[NatureNS] bees and industrial white clover

From: "Wild Flora" <herself@wildflora.com>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
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Date: Sun, 24 Jun 2007 13:12:05 -0300
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Planting a white or "Dutch" clover lawn is probably one of the best things
you can do for honeybees. It is primarily pollinated by honeybees and is
probably the commercial crop most heavily used by honeybees worldwide, so
much so that "white clover honey" is a recognized type of honey, with
lighter colour and milder flavor than other honeys. (Whether it's the best
honey is a matter of taste--I prefer the darker honeys myself.)

Just like honeybees, white clover isn't native to North America (it's from
Europe). Our native bees would probably prefer the plants they have
co-evolved with. That having been said, however, white clover has been in
North America for a long time and it appears that quite a lot of native bees
and other wildlife have adapted to using it. Bumblebees and some other
native bees are quite fond of it, also bee flies, some butterflies, and
skippers. It's reported to be a larval food plant for the caterpillars of
several moths and butterflies including the clouded sulfur. (Judging from
the number of sulphurs I saw fluttering over my neighbour's pasture when the
clover was blooming last summer, I'd say that must be true.) White clover is
also eaten by ruffed Grouse, ring-necked pheasant, some songbirds, some
small mammals, and white-tailed deer. (Some strains contain a glycoside that
can be poisonous if a grazing animal eats too much, but evidently they have
to eat an awful lot before they experience any ill effects.)

The only harm to bees that I'm aware of is when flowering clover attracts
them to an area where pesticides are going to be used. This is a recognized
problem in nonorganic apple orchards, where white clover is often regarded
as a weed.

The biggest concern about white clover from a gardener's point of view is
that it does tend to be spread quite aggressively both by seed and by
runners. The seed can persist for years in soil, so getting rid of it once
you've planted it is very difficult.

One possible problem is that selection and breeding of white clover are
constantly producing new strains, particularly ones that are more
winter-hardy, and whenever a new cultivar is introduced there is always a
risk that some quality needed by pollinators will have been lost. However,
I'm not aware of any reports of cultivars of white clover that have lost the
ability to support pollinators.

In short, if you want a lawn, are fond of bees, and don't mind using
nonnative plants, white clover is probably an excellent choice.

Wild Flora



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