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Author Topic: Bees in alfalfa  (Read 2762 times)

Offline hardwood

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Bees in alfalfa
« on: July 04, 2011, 07:53:51 pm »
Bruce (REDBEE) taught me something the other day that I never would have thought about otherwise...thanks Bruce!

Bees in alfalfa.wmv

Hope ya'll like it!

Scott
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"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

Offline CeeGeeBee

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Re: Bees in alfalfa
« Reply #1 on: July 04, 2011, 08:06:30 pm »
Wow! I guess I would be pretty grumpy too, being smacked in the face all day! Poor things :-\
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Offline AllenF

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Re: Bees in alfalfa
« Reply #2 on: July 04, 2011, 08:09:11 pm »
Cool.   You learn something new everyday.   Thanks for the video.
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Offline yockey5

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Re: Bees in alfalfa
« Reply #3 on: July 04, 2011, 09:16:07 pm »
I have 4 hives just 50 yds from 6 acres of alfalfa and they did not work it this year?
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Offline Finski

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Re: Bees in alfalfa
« Reply #4 on: July 04, 2011, 10:00:32 pm »
.
Unfortunately bees do not have utube. And they cannot teach dad to son.
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Offline Buzzen

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Re: Bees in alfalfa
« Reply #5 on: July 04, 2011, 10:56:25 pm »
Got a bunch of alfalfa in the back yard with bees all over it.  Didn't know this about the plant.
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Offline Dange

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Re: Bees in alfalfa
« Reply #6 on: July 04, 2011, 11:11:21 pm »
Very neat. Thanks for the good video.
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Offline hardwood

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Re: Bees in alfalfa
« Reply #7 on: July 04, 2011, 11:24:52 pm »
I've noticed that in the bee yards near both clover and alfalfa the bees tend to work the clover and not the alfalfa...maybe because of the slap?? Where they are in mostly alfalfa the seem to be working it.

Scott
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"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

Offline FRAMEshift

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Re: Bees in alfalfa
« Reply #8 on: July 04, 2011, 11:32:15 pm »
This is part of the strategic evolutionary maneuvering between plant and pollinator.  The piece of the alfalfa bloom that pops down traps the bees tongue and makes the bee thrash around.  This increases the amount of pollen that ends up on the bee, thus improving the pollination process.  The other interesting thing about this is that after being smacked 3 or 4 times the bee learns to trigger the device with its tongue out of the way so it doesn't get trapped.  This is one of the clearest examples I know that individual bees can learn.  

Bees are very creative when approaching different flowers.  Some flowers have to be ripped open from the bottom to get at the nectar because the bee's tongue can't reach all the way in from the top.  Clever bees.   :-D
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Offline annette

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Re: Bees in alfalfa
« Reply #9 on: July 05, 2011, 12:00:15 am »
Wow Scott, that was very interesting.

How much longer are you going to be there away from home??  I bet Peggy is missing you :-D

Thanks for sharing this information.

Annette
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Offline jtow

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Re: Bees in alfalfa
« Reply #10 on: July 05, 2011, 04:54:55 pm »
Very interesting, wonder if vetch, which is a similar flower, also does this?
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Offline splitrock

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Re: Bees in alfalfa
« Reply #11 on: July 05, 2011, 07:29:53 pm »
Interesting!!!

I am going to have to grab me some a give it a try. It is common to see it flowering in the ditches in my neighborhood, but I don't recall ever see the bees working it. Too much clover around I imagine.

Joel
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Offline hardwood

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Re: Bees in alfalfa
« Reply #12 on: July 05, 2011, 08:09:17 pm »
Annette, I'll be here until the end of August (I have to be back with my bees then for splitting), but I'm going home for 10 days starting 7/14.
It's hard to be away from my family for so long!!!

Scott
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"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

Offline Geoff

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Re: Bees in alfalfa
« Reply #13 on: July 05, 2011, 11:33:16 pm »
Well done Scott. Had 2 of my hives on lucerne (alfalfa) last year and they were the most unsociable critters I have had. One at home this year so will be interesting to see if there is any difference. So from your trip to South Dakota we are all learning something.
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