sandhya (Apr 26, 2007)

eeewweee...
cedar....one of the tree pollens I am really allergic too...
yikes..that and the one plant that has been at every house I have ever lived in...juniper.


Beemaninsa said:


> What am I missing here? Moutain Cedar is NOT BLOOMING and has not been been in bloom for a least 2 months, so how can the bees be COLLECTING moutain cedar pollen? I don't buy it. When I see a bee (or picture of a bee) collecting moutain cedar pollen then I might believe it. I had two dozen hives in my home garden this winter which is surounded by dozens of cedar trees. I did not see a bee on a cedar tree when the cedars were litteraly exploding with pollen. I had to dry feed subsitute pollen.
> I agree that some wind pollinated plants have useable pollen....peaches, corn, etc.
> RonS also mentioned that bees were working oak trees. Although I have seen bees collect oak pollen, the Oak bloom is also over. I believe oaks in our area can be infested with aphids so that is why I suspect that if bees are currently working RonS's oak trees they are collecting honey dew.


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## NW IN Beekeeper (Jun 29, 2005)

[Has everything to do with what is available and what value it provides.]

Dave hit the nail on the head. 

Its not so much what is available, its about what do the bees need. 
Every pollen has a different composition. 
Cedar may contain a micro-nutrient that few other pollens may offer. 

Consider nectar sources. 
Bees don't just take nectar because its there.
They will often times fly over other blooms for nectars that are a higher saturated sugar. 
Bees work on efficiency. 
A bee will fly a dozen wing flaps futher to better quality nectar, than to fly to lesser nectars and flap three dozen times curing it.

If they lack a variety of good sources, they'll work with what they can get. 

-Jeff


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## tecumseh (Apr 26, 2005)

beemaninsa sezs:
What am I missing here? Moutain Cedar is NOT BLOOMING and has not been been in bloom for a least 2 months, so how can the bees be COLLECTING moutain cedar pollen? I don't buy it. When I see a bee (or picture of a bee) collecting moutain cedar pollen then I might believe it. I had two dozen hives in my home garden this winter which is surounded by dozens of cedar trees. I did not see a bee on a cedar tree when the cedars were litteraly exploding with pollen. I had to dry feed subsitute pollen.
I agree that some wind pollinated plants have useable pollen....peaches, corn, etc.
RonS also mentioned that bees were working oak trees. Although I have seen bees collect oak pollen, the Oak bloom is also over. I believe oaks in our area can be infested with aphids so that is why I suspect that if bees are currently working RonS's oak trees they are collecting honey dew.


tecumseh replies:
well I am uncertain in regards to location if RonS is speaking of location more towards central texas or out in your direction beemaninsa. and then their may be the confusion as to whether you are talking about ash juniper (commonly called ceder over much of central texas) or western ceder or eastern ceder. mountain cedar is a new one on me???? in regards to oaks... they are highly subject to hybridization (in some area differering leaf structure can appear on the same tree) and it is my experience that in those places where a number of varieties exist that the bees may work them for nectar and pollen over a fairly wide time frame (some quite early and some very late in the season). 

lastly if the pollen exploding from the tree is that orange mass that quite commonly appears on the limbs of ash juniper this is (at least I have been told) actually not the ash juniper reproductive processes working at all but is a sub microscopic plant life commonly called slime mold (which actually has quite exquisite structure when viewed under a scanning electon microscope).

confuse as usual....


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## wfarler (Jul 9, 2003)

We have a juniper that is incorrectly referred to as mountain cedar. It is common in the hill country of texas as well. Here in North Texas it blooms in January. The bees collect the pollen, seen them work the blooms, seen them bring it into the hive. Drop by next January and I'll show you around the wood lot. We get an elm bloom in the tops of the elm trees late january / early february too. I didn't believe it but tracked the bees from the hive and with a set of binoculars I found them 50 feet up working tiny blooms. 

I just love how keeping bees can open your eyes to nature (if you let them).


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## Jeffrey Todd (Mar 17, 2006)

I have always looked for bees on cedar but have never seen them working it. Ron, if you have a chance, maybe you could post a pic? I would think at this time of year there would be sufficient other pollen sources available so that they would not need cedar, if, in fact, it is cedar (the juniper) that you are referring to. Like tecumseh says, there must be some confusion or miscommunication going on.


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