# crepe myrtles -- another "has anybody seen.....?"



## mlanden (Jun 19, 2016)

I've heard some locals say that bees now have crepe myrtles to feed on here in eastern NC, but I've yet to see a honey on any of my c.m. blooms. I think c.m.'s aren't American natives, too, so ...... any other observations from anybody? ......


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## clyderoad (Jun 10, 2012)

mlanden said:


> I think c.m.'s aren't American natives, too, so ...... any other observations from anybody? ......


honey bees aren't either.


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## mlanden (Jun 19, 2016)

clyderoad said:


> honey bees aren't either.


So ...... did honeybees co-evolve with c.m.'s? If so, I'd expect to see the honeys on my myrtles. If not ..... not necessarily. I'll google c.m. to see point-of-origin. May offer a clue.


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

I see them working those with white blooms sometimes. Never see any on the others. It doesn't matter much. Unless somebody has a huge planting of them...they aren't going to be enough to carry a honey bee colony through a dearth.


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## johnbeejohn (Jun 30, 2013)

My neighbor had c p at my old house bees were all over them


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

We wondered about the crepe myrtles yesterday, while coming back from picking up a new queen. The blooms looked tasty, but we saw no bees on them.

Variety may have a lot to do with it. Crepe myrtles are ornamentals, which these days means they've been bred to look pretty rather than be good forage (same with most roses). Some landscapers prefer to plant flowers that do not attract pollinators, particularly bees, because the same warped mentality that makes pesticide companies try to tell you they can make your lawn bug-free. So have modern crepe myrtles been doctored to not attract pesky bees? If they're propagated by cuttings rather than seeds, it could be. Sterile plants would avoid having seedlings crop up in your lawn.


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## bluegrassbees (Apr 19, 2014)

Many crepe myrtle have double flowers and it seems that the extra petals prevent the honey bees from getting to nectar in that kind of flower. I was disappointed when I realized my red crepe myrtle doesn't interest my bees.
Becky in KY


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## clyderoad (Jun 10, 2012)

mlanden said:


> So ...... did honeybees co-evolve with c.m.'s? If so, I'd expect to see the honeys on my myrtles. If not ..... not necessarily. I'll google c.m. to see point-of-origin. May offer a clue.


don't know, someone else may.
but consider that black locust is native and introduced honeybees love it. no co-evolution there.
maybe the origins of the plant or insect doesn't matter as long as the insect can exploit it?


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## mlanden (Jun 19, 2016)

clyderoad said:


> don't know, someone else may.
> but consider that black locust is native and introduced honeybees love it. no co-evolution there.
> maybe the origins of the plant or insect doesn't matter as long as the insect can exploit it?


For what it's worth: crepe myrtles are native to northeast Asia. Phoebee makes a good point re: plants bred to look good but be bee-worthless.
Yeah, I get the black locust-nonnative insect paradigm. For that matter, I never saw a honeybee on my pineapple guava blooms (Brazilian plant), so .... ya never know.


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## The General (Apr 22, 2014)

I have a red crepe myrtle outside my house and it does indeed have 2 different parts to the flower. In the morning I see all manner of honeybee and other bees getting pollen from the middle yellow stigmas and later in the day they then go to the flowers to harvest from them. I have seen bees on mine for about 2 weeks now.


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## cervus (May 8, 2016)

bad link


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## cervus (May 8, 2016)

http://okaloosa.ifas.ufl.edu/lng/files/2012/05/Crape-myrtles-are-important-to-pollinating-insects1.pdf

_Crape myrtles do not produce flower nectar but they are unusual in that they do have two types of anthers that produce two types of pollen. One of the pollens is for reproduction and the other is to feed the pollinators. If you examine the flowers you’ll see the brown pad-like reproductory anthers arranged higher above and over the bright yellow anthers providing food._


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## b1kfd (Mar 6, 2014)

I have 2 large crape myrtles in my front yard. the bees seem to like them.


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