Datura plant and beekeeping

[peachguy]

I was wondering this since my uncle is going to start a hobby beekeeping opertation. They have a datura plant and if the plant's nectar is used by to bees to make honey with that honey be toxic since mostly every part of the plant contains narcotic toxins?

[Newt]

Peachguy, that's an interesting question. The honey would be contaminated.

https://www.cbif.gc.ca/pls/pp/ppack.info?p_psn=54&p_type=all&p_sci=comm

The entire plant contains alkaloids, but the leaves and seeds are the usual sources of poisoning in humans and other animals. Even the nectar of this plant contains alkaloids that contaminate honey (Cooper and Johnson 1984).

Newt

[shadylane]

I'm to believe that Datura's only bloom at night, a little contrary to the life of bees. The Sphinx moth very large night life flyer and little clumsy at it dive bomb into the nightly blooms.

[shadylane]

Here are a few pics of the sphinx moth or night hawk on the night blooming Datura