Agricultural Crops and Beekeeping

The relationship between farmland and beekeeping rests on the fact that large areas of sunflower, oilseed rape, cotton, alfalfa, sainfoin and citrus offer bees very intense nectar and pollen over a short time. The same field can fill a hive within a week and poison the colony with spraying the week after. This page covers the beekeeping value of the main field crops, their flowering periods, the character of their honeys and the precautions to take against pesticide poisoning.

What does farmland offer the beekeeper?

• Intensity: A single species flowering at the same time over a large area can give a very high honey yield in a short time.
• Predictability: Because sowing dates are known, flowering can be forecast and a migration plan made.
• Monofloral honey: The honey from crops such as sunflower, citrus and cotton can be harvested separately and sold under its own name.
• Pollination income: In cucurbits, seed production and some fruit and vegetable crops, growers pay for pollination.

The main field crops and their value for beekeeping

The dates in the table are general ranges for Türkiye; they vary with region, sowing date, variety and the weather of the year. A crop sown as a second crop can flower months apart from the main crop in the same province.

Sunflower

In Türkiye it is grown over large areas especially in Thrace (Tekirdağ, Edirne, Kırklareli), as well as in Central Anatolia and Çukurova. Nectar yield varies greatly with the hybrid variety, soil moisture and temperature; in some years the fields are full yet the flow stays weak. Because sunflower honey is rich in glucose it crystallises very quickly; harvest it before it sets in the comb. Colonies kept on sunflower alone for a long time can weaken because of the one-sided pollen diet.

Oilseed rape

Flowering in spring, oilseed rape gives plenty of nectar and pollen while colonies are still building up; a good rape flow both grows the colony and leaves honey. Because its honey is high in glucose it crystallises very quickly; extract capped and partly capped combs without delay, otherwise the honey sets in the comb and cannot be extracted. Rape fields are often sprayed against pests during bloom, so finding out the spraying schedule is essential.

Cotton

It is an important late-summer source in Çukurova, the Aegean (Aydın, İzmir) and South-eastern Anatolia (Şanlıurfa). Cotton secretes nectar both inside the flower and from extrafloral nectaries on the leaves and on the bracts surrounding the flower. Because its pollen grains are large and spiny, bees collect little cotton pollen; colonies working cotton therefore need another pollen source. Cotton is one of the most heavily sprayed field crops; beekeeping in a cotton region is very risky without close contact with growers.

Alfalfa, sainfoin and vetch

Alfalfa (lucerne, purple medick) gives good nectar in hot, dry climates. However, its flower is awkward for honey bees because of its "tripping" mechanism; bees often take nectar by reaching in from the side and contribute little to pollination. As it is cut for forage at the start of flowering, the resource only lasts between cuts and in seed fields.

Sainfoin is grown as a forage crop especially in Eastern and Central Anatolia and is one of the most valuable legumes for honey bees, giving plenty of nectar in May–June. Vetch species (common vetch, hairy vetch) feed bees not only from their flowers but also from nectaries on the stipules at the base of the leaves.

Citrus

On the Mediterranean coast (Adana, Mersin, Hatay, Antalya), orange, lemon and mandarin groves give very abundant nectar in March–April. Citrus honey is very light-coloured with a distinct floral scent and crystallises with a fine grain. Pest control in the groves during bloom and growers of some seedless mandarin varieties not wanting bees are issues to be discussed in advance.

What are the risks of farmland for the beekeeper?

A short, sharp resource

In monoculture, bloom lasts a few weeks and then the landscape empties completely. The colony switches suddenly from plenty to dearth; this switch triggers robbing and stores run down quickly.

Spraying

This is the greatest risk. The damage is not limited to mass deaths: sublethal doses can also impair navigation, learning and brood development. A forager that cannot find its way does not return to the hive; no body is seen, but the colony has lost it. Dust raised while sowing treated seed can also contaminate flowering plants and water nearby.

One-sided nutrition and the loss of wild flowers

The pollen of a single crop is an incomplete nutritional package. When the flowering plants on field margins are also wiped out by herbicides, the colony weakens even though it seems well fed.

How do you recognise pesticide poisoning, and what should you do?

The following signs suggest poisoning:

• Sudden mass death in front of and inside the hive
• Bees that tremble, spin, cannot fly or have poor coordination
• Dead bees with their tongues sticking out
• A sudden drop in the foraging force, with only young bees left in the hive
• The same picture in many colonies at the same time in the same apiary and in nearby apiaries

1. Document it: Take photos and video; note the date, time and location.
2. Take samples: Collect a large quantity of freshly dead bees in a clean container and freeze them. If necessary also take samples of flowers, comb and pollen.
3. Report it: Apply to the official veterinary service / local agriculture authority; have an official report drawn up with the village headman and witnesses.
4. Support the colony: Provide clean water and feed if needed; consider moving it away from the sprayed area.

How can you reduce the risk from spraying?

• Rely on the rules: In Türkiye, the Beekeeping Regulation requires growers to inform the provincial/district agriculture directorate and the village headman before pest control and to announce the programme to beekeepers in the area in advance. The beekeeper, in turn, is expected to take care to keep the apiary away from sprayed areas and to find out the local programme.
• Talk to the grower directly: This is the single most effective measure. Leave your phone number and find out the application day in advance.
• Distance: Place hives not right at the edge of the field but, if possible, somewhat back and on the side where the wind will not carry the spray.
• Water: Put clean water in the apiary so the bees do not go to contaminated puddles in the field.
• Move away in risky periods: Moving colonies temporarily during a period of heavy spraying is usually cheaper than making good the losses.

How should you plan a move to farmland?

A beekeeper taking colonies to farmland should answer these questions in advance:

1. When does flowering start and end? Find out the sowing date and the variety.
2. What is the spraying schedule? Who will apply which group of products, and when?
3. How will the harvest be done? Rape and sunflower honey set quickly; extraction equipment and containers must be ready.
4. Where will the colonies go afterwards? When the source ends, robbing and dearth begin; the next source or a feeding plan must be ready.

Explaining to growers that pollination increases yield and quality in many crops is the best way to build cooperation on spraying. A grower who benefits from bees is more willing to protect them.