Winter Beans .. a quickie

[Bald Rick]

I have recently been walking through crops of winter beans in full flower but one thing was very obvious... a distinct lack of insect activity.

Will this affect pod set due to lack of pollinators?

 

[benny6910]

I was told that although insects do help the wind is the main way for pollination.

 

[Boysground]

The bee man who lives in the village tells me bees are not that keen on peas or beans.

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[Still Farming]

Bruchid Beatle be along soon enough.

 

[Salopian_Will]

The bee man who lives in the village tells me bees are not that keen on peas or beans.

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Ours are always alive with bees and so find that quite surprising. Bee keepers around here prefer them to OSR. Flowering clover always seems the most ‘alive’ with them in our small bumblebird plot.

 

[Hindsight]

I have recently been walking through crops of winter beans in full flower but one thing was very obvious... a distinct lack of insect activity.

Will this affect pod set due to lack of pollinators?

Self pollinating. Insect pollination helpful but not essential. You also did not define the insects. There are many tiny crawling insects that are not immediately obvious that might have been present.

 

[Bald Rick]

Self pollinating. Insect pollination helpful but not essential. You also did not define the insects. There are many tiny crawling insects that are not immediately obvious that might have been present.

Knocked a few plants out of interest. Not a dickie hence the OP

 

[goodevans]

I hope you weren't self pollinating having a quickie in the beans

 

[Hindsight]

Knocked a few plants out of interest. Not a dickie hence the OP

I did wonder with the thread title Baldrick if there might be some 'interesting' pictures of 'quickies' in a Winter Bean crop, so must admit was a tad surprised when you were questioning insect activity in the crop.

 

[Barleymow]

Last year they were 6ft plus tall with very few pods on ,bees were struggling then I hears

 

[Bald Rick]

What I have found surprising is the acreage of W Beans being grown in Kent
Originally I thought it was as an alternative break to OSR but their OSR crops are good.
Never liked growing beans myself (in the distant past when I was an arable farmer) due to late attacks of chocolate spot and the slow & careful drying so I wonder where the market is?

 

[Against_the_grain]

I believe bees can add 10-15%yield to a bean crop the problem is it's very hard to quantify as you don't really have a control to compare it against. I did read some research on the Internet about it though. We have rented hives in over the previous couple of seasons.

 

[Boysground]

Ours are always alive with bees and so find that quite surprising. Bee keepers around here prefer them to OSR. Flowering clover always seems the most ‘alive’ with them in our small bumblebird plot.

I’ve no idea, only what i was told. Unusually I thought the bee numbers were very low in my osr this year.

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[Steevo]

Lots of bees in the bean crops here - have quite a few hives on the farm though.

Never noticed an increase in yield since the bees have been here so 99% sure the wind does most of the job for them.

 

[Gong Farmer]

What I have found surprising is the acreage of W Beans being grown in Kent
Originally I thought it was as an alternative break to OSR but their OSR crops are good.
Never liked growing beans myself (in the distant past when I was an arable farmer) due to late attacks of chocolate spot and the slow & careful drying so I wonder where the market is?

Beans are as good a break crop as OSR on decent soil. On light soils, not so good. With heavier soils growers may be growing beans therefore in order to get more sleep.*

(*Most common comment from farmers who give up OSR is the better nights' sleep they get)

 

[goodevans]

Aren't they called a wish crop,you either wish the whole farm was planted to them or you wish you had never planted any

 

[Salopian_Will]

Aren't they called a wish crop,you either wish the whole farm was planted to them or you wish you had never planted any

wish we hadnt sold them all in October. They’re £290/tonne now.

 

[Bigjon44]

wish we hadnt sold them all in October. They’re £290/tonne now.

They gonna hold that price for this season?

 

[bobk]

We used to get s hitloads of butterflies and things in beans , reckon it's too early yet
The UK is cold at the mo