Of all the flowers in the United States, goldenrod is probably the second-most spoken of by beekeepers (the first is clover). But the funny thing is it usually goes untouched by bees. Or at least by my bees. I have goldenrod blooming here from August through October, and I check it often for foragers. It’s the soldier beetle I see dominating the goldenrod, covering the plants in a moving mass of feeding and mating through mid-September. Bees, on the other hand, are hard to find on the yellow flowers for most of their bloom period. It’s not until late September that I start seeing honey bees on goldenrod, suggesting it’s a little-desired flower for honey bees in my area. Only when there’s not much else to forage does goldenrod becomes a menu option. I’m not disparaging goldenrod. On the contrary, I’m grateful it’s available so late into the year; but it hasn’t been the panacea for fall honey harvests or winter food stores often touted by magazines, websites, and presentations at beekeeping clubs.
Honey bees don’t start showing up on my goldenrod flowers until late September