# sunflowers



## Darrell Haynes (Sep 13, 2009)

What about sunflowers for the bees? Do they make good honey?


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## Ardilla (Jul 17, 2006)

Bees get nectar from some species - so I've heard. They get pollen or don't bother with most varieties in my experience.

I have Maxmillian, Black Oil, Russian Giant, and New Mexico Sunflowers near my bees. They pretty much ignore them all.


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## dixie_beek (Aug 4, 2009)

I grew many sunflower this year and the bees loved them although I don't know how much benefit they got from them. I know they hauled great loads of pollen from them but don't know how much quality nectar they gleaned from the tiny blooms on each seed pod? They would lumber back to the hive yellow all over and barley able to fly with the load.


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## beenovice (Jun 19, 2007)

Sunflowers are great nectar sources and honey is of great quality.


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## spieker (Jun 26, 2009)

Can anyone name a few sunflower varieties that bees are interested in. Thanks.


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## Darrell Haynes (Sep 13, 2009)

The seed heads I have are the Giants that grow about 8-10 feet tall. Robbed a couple heads out of a customers garden. I watched them all summer and never saw any honeybees working them but were covered with bumble bees. I don't know of any beekeepers in her area but don't know for sure.


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## JOHNYOGA2 (Sep 30, 2008)

My bees will work sunflowers if there is nothing else available. Bumbles love them though.


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

My bees aren't working the sun flowers much this year. Our patch was covered with bees last year.
I've read the nutritional value of sunflowers, & blueberries isn't that good for the bees. but unless their in acres of it, it wouldn't make much difference.


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## chevydmax04 (May 11, 2009)

we have a bunch of Autum Joy Sedum in our gardens, they bloom late summer and the bee's were just thick on them. I never saw the bee's so thick on any other flowers or plants in our gardens. I am going to plant more of the sedum for next year.


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

My most active be plant this year has been the anise blue hysops I started in the spring.


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## BeePuncher (May 25, 2007)

spieker said:


> Can anyone name a few sunflower varieties that bees are interested in. Thanks.


Get a bag of sunflower seeds in 25 lbs bags meant for bird seed. Yes, plant bird seed! The variety is basic sunflower, no questionable hybrids, they do sprout and the bees will love them unless there is something else blooming that supplies a better return on effort. I used to till up a half acre for fun and beautify it with the bird seed. Worked every time, that seed must be hardy. Of course the birds got to eat the seeds off the heads afterwards. Good luck.


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## LSBees (Sep 24, 2009)

We have a 15' x 15' patch of sunflower, some planted others volunteers from years past and when in bloom they were covered in bees, our honey bees and others. Not sure about nectar but the were covered in pollen.


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