Often when observing nature, one has to be in the right spot at the right time. Obviously you were there, and you have a memory that you will carry for a long time. Well done. Thanks for sharing the interesting photos as well.

Those are honeybees...wonder if they transfer any poison from the datura to their honey? I talked with a beekeeper once, who said she had asked all her neighbors not to grow any daturas or brugs in order to prevent contaminating the honey.

Patrick

Wow! You are right. Apparently this is possible. I found some articles about honey made of Datura stramonium and Datura inoxia as being poisonous, nothing about datura metel, but they don't say if this honey was made by bees or not. One article about 15 cases of poisoning after eating wasp honey (I didn't even know you can actually eat that).
But reading through these articles I realized that datura poisoning (from honey) is much less likely than poisoning with honey made from other poisonous plants.
Well, anyway, looks like it is possible.

Yes, they are indeed honey bees. Patrick, I never would have thought of that possibility. My dad was a bee keeper, and I developed a need for honey every day. I just "gotta have it". LOL

Honey is made by the bee digesting the necture which they collect. They then "puke" it up, and fan off the excess moisture to make the honey. Honey made by honey bees tastes very different from honey made by wasps, hornets, or bumble bees because of their differing digestive system. It stands to logic that any necture collected will contaminate the honey, if the necture itself is poisonous. Do we really know? We do know that some people are more sensitive to the plant than others, just like we do know that some people are more sensitive to bee stings than others. My dad could get stung many many times and not react. If I get stung, I end up in the hospital with am anaphalactic reaction.

Hmmm interesting concept.

The Black Sea region of Turkey is famous for a bitter honey they call "deli balý," which is honey with various proportions of Azalea nectar (Rhododendron luteum). The really strong stuff has an intense Azalea scent, and after the initial sweet taste, goes bitter in the mouth. It's considered medicinal, and many people swear by a spoon of it every day. If your're not used to it and get too much, it can make your head spin. It also makes your urine very fragrant....

In another vein - I once planted a huge patch of Greek poppies in my Seattle garden. P. rhoeas var. pusillum -- like normal corn poppies but really deep red, with a more dusty colored foliage. The bees went nuts, and several times would bite the stamens, getting (evidently) a mouthful of the sap. They would go completely drunk. I also saw this in Greece; many of the flowers had incapacitated bees weaving around in them; sometimes they would attempt to fly out and couldn't find their way. They'd just go round and round inside the flower...

Quite an interesting post saji and well I can't help myself I just gotta ask, is it a good or a bad smell?

and do you know what the organization was that set the beehives out?I've always wondered how much work would be haveing a beehive.(nutin' like watchin' someone elses huh)I like honey.good on bisquits and grilling food.Got lots of bees too.they really love my figs& hysopp.I see bees on my dauntra,but not on my brugs much.Those get hawk moths though& hummers.