Beehive Buzz: Chinese Tallowtrees & Cold Damage

Foresters, farmers, and native plant enthusiasts loath the Chinese tallowtree (CTT) because it is very invasive, and CTT requires extra effort and expense to contain this non-native plant species. However, for the beekeeper, the CTT is the workhorse of nectar plants and is the “bread and butter” tree for honey production.

Because of its resilience, it is difficult to control. However, due to the deep cold snap in late March of 2023, CTT faced the equivalent of Superman’s kryptonite. Many trees looked burnt due to the brown early foliage. At the April meeting of the SW Beekeepers Club, a discussion emerged about the condition of CTT after freezing weather and its possible impact on nectar production.

In early June, AHA informally surveyed beekeepers through email and through Facebook about the condition of CTT and the impact on nectar by the freezing weather. In general, the response was mixed:

  • Austin, a beekeeper in Tangipahoa Parish, commented, “The trees here took a few weeks to bounce back. I have not seen any tassels but my bees are all over them so they must be producing something.”
  • Michael made this report, “Mine in St Tammany are loaded with tassels and the bees are loving it.”
  • Naish in New Orleans had a good report,” I will take a photo later today and send it to you, as far as I have seen they are flowering normally.”
  • Jamie posted this note, “I have a lot of tassels here in Vinton.”
  • Todd shared this thought, “We had a rather good tallow flow around Oberlin, but it is ending now. Most tassels have turned brown and are falling. Still have some that put tassels on late, that are good, but they are few. [I] noticed a lot of the trees that were hurt by the freeze put on tassels late, but some never matured. They got a couple inches long then turned brown before ever blooming and drooping. Overall, I had a decent flow.”
  • Shawn shared his observation with a picture, “A few around Chatham have what appears to be blooms.”
  • Chris, a northeast LA beekeeper, said, “I know that the ones I have are in a similar recovery. No flowers yet.”
  • Floyd shared his observation, “I am in Jackson parish, [and] mine are putting on tassels that freeze hit…hard.”
  • Stacy posted on Facebook, “In Lincoln Parish, mine are starting to put out small tassels. The older trees are [blooming]. The younger trees have [no blooms].”
  • Ryan provided this his view about CTT damage, “In Rapides Parish, I see a mixed bag. Some tallow trees have the long yellow blooms hanging down right now. Others have small, short green blooms. Others have no blooms and only leaves…”
  • Richard in Beauregard Parish emailed his thoughts about this season’s nectar flow, “In some areas the tallows are blooming, but at a reduced rate and other areas, [ there is ] almost nothing. It appears that the trees that were burnt back may bloom later but [its] still not a good nectar flow. We will see in a couple more weeks how [well] they will do.

Based on this unscientific, anecdotal evidence, there are some clear conclusions about honey production for 2023:

  • South Louisiana fared much better than the rest of the state regarding nectar flow by CTT.
  • Central and north Louisiana had various levels of damage to CTT blooms.
  • Unless another nectar plant compensates for the loss of blooms from CTT, honey production in Louisiana may be lower than normal.

If you want to contact “Beehive Buzz,” please send your questions and pictures to Keith Hawkins, Area Horticulture Agent (AHA), 318.264.2448 or khawkins@agcenter.lsu.edu . Also, you can be on the “beemail” email list by emailing your request to the address above.

“This work has been supported, in part, by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Renewable Resources Extension Act Award, Accession Number 1011417.”

“Mention of trade names or commercial products and services in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute endorsement by Louisiana State University AgCenter.”

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Figure 1. Tallow Bloom

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Figure 2. Tallow Bloom

6/15/2023 4:09:44 PM
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