A Bee on The Bee-gonia

If there's one plant in our yard that the honey bees don't like, it's the begonia.

Lavender, sage, catmint and sedum? Bring 'em on.

Sunflowers, citrus and pomegranate? Yes! Yes! Yes!

Rock purslane? Like rock candy.

Oh, how about a little begonia, Ms. Honey Bee?

Sorry, not interested.

So were we ever surprised last weekend to see a honey bee foraging on our pink begonia.

See, the begonia isn't exactly a bee friendly plant. It's not like the dearly beloved sage, lavender and catmint.

We told Extension apiculturist Eric Mussen, a  noted authority on honey bees and bee behavior--and a member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology faculty--of the bee-begonia encounter. "Bet she didn't come back," he said.

"Actually, she foraged for about five minutes," I said.

I imagine, though, that when our confused little bee returned to the hive, her sisters met her at the hive entrance and said (in bee language): "You collected WHAT? You foraged in the BEGONIAS? When there was LAVENDER, SAGE AND CATMINT?"

Update: No bees have returned to the begonias.

Probably won't, either.