Worldwide Beekeeping
Sustainable Living => Gardening => Topic started by: Wandering Man on May 15, 2016, 09:48:15 pm
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We have a section of our backyard that we've allowed to grow, supplemented with wildflowers we've planted. I'm really pleased with the natural flowering plants that have emerged.
The bluebonnets are gone, along with Indian Blanket and others.
Horsemint is one of the surprise flowers that we have. I didn't know what it was at first, and decided to look it up when I found the bees all over it.
I've learned it is full of thymol, a natural fungicide, and antibacterial agent. True? Is this really a naturally occurring plant that will help fight Varroa?
Is there anything I should be wary of?
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I don't know if it helps the colony with varroa but I have heard it makes great honey. We have it around here but not enough for varietal honey.
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IT is the essential oils that are extracted that are used in the making of thymol into a mite treatment. There is very little oils that are in the honey Just enough to give the honey a slight mint taste but no where near strong enough to create a vapor concentration high enough to kill the mites.
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Is there anything I should be wary of?
Mint tends to spread like crazy. Is that what you meant?
I am not familiar with horsemint. I will have to look that up.
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The Rweaver apiary thinks horsemint, aka, lemon mint make very good honey. In wet years, such as this, there is a lot of horsemint on our Brownwood Ranch. It is a light colored, sweet honey with perhaps a taste of mint. It is a very prolific plant. I wish it was prevalent around my De Leon bees.
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It can be...
Be careful what you wish for, some of those plants once you get them established chock out every thing else and it is near impossible to get rid of them.
Investigate what you are planting before hand.
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Apis:
I wouldn't dare plant horse mint. I fallow plow land to promote native weeds and grasses, but I do not plant native species.
Horse mint seems to come back each year, but it does not seem to be invasive. The plant occupies about the same amount of space year after year on my ranch. The production of flowers and nectar varies from year to year with the rainfall. This year it should do well, but the other wild flowers have not flourished as well as expected with the large amount of rain that has fallen.
A better nectar producer, and a more dependable plant is Indian blanket, sometimes called fire wheels.
lazy
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Pictures of horse mint and lemon mint on our Brownwood ranch.
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs32.postimg.cc%2Fya7672ok1%2FIMG_0309.jpg&hash=0fdadf92fd559c013a5dc3e76f7871dd50422d99) (http://postimg.cc/image/ya7672ok1/)
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs32.postimg.cc%2F81stwmljl%2FIMG_0326.jpg&hash=6d1f5a789a576e04df909ba16d0be0405193e1d6) (http://postimg.cc/image/81stwmljl/)
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Pictures of horse mint and lemon mint on our Brownwood ranch.
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs32.postimg.cc%2F81stwmljl%2FIMG_0326.jpg&hash=6d1f5a789a576e04df909ba16d0be0405193e1d6) (http://postimg.cc/image/81stwmljl/)
Yep. That's the stuff. The bees love it.
On a sad note, some of the ranchers are starting to mow their fields, taking away a lot of blooming plants. I never felt sad about that before I had my two hives.
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On a sad note, some of the ranchers are starting to mow their fields, taking away a lot of blooming plants. I never felt sad about that before I had my two hives.
Ditto!
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Wondering man, your area should have mesquite blooms and huisatch soon.
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Wondering man, your area should have mesquite blooms and huisatch soon.
We've got lots of weesatch (alternate spelling, I think), behind our house, but haven't spotted any mesquite nearby.
Anyway, their blooms came and went before we got the bees, 4 weeks ago.
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Wondering man, your area should have mesquite blooms and huisatch soon.
We've got lots of weesatch (alternate spelling, I think), behind our house, but haven't spotted any mesquite nearby.
Anyway, their blooms came and went before we got the bees, 4 weeks ago.
I forget that you are quite a bit further south than my place. Plus you are on the Coastal Plains and receive the benefit of Gulf Water warming. Huisatche is a Mexican name with Spanish spelling, but however you spell, your bees will love it when it blooms.