Olives

[malachii]

I have a friend who owns an Olive Farm who has offered to let me keep some of my hives there.  I was wondering if anyone had any experience with bees and olives.  Google seems to say they are only wind pollinated but I have talked to others who say that bees help.  They also indicated that the bees will collect a lot of pollen from olives.  No one seemed to know what "olive honey" tasted like.

Any input would be appreciated.

malachii

[wd]

I'm in an area where olives are grown, harvested, cured, processed for market and shipped. I don't of anyone here that requires honey bees for pollination as say almonds. I've kept bees in olive orchards as  others do, pollen is spread every where by wind, a light yellow dust. Wind is the primary source of pollination,  insects are secondary. It's a last resort for the honey bee and other insects. The trees are planted like a male to female ratio.

http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/PC_91824.html?s=1001

[malachii]

Do you know if the pollen is collected by the bees at all or is it so wind blown the bees cant use it?  Is the honey produced strong/dark/light?

My hives aren't there to pollinate his olives - he's just letting me use the corner of his paddock.

malachii

[wd]

Speaking of the hives I had in olives, they produced honey of gold in color, not as light as a star thistle honey, a tad darker, not a dark brown. Tasted like good sweet honey to me. I never witnessed the bees taking pollen on olives trees themselves. Olives are heavy pollinators, it blows everywhere, it was all over the hives too. Easy pickens, if they took any, I didn't see it or put it under a micro scope.

Personally, I would keep hives in olives again but I wouldn't rely on olive pollen alone, I think they look else first. According to the studies I've looked at where a microscope is used, they do take some (little) olive pollen in.

Lets not forget sources of nectar.