to Reconnoitre

Over the last few days a number of colourful photographs have been published here showing fields of bright yellow oil seed rape.

For a bee keeper oil seed rape is a mixed blessing.  The flowers produce a plentiful supply of nectar that is very attractive to bees. Consequently the bees will fly a long way to find it.  It is thought that they will fly up to three miles away.

The disadvantage with oil seed rape honey is that it granulates (i.e. goes solid) very quickly. So quickly in fact that it will solidify in the  comb and be very difficult to extract without destroying the honey comb itself.

Speaking personally I think it also produces a rather bland characterless honey.

My bees are on the flat lands of the northern plain.

The only way therefore to tell if anyone nearby is growing rape is to get up high to get a view.

If you scrunch up your eyes and use a considerable amount of imagination there is a field of oil seed rape on the horizon  at 11.00 o' clock in this photograph.

Happily it is more than three miles away from my bees!