It is awesome. Very little human food. I have been growing crimson clover for the past five or more years and I grow it only for my bees. The first year I planted it I noticed, once my crimson flowered, that my entire field was buzzing and nearly every crimson flower had a bee on it. My honey production has tripled. I grow about ten to fifteen acres each year. I add reseeding and it looks like a beautiful sea of crimson red flowers.
My wife wants it in some of her flower gardens just for color while it provides cover. We watch plenty of deer and turkey graze thru it as well. I have been reading some very interesting facts about crimson clover as I have been a beekeeper for over 40 years. I was aware of crimson clover as a good forage source for honeybees, but now I know even more about it.
I had a failing queen last season, so I have to start over this season. Thanks for the helpful information. Thanks for this. I was Googling bee-related articles and found a chart about pollination syndromes that did NOT mention this color as attractive to bees. I was confused, because last year, for the first time ever, I planted crimson clover in my backyard and at bloom time my yard was FILLED with industrious little honey bees.
It was a wonderful experience I hope to have again next summer! The neighboring lot the house is currently empty is full of crimson clover. It looks more like a meadow than a lawn. Something else is probably in bloom at the same time. They will go to the one with the best sugar content. Hi everyone! I planted a whole bunch of crimson clover Trifolium incarnatum in anticipation of our first honey bee nuc arrival.
This is a common occurrence which I have explained many times. Give a child a choice between ice cream or a cracker, and chances are he will choose the ice cream and say no to the cracker.
But if you now give him a choice between a cracker and some green beans, the cracker starts looking really good. Red clover is an excellent plant for bumble bees and it has the highest amount of amino acids and a high variety of amino acids making it outstanding for bees. Red clover Trifolium pratense is an excellent plant for many bee species, but honey bees are reluctant and much prefer crimson clover Trifolium incarnatum. I used to bring in solitary bees prior to honey bees, build bee houses with reeds and just crammed what plants they like to pollinate.
Solitary bees so many different types that most people never heard of seem to play a huge role in pollination that when I planted this year I decided to plant for them all the best I could not wanting to displace native pollinators to the area I am from.
Solitary bees even though are not apart of a apiary play a huge roll in pollination and by all of us providing food sources for them with acres of land that we can plant clover, wildflower or even trees that provide a food source everything we can do to provide forage for them to broaden their food source for diet may be a effort that requires little skill, some minor expense but huge benefits to the livelihood of not only your honey bees but all pollinators in your area.
I agree totally. I plant for the native pollinators and let the honey bees take care of themselves. Same goes for peaches. I am not a beekeeper but I do have a small garden every year so I try to do everything possible to attract every and all pollinators.
I have heard the horror stories about honeybee hives dying for one reason or another and it just breaks my heart! I have recently started breeding rabbits to supplement my grocery bill but their grocery bill is almost as much as mine! I would like to say thanks to all of you!! Local honey bees have assisted me in helping a rescued dog that had been hit by a tractor trailer on a state highway around the corner from us. Now, 4 yes later, she even has a full coat of hair, like nothing had ever happened much less the thought of losing the leg!
I also had a border collie rescue that ended up giving me 16 pups!! No more allergies!! So trust me when I say those little buzzers have saved me thousands plus helped my fur babies beyond belief!! Now I have new companion plants to add! Sorry this was so long but I just had to sing your praises, everyone could use a pat on the back sometimes!! I planted crimson clover last October. It came up during the winter and then bloomed in the middle of April for about 3 weeks.
About 2 or 3 weeks later it was all dead. There was not even any green vegetation. Is that normal for crimson. Your Name. Your Email Address. Send Email. Tagged amazing , beautiful , becomeabeekeeper , bee , bee-friendly , beehappy , beekeeper , beekeeping , beekeepingbasic , beekeepingbasics , bees , clover , flowers , healthybees , interestingfacts , lemon balm , melissa officinalis , nature , nectar , pollen , spring , springflowers. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published.
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We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You can do this by planting clover in a variety of colors and forms. It has been discovered that white clover offers more nectar than all other plant forms because it has so many tiny petals. Bees can collect nectar from those tiny petals and make honey, so if you have a bigger farm and want to grow clover for your bees, by all means, plant white clover!
Red clover is a more compact form that you can plant in small gardens but still has the same benefits for bees. No, the color of the clover does not really matter. Bees love clover because it is an excellent source of nectar and bee bread for them, and they love them in all varieties. Whether you have planted yellow, white, red or any other color, bees will still enjoy getting nectar from them.
But do all types of bees love clover? The answer is Yes! All kinds of bees love sucking nectar from clovers. However, red clover is not a favorite of honey bees. This is because the clover flowers are deep, making it hard for honey bees to suck nectar from them. On the other hand, bumblebees have long tongues that help them easily reach the nectar from the red clover.
There are five types of clovers that bees love foraging from. As one of the most common varieties in North America, white clover is known for being a good companion plant to other plants since it fixes nitrogen and provides ground cover.
White clover is one of the most common sources of pollen and nectar for honeybees. In addition to its long flowering season, you will be pleased to know that they can often be found growing in the shade under taller plants, which makes white clover an excellent source of nutrition for your bees during the summer months.
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