# Big Sagebrush?



## BWrangler (Aug 14, 2002)

Hi mO

Artemisia tridentata? Not a drop or a grain in Wyoming. Never heard of it as a source of either from anywhere else.


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## m0dem (May 14, 2016)

BWrangler said:


> Hi mO
> 
> Artemisia tridentata? Not a drop or a grain in Wyoming. Never heard of it as a source of either from anywhere else.


Ok, that's odd. Because the following site says, "A plant used as a source of food for Honey Bees, and may be a flavor of honey such as clover or alfalfa."
http://www.pollenlibrary.com/Specie/Artemisia+tridentata/
Although I couldn't find another site that confirmed this.


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## Dave Burrup (Jul 22, 2008)

Our bees work it heavily for pollen. It does not produce nectar.


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## m0dem (May 14, 2016)

Cool. What time of year? Fall? Late summer?


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## Dave Burrup (Jul 22, 2008)

deleted


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## Dave Burrup (Jul 22, 2008)

It is about the last thing to bloom, so lets call it late fall. Some years it is so dry that very few of the plants will even bloom.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Is this the same sage like the commonly use culinary sage?


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## m0dem (May 14, 2016)

I don't think so. Isn't that an herb?


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## BWrangler (Aug 14, 2002)

Hi Guys

John Lovell wrote:

…compared to the great region of dry desert land which produces little besides sagebrush, saltbush and cactus. A colony of bees would starve on a million acres of such range.
​Honey Plants of North America, 1926

Nothing in my Intermountain experience contradicts what he wrote.

Different soils and micro climates might produce different results. But if a beekeeper expects bees to get anything from Big Sagebrush, better expect a big disappointment.

In Wyoming, Rabbitbrush and Big Sagebrush will bloom about the same time. The bees actively work Rabbitbrush and beeyards near it will be buzzing until a very hard freeze.

At the same time, beeyards in Big Sagebrush, without the Rabbitbrush, will have little to no flight. And little to no broodrearing. They are shutdown for the season.

When choosing a beeyard location, Big Sagebrush, as a food source, hasn't been a factor. But it can provide a great windbreak. Create a micro climate for other plants. And it's a great source for smoker fuel. 

I doubt whether Big Sagebrush pollen/nectar affects the clover and alfalfa flavors. Except for a late 3rd cutting, they bloom at completely different times. And the spicy taste, associated with western alfalfa honey, isn't found in clover honey produced at the same time. Yet it's found in first cutting alfalfa honey.

Big Sagebrush is not the same as culinary sage. Lots of different plants are commonly called sage, so it's important to accurately identify which sage is being discussed.


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

We have two types of sage here, Silver and at the moment cannot recall the name of the second. Neither are the culinary type but are more of a rabbit brush type plant. One blooms in the spring the other in the fall. About the only thing either are good for is stirring up allergies. The rabbit brush is a good source of nectar in the fall but it is not a honey that you want the bees to try and overwinter on alone. It also has an odd taste. many people do not like it but or those that do they will pay high prices for it. I don't bother with trying to make rabbit brush honey. It will keep the bees active all the way into November though. I am not sure what companions sagebrush has. But I set 20 hives out in the middle of miles and miles of sagebrush. they did just fine and made more honey than my hives that where kept in town. I am not saying that honey came from sagebrush. but look down under and around the sage brush at what lives in it's shadow. I know my bees made a lot of honey from whatever is out there. A lot in comparison to what I would have expected anyway.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Thanks, can you provide a pic or a ling to more infos about the 
Big Sagebush? I know they are different from the culinary type now.


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_artr2.pdf


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