Tuesday 30 April 2013

Ragwort is good for bees in general

Today's blog entry is in reply to two tweets that have appeared on twitter.

@Dookist 26 Apr @MaldonDC Please delay cutting of rural roadside verges until flowers have set seed... Save our bees!! Cut late summer & remove ragwort...

@Dookist 24 Apr A cut in late summer would be much more beneficial, plus it would help remove injurious weeds like Ragwort, and Dock. #SaveThe Bees RT?

It is really quite worrying to see that someone is concerned about insect conservation and then has been mislead by the quite crazy propaganda about ragwort. I have previously covered how this was all made up.

The story that ragwort poses a serious and dangerous risk to livestock and particularly so when alive really has been made up. I would recommend that this particular twitter user and Maldon Council take note of this.

Ragwort is a particularly good source of nectar for insects in general. It is true that it can make honey taste bad, but let us remember that the honey bee is just one of many bee species and the others require nectar too. So for bees in general ragwort is a beneficial plant.

There will be even more evidence about the nonsensical nature of the anti-ragwort campaign available soon
on the Ragwort Facts website


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