#BEE POLLEN BENEFITS MYTH FULL#

It took me 3 years to get rid of those already established (growing or germinating), but I’m on the prowl every year to catch any I missed, but it keeps me from doing any REAL work LOL. I have successfully removed all dandelions from my yard and those of the neighbors on each side (but remember they can be blown in from miles away). That stops them from re-growing.īut they will be back next spring as the seeds from last yearĪre already in the soil, and many are wind-borne and will blow in from other places. I then poke the nozzle of a pump sprayer into the hole and give a 2-second shot to kill the root, using glyphosate or all-purpose weed killer (I use Roundup, as it’s readily available).

When the flowers die off and dry up, I deadhead them before the puff-balls appear and dig up the roots (as deep as I can reach). When they come up in the spring, I leave them alone as a source of nectar for all pollinators, especially the bees. In this way dandelions may actually be harming bees.Īs visually unwanted invaders, everybody just tries to kill them. Keeping dandelions may keep bees from using fruit tree pollen which is a better quality of pollen. The pollen from dandelions is of poor quality, but better than nothing. Do Bees Need the Dandelions?ĭandelions are not the first source of pollen for bees. They probably have similar nutritional needs, but we don’t know.Ĭlick this link for more information about the topic of honey bees vs native bees. Most of the research is based on honeybees, some on the bumblebee, and we know very little about most other native bees. Other native bees out in early spring include, Andrena spp. Bumblebees are often the first bees to emerge in spring and the last bees to be foraging in fall. Native bees tend to emerge when temperatures rise above 55✯. A lawn of dandelions keeps bees away from more nutritious pollen.Įven more important is to have access to pollen and nectar at all times when they are active.

#BEE POLLEN BENEFITS MYTH FULL#

If we make it easy for honey bees to collect poor quality pollen by creating a lawn full of dandelions – that is what they will collect. There is some evidence that bumblebees select better quality pollen. Honey bees can’t seem to tell which pollen is more nutritious. The type of pollen collected is influenced by the ease with which it can be collected and not by its nutritional quality.

What they really need is a variety of pollen. Dandelion pollen is low in valine, isoleucine, leucine and arginine, essential amino acids for honey bees.ĭandelion is consider a poor quality source of protein for bees.Ĭollecting highly nutritious pollen is important for bees but variety seems to provide them with a better ability to fight off disease. That means the organism can not make them they have to get them in food.

Protein contains amino acids, and some of these amino acids are essential. This year I kept a record of early flowers in my garden and got help from people on our Garden Fundamentals Facebook Group, who also contributed to the list. Lots of things bloom before the dandelion. They also have a very concentrated source which means bees don’t have to fly long distances between flowers to get it. Some trees are wind pollinated and produce a lot of pollen. “They gather dandelion pollen when other pollen is not available.” Maples, elms, poplars and willows are important as a first food” and they flower before dandelions. Long before flowers become important, honey bees are in the top of trees collecting pollen. I spoke to one of the researchers at the Honey Bee Research Center, University of Guelph and asked him about the bees first food.Īround here, zone 5, Ontario, “their first important food source is tree pollen. I grow a lot of plants in my garden and I seem to remember many things flowering before dandelions ( Taraxacum officinale).

Bee pollen benefits myth