- Author: Christine Casey
There are many California specialty crops that are harvested for their foliage; since we're not harvesting a fruit or vegetable folks don't often think of these as providing resources for bees. However even though we eat the foliage, these plants still need to flower and be pollinated so that seed for the next crop can be produced.
One of the healthiest of these specialty crops -- both for us and for bees -- is bok choy. Sometimes referred to as Chinese cabbage, it is in the mustard family (Brassicaceae) and goes by the scientific name Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis. California leads the US in production of Asian vegetables; boy choy is a cool-season crop that is grown along the Central Coast from Salinas to Santa Maria.
Fortunately for us, this superfood that is full of vitamins and antioxidants is easy to grow at home. Interestingly, recent research has shown that the antioxidant levels in bok choy leaves increase with stir-frying, which is the common method of cooking (Food Chemisty. 2016. 203:23-27 and International Journal of Food Properties. 2016. 19(11):2536-2549).
Plants are available at the garden center in late fall. Grow in full sun or light shade and provide plenty of water. If you don't have a garden, bok choy can easily be grown in a large container like a 5-gallon bucket. Here's one of our plants at the Haven about a month after planting.
The normal harvest recommendation is to cut off the entire plant at the base. To feed the bees, however, remove individual leaves as needed and leave the plant intact. So long as there is not a hard frost, it will go on to flower in January.
The process of leafy vegetables flowering is called "bolting" and is generally thought to make the plant inedible. But not to the bees! This is especially true in bok choy; the flower structure of this plant makes both pollen and nectar available to bees, which isn't the case for all mustards. At the Honey Bee Haven we plant several beds of various Brassicaeae for the sole purpose of letting them flower to feed our bees. Here's a honey bee on bok choy in late January.
- Author: Christine Casey
Central California's mild winters mean we can grow our state's specialty crops year-round. Tasty, nutritious, and easily-grown, fava beans are a winter crop that feeds both us and honey bees. Favas, like the honey bees that pollinate them, are native to the Mediterranean region. Since honey bees are active when it's sunny and temperatures are above 55 degrees, there will be ample pollination in our mild winters. Recent research by Bishop et. al (Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment; 2016. 220:89-96) suggests that fava plants become more dependent on insect pollination as temperatures increase. Thus bee pollination may play an increasingly important role in production of this crop as our climate changes.
How to grow: Fava plants may be found at some garden centers, but it's much easier to locate and purchase seeds. They germinate quickly and are also a great project for children who are learning to garden. If started now, beans should be ready to harvest in February or March; you'll also find them at farmer's markets at that time.
Pests: Bean aphids (Aphis fabae) may infest fava beans as they mature. These do not affect yield; wash these off with water. UC IPM has more detailed information on biology and management guidlines.
Nutrition and recipes: Fava beans (Vicia faba) are full of nutrients and a great source of fiber and lean protein. Favas may be eaten raw by taking them out of the pod and removing the outer coating, otherwise they should be cooked. This recipe for fava bean pesto from the Food Network utilizes basil, another great, easy-to-grow bee plant.
The UC Cooperative Extension Small Farms Program has a page on favas with more information about growing, nutrients, and economics. Both basil and fava beans are important to the state's specialty crop economy. California leads the US in herb production, and in coastal California, which is the center of the state's fava production, the San Mateo County fava bean crop was valued at $1.8M in 2015 (California Agricultural Statistics Review, 2015).
Cautions: fava beans contain oxalic acid, a naturally-occurring substance found in some vegetables. It may crystallize as oxalate stones in the urinary tract in some people, so anyone with known oxalate urinary tract stones should avoid fava beans.
Favism is a rare inherited disorder most common in people of southern European origin. They have an enzyme deficiency that causes a reaction when they eat fava beans are eaten or are exposed to fava pollen. They may develop hepatitis or flu-like symptoms.
- Author: Christine Casey
Welcome. This blog will provide updates and information on the project, "The ART of the Specialty Crops and Pollinator Connection", which is based at the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven located at UC Davis. Haven scientists Christine Casey and Elina Niño are leading the project; thanks go to the California Department of Food and Agriculture for funding.
ART = awareness, relevance, and training. California leads the nation in production of specialty crops; these crops depend on bee pollinators. Our first goal is to promote awareness and relevance of the specialty crop-pollinator connection to the public, including creating pollinator habitat in food gardens. We'll couple this with programs about growing and cooking food to reinforce the link between healthy bees, nutritious food, and healthy people.
Our second goal is to train other educators to expand our outreach. We're especially excited about establishing our "Bee Cam" that will allow live streaming of bee-flower interactions.
You can also follow us on Facebook to learn more about this project and its activities.
- Author: Christine Casey
One of the most popular The Bee Gardener posts to date was published on November 10, 2014 in honor of Veterans Day. Since that publication, we've added lots of red, white, and blue flowers to the Honey Bee Haven; beekeeping programs to help vets have proliferated as well. Today's post covers some of the additions.
Both bees and veterans work hard and make contributions that many of us take for granted. In recognition of their service, some agricultural and beekeeping organizations provide support to veterans who would like to make beekeeping their profession. These include:
USDA-ARS: Putting Honey Bees to Work for Veterans
Bee Veterans, based at the University of Minnesota's Bee Lab
West Virginia Veterans and Warriors to Agriculture
Facebook: Bees for Vets
A red,white, and blue bee garden is a great way to honor a vet. Although bees do not see red, they will use red flowers. The flower color 'blue' can be anything from a true blue to purple, while the color 'red' often includes orange and pink tones. A complete list of plants in the Honey Bee Haven, including information on water use and pollen and nectar resources, is here.
Common Name | Color | Bloom time |
Aster (many cultivars; see our post) | Blue | Fall |
Bottlebrush | Red | Spring-summer-fall |
Calamint | White | Spring-summer-fall |
California buckwheat (see our post) | White | Summer-fall |
California fuchsia | Red | Fall |
Catmint (many cultivars) | Blue | Spring-summer-fall |
Ceanothus (many species and cultivars; see our post) | Blue | Winter-spring |
Coneflower 'Powwow White' | White | Summer |
Honeywort | Blue | Winter-spring |
Lavender (many species and cultivars) | Blue | Winter-spring-summer |
Manzanita (many species and cultivars; see our post) | White | Winter |
Russian sage (many cultivars) | Blue | Summer-fall |
Texas ranger | Blue | Summer-fall |
Toyon | White | Spring |
Yarrow 'Calistoga' | White | Spring-summer |
Here are some of the red, white, and blue flowers you'll see at the Haven during the winter:
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- Author: Christine Casey
We know it's fall at the Honey Bee Haven is when our asters come into their full glory. This large (more than 600 species) group of plants even has its own book. Asters recently underwent a taxonomic revision that split the genus Aster into five genera. The commonly-available species either remained in Aster (Old World species) or were moved to Symphyotrichum (New World species).But the common name aster still applies to all. True plant nerds will want to read this detailed summary of the cultivated species. Blooming into November, asters are a valuable late-season source of pollen for bees and nectar for bees and butterflies.
These are the species we have at the Haven, listed in order of bloom:
Aster 'Purple Dome': Symphyotrichum novae-angliae 'Purple Dome'. The species is native to the US east of the Rocky Mountains. This cultivar, which is a UC Davis Arboretum All-Star, is the first aster to bloom at the Haven. It typically starts flowering in late June; deadheading results in several more flushes of bloom until frost. It produces deep purple flowers and stays under 18 inches tall. It will spread and we divide ours every other year.
California aster: Symphyotrichum chilense. This one is about 24 to 30 inches tall; the amount of spread depends on how frequently it is watered. Ours receive a deep soaking about every three weeks and so far we've not seen any invasive tendencies.
Aster 'Wood's Pink':Symphyotrichum dumosum 'Wood's Pink'. This aster has bright pink flowers and is native to the northeastern US. Ours is watered daily. It grows 12-16" tall, making it a nice addition to the front of a border. The species was used as a parent for developing smaller cultivars by Victor Vokes of the UK War Graves Commission, who needed low-growing, late fall color for WWI cemeteries.
Aster 'Fanny's': Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 'Fanny's'. The story of this cultivar of a southeastern US species is that Ruth Knopf of South Carolina acquired the aster from her maid, Fanny, who in turn received it from her grandmother. Fanny is 3 to 4 feet tall and wide.
Aster 'Bill's Big Blue': Symphyotrichum 'Bill's Big Blue'. Give Bill some room! This selection can reach 5 to 6 feet in height and width. It will bloom through November. We divide Bill yearly.