While previous research in the UK has suggested that bees do not feed on oilseed rape, a new study shows it is the most important nectar source to honeybees while it is in flower. This must now be considered in future discussions on neonicotinoid pesticides, which are widely used on oilseed rape. Matthew Pound and student collaborators from Northumbria University in the UK analysed pollen from samples of honey, which they took from different times of the year to assess the bees’ changing preferences. Honey samples taken in June and July suggested that bees visited oilseed rape flowers more than any other, with the plant flowering in spring and providing the bees with copious quantities of nectar. Read more.