bee forage & products - petersfieldbeekeepers.org.uk · forage nectar pollen water resin/sap...
TRANSCRIPT
Petersfield BKA catchment ,
covering the Western end of
the Weald where the N & S
Downs meet, has all the
Wealden sediments
within reach of bees.
The variety of soils and
topography results in great
variety of natural &
introduced forage
– perfect for healthy bees
Erosion has created alkali
chalk Downs, steep sandstone
scarps, clay & sand valleys
and acid sandy heaths.
The variety of soils and
topography results in great
variety of natural forage
– perfect for healthy bees
Human activity augments this
natural forage, extending
forage availability
Weald Clay lowland – low-lying, moist.
Pasture, Agriculture, hedges, woods,.
Lower Greensand – Hythe
Wooded sandstone hills & scarps.
Iron rich neutral-acid soil. Coppiced.
Hazel & chestnut. bluebell & bramble.
Willow, amelanchier, holly, rowan,
Whitebeam, beech, oak. Exotics.
Lower Greensand – Folkstone
Low floodplain & sandy heath.
Wet & dry woodland, heath, pasture,
agriculture, horticulture, hedges,
Gault – heavy clay - Pasture & hedge
Chalk & sand outwashes – very fertile
Upper Greensand – Calcareous.
Wooded scarps. Ash, hazel, lime,
oak, dogwood, sycamore, wild garlic.
Chalk – North Downs, Fertile flint/
clay cover - agricultural; hedges
South Downs, high - pasture & natural
Southern slopes – agricultural. Man.
Nectar Composition
• 70 - 80% water
• 20 - 30% sucrose, fructose, glucose
• Traces of
vitamins, minerals & proteins,
aromatics & pigments,
natural yeasts & bacteria
summer flowers
Many garden shrubs and plants
flower early and late, extending
the natural flowering season
Pollen
• Flowers produce pollen to reproduce
• Bees collect pollen to feed their young and
themselves
Bees ‘strength’ food
Pollen
• Fed to larvae for growth and development
• Eaten by young bees up to 10 days old to
finish glandular development
• Eaten by overwintering bees to build up fat
reserves
Water
• Used
to regulate hive temperature & humidity
in Preparation of brood food
to Dilute/dissolve honey stores for use
water
• Important to provide Sources
• Use supply closest to hive
• Important to know where these are –
neighbours pond/pool
Resin
• Sticky exudations of some trees and buds
• Collected and transported in the corbicula
• Removed by house bees
• Mixed with wax and enzymes to form
Propolis
Propolis
• Valuable to the bees:
as an antiseptic surface sealant on
hive parts
brood cells
large intruders
in construction
to strengthen comb
to fill gaps
Used Fresh, never stored
Bee Products
• Royal Jelly
• Wax
•
• Venom ‘middle aged’ bee
• Honey
• Pollen foraging bee products
• Propolis
‘New-bee’ products
‘New bee’ products
Two of the most important products of the hive
produced at the beginning of a worker bee’s life
• Royal jelly from 8 days
•
• Wax from 14 days
Royal Jelly
• Protein rich high-energy super food high in amino
acids essential for bee development
• Produced from pollen
by young bees
• Fed to all larvae to 4 days
and Queens exclusively
Wax
Costly for bees to produce
• 750g wax required to make comb to hold 15kg
honey – a full National super
• 5kg honey required to make 750g wax
• 20kg nectar required to make 750g wax