carrots can be a nutritional stressor on honey bee colonies, it is good to keep a close
eye on brood, queens, and varroa mites. Currently, it is midway through the pollination
season, and many beekeepers choose to apply varroa mite treatments while in Madras
to get their mite loads under control as the colonies continue to expand. The varroa mite
growth curve usually lags just behind the brood expansion, so this is a critical time of the
year to reduce mite loads.
Carrot pollen is usually abundant, but hybrid carrots typically do not produce much
nectar. It is possible for a beekeeper to produce some carrot honey from this pollination
event; however, the honey is dark and is an acquired taste, unlike the typical light, floral
honeys most consumers request.
Carrot seed pollination is only a part of the seed pollination industry in the Pacific
Northwest. These same colonies may also be called upon to pollinate the following seed
crops: cabbage, crimson clover, Meadowfoam, Dutch white clover, onion, radish, alfalfa,
canola, and red clover. It is not unusual for several of our beekeepers to take their colonies
to three to five pollination contracts in the Pacific Northwest in a year after almond
pollination — pollinating not only food crops, but also these important vegetable seeds. Alfalfa is an important food crop for
dairy cows, so in the case of alfalfa seed, honey bees indirectly help the dairy industry, along with many others.
Much of the coastline of Oregon
and Washington state provides
a long growing season and mild
temperatures, surprising most people
that the coastline is at a plant
hardiness zone of 9; incredibly
mild despite these states’ northern
placement. There is a tremendous
amount of agricultural crops in
this area that requires managed
pollinators, and the Bee Informed
Partnership is dedicated to helping
beekeepers during this busy season
in these crops.
BIP Colony assessment and
sampling in carrot seed pollination
fields. Photo credit: Karen Rennich,
The Bee Informed Partnership
Karen Rennich,
Executive
Director of the
Bee Informed
Partnership, Inc.
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