# Blooming Devils Walking Stick



## power napper (Apr 2, 2005)

Today while picking blackberries and checking on what the bees are working I came upon a big patch of devils walking stick in full bloom, the noise from all the working bees was so loud that even though I am hearing impaired I noticed immediately. Literally hundreds of bees on each plants blooms, all types of bees including many many thousands of honey bees. I don't know how much nectar the plant produces but the bees are sure after it. Maybe this is the unique wonderful flavor of honey that we extracted last year on August 18, hopefully we get some more this year! Anyone ever hear of devils walking stick honey? The thorns on the trunks of the trees are terrible if you happen to come in contact, like six times larger than rose thorns.


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## GaSteve (Apr 28, 2004)

You think those thorns are big? Try these on for size.

http://www.isaontario.com/media/news_letter/spec_focus/locust_thorns.jpg 

When I lived in Virginia, these honey locusts were everywhere. The thorns were big enough to flatten tires -- or make lethal weapons. Apparently they are excellent honey producers. If I were a beekeeper back then, I probably would not have cut so many down.  The big ones were no problem, but small ones were easy to run over.

[ August 10, 2006, 09:20 PM: Message edited by: GaSteve ]


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## naturebee (Dec 25, 2004)

I have devils walking stick blooming throughout my area. I have one that I allow to grow close to the house so I can watch the bees forage it. Devils Walking stick will start pumping nectar as the day heats up, and hundreds of bees will visit the bloom. Then during early evening, it shuts down secreting nectar and not a bee will be found on the flowers after the heat of the day ends. 

Was thinking this would be a good time to do some beelining as devils walking stick is easy to spot when out driving, and bees seem to love the stuff.


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## King bee apiary (Feb 8, 2005)

post us a picture of these walking stick flowers..


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## naturebee (Dec 25, 2004)

--post us a picture of these walking stick flowers..

http://www.floridata.com/ref/A/aral_spi.cfm


http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/shrubs/aralia_spinosa.html


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## power napper (Apr 2, 2005)

The bees sure do work the blossoms, my bees are beelining straight to a big patch. Even though I am deaf in one ear and can't hear out of the other I can hear the roar of the bees quite a distance from the plants. Found a lot of smaller ones that I am going to transplant this fall, from what I read the plant can be easily propogated by pieces of root or rhizome or seed in the fall. One thing for sure is that even when the foliage drops off this fall the plants are so unique with their thorns that it is not necessary to mark them for later identification!


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## King bee apiary (Feb 8, 2005)

I found some of these last week deep in the woods and was wondering what they were,even did a google search on them but never could find what they were.They had bees of all kinds all over them,now I wish I had pulled a few of them or marked them so I could trans plant them..
I see they like the moist shade,I have shade but not moister maybe I can get one to grow..'
Thanks for the pictures..


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## power napper (Apr 2, 2005)

King bee apiary--The devils walking stick prefers good soil however - they grow on what we call spoil piles--where surface coal mining has occurred, it is sub soil not top soil and mighty dry. I see it in shade, full sun, eastern slope, north slope, western slope, south slope so it seems to thrive just about anywhere here. If you can find the general area the thorny trunks are the giveaway. I have grabbed hold of them many times while hunting on hillsides and you seem to remememer the event--it hurts like blazes!


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## rjshimmel (Oct 16, 2003)

Very bitter honey.


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## naturebee (Dec 25, 2004)

Power Nappers right that Devils walking stick, (some old timers call them devils cane) likes to grow on disturbed soil much like sumac will do. I think that the bees forage them so much is due to the relative lack of forage during the bloom time. The berries get so heavy in the fall that often the branches will break and prune back the tree for next seasons bloom. I seen a bunch of Orientals one day picking the early leaf shuts from the plant, they said they use them in salad. Also, I understand that the bears like to pull down these trees for the berries, so I am always ready with the shotgun,,, save a beehive, kill a bear


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## power napper (Apr 2, 2005)

Pcolar--the bees are flying directly over fields of blooming goldenrod to get to the Devils walking stick blooms. Bumbles are working the goldenrod but not the bees. I have never seen a bear pulling the seed heads over but the bears sure do enjoy the Autumn olive berries around here. They bears break numerous limbs down to feast on the berries.


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## naturebee (Dec 25, 2004)

Power--
Devils Walking stick and other blooms at this time may have a higher concentration of nectar which may be causing the bees to ignore goldenrod bloom 'for the time being'. Bears will eat devils walking stick berries, but I would imagine they are not all that palatable because they usually tend to pass them up for other type berries.


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## naturebee (Dec 25, 2004)

Here's some video of bees foraging Devils Walking Stick.

Hope the qualities acceptable.

http://media.putfile.com/Devils-Walking-Stick-Flowers 

Hope this one don't make you sea sick, the dang wind picked up, plus I'm standing on a ladder with with a bottle of Yuengling in one hand and the camera in the other.








http://media.putfile.com/Devils-Walkingstick- 

http://media.putfile.com/Devils-Walkingstick 

http://media.putfile.com/Swarm-Entering-Hive-Body

[ August 13, 2006, 09:27 PM: Message edited by: Pcolar ]


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## livetrappingbymatt (Jan 13, 2006)

joe, good shots!
bob


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## Wee3Bees Apiary (Feb 21, 2006)

Gentlemen,

Thank you for the posts on Devil's Walking Sticks. I have been seeing these all along the Interstate between my house and my apiary (25 miles away, unfortunately) and didn't have a clue what they were. I am not certain if there are any real close to my hives, but I bet there must be.

Did someone post that the honey from these flowers was bitter to taste. If so, I hope the bees like it because I will leave it on the hive for them.


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## naturebee (Dec 25, 2004)

---->
--Did someone post that the honey from these flowers was bitter to taste. If so, I hope the bees like it because I will leave it on the hive for them.
---->

The honey from this plant is not bitter according to "Aerican Honey Plants" 
by Frank Pellet

Teh book states that the honey from Devils club is "light in color, of good body, and fair flavor."


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## power napper (Apr 2, 2005)

Thanks Joe for sharing those videos! My bees are really working hard, will let you know how the honey tastes in a week or so! The largest patch of Devils walking stick or Hercules Club has hundreds of these plants--just love to sit and listen to the humm of the bees working them.


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## carbide (Nov 21, 2004)

Great shots Joe! The bees were working those flowers better than they've been working my buckwheat and they"ve been "thick as thieves" on the buckwheat for the last few weeks. 

I think I know where there is some of the devil's walking stick in the far corner of my neighbor's farm. I'll have to walk over there and see if my memory is correct. I've never been in that section of his property except during hunting season in the fall. I seem to remember seeing the berries then that were in the link that you provided. I hope I'm right since I don't want to walk that far without a good reason.







If there is some there maybe I'll get his permission to dig a couple of small ones out of his woods to transplant onto my property so my bees don't have to fly quite so far.


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## power napper (Apr 2, 2005)

Just came back from checking on the patch of Devils walking stick and the flow is over here, the berries are forming and the plants are breaking under the weight of the berries, maybe my bees will start on goldenrod now! Only saw a couple plants with flowers and bees.


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## KSbee (Feb 18, 2005)

Around my neck of the woods, that's most commonly known as Choke Cherry. I've always been told that the berries are poisonous but I don't know that for sure.


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