List of pollen sources

The term pollen source is often used in the context of beekeeping and refers to flowering plants as a source of pollen for bees or other insects. Bees collect pollen as a protein source to raise their brood. For the plant, the pollinizer, this can be an important mechanism for sexual reproduction, as the pollinator distributes its pollen. Few flowering plants self-pollinate; some can provide their own pollen (self fertile), but require a pollinator to move the pollen; others are dependent on cross pollination from a genetically different source of viable pollen, through the activity of pollinators. One of the possible pollinators to assist in cross-pollination are honeybees. The article below is mainly about the pollen source from a beekeeping perspective.

The pollen source in a given area depends on the type of vegetation present and the length of their bloom period. What type of vegetation will grow in an area depends on soil texture, soil pH, soil drainage, daily maximum and minimum temperatures, precipitation, extreme minimum winter temperature, and growing degree days. The plants listed below are plants that would grow in USDA Hardiness zone 5. A good predictor for when a plant will bloom and produce pollen is a calculation of the growing degree days.

The color of pollen below indicates the color as it appears when the pollen arrives at the beehive. After arriving to the colony with a fresh load of pollen, the honey bee unloads its pollen from the pollen basket located on its hind legs. The worker bees in the colony mix dry pollen with nectar and/or honey with their enzymes, and naturally occurring yeast from the air. Workers then compact the pollen. storing each variety in an individual wax hexagonal cell (honeycomb), typically located within their bee brood nest. This creates a fermented pollen mix call beekeepers call 'bee bread'. Dry pollen, is a food source for bees, which may contain 16–30% protein, 1–10% fat, 1–7% starch, many vitamins, some micro nutrients, and possibly a little sugar. The protein source needed for rearing one worker bee from larval to adult stage requires approximately 120 to 145 mg of pollen. An average bee colony will collect about 20 to 57 kg (44 to 125 pounds) of pollen a year.THE R-VALUES OF HONEY: POLLEN COEFFICIENT accessed Feb 2005

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Flowers and annual crop plants – Spring Common nameLatin nameBlooming monthsPollen colorAvailabilitySource for honeybeesAjuga (Bronze Bugle, Common Bugle)Ajuga reptans mid springChivesAllium schoenoprasumMay – Sepcultivated?AsparagusAsparagus officinalisMay – Junbright orangecultivatedMustard plantsBrassica rapaApr – Maylemoncultivated and feralCanola (Oilseed Rape)Brassica napusMay – Junlemonextensively cultivatedvery goodYellow CrocusCrocus vernus (syn. Crocus aureus)Aprilorange yellowferal and ornamentalfairLeopard's BaneDoronicum cordatumApr – MayWinter aconiteEranthis hyemalisMar – Apryellowferal and ornamentalgoodSnowdropGalanthus nivalisMar – Aprorange, redfairHenbitLamium amplexicauleAprilorange red, red, purplish redApr – JulpoorCommon MallowMalva sp.Apr – SepmauveferalgoodWhite Sweet CloverMelilotus albaMay – Augyellow to dark yellowferal and cultivatedgoodYellow Sweet CloverMelilotus officinalisMay – Augyellow to dark yellowferal and cultivatedSainfoinOnobrychis viciifoliaMay – Julyellow brownvery goodSiberian squillScilla sibericaMar – Aprsteel blueferal and ornamentalgoodWhite mustardSinapis albaJunelemonferal and cultivatedgoodChick weedStellaria mediaApr – JulyellowishferalminorDandelionsTaraxacum officinaleApr – Mayred yellow, orangeferalvery goodGorseUlex europaeusMar – Declight firebrickferalgood

Summer Trees and shrubs – Summer Common nameLatin nameBlooming monthsPollen colorAvailabilitySource for honeybeesRed Horse chestnutAesculus × carnearaisin feralHorse chestnutAesculus hippocastanumMay – Jun after 80-110 growing degree days.anatolia feralgoodSouthern CatalpaCatalpa bignonioidesJun – JulornamentalfairNorthern CatalpaCatalpa speciosaJun – JulornamentalBluebeardsCaryopteris × clandonensis 'Heavenly Blue'Aug – Sepvery goodVirginia creeperParthenocissus quinquefoliaJul – AuggoodBoston ivy 'Veitchii'Parthenocissus tricuspidata 'Veitchii'Jun – JulgoodSumacsRhus glabraJun – JulElderSambucus canadensisJun – Julcanary yellow Basswood or American lindenTilia americanaJun – Julyellow to light orangeferal and ornamentalvery goodLittle leaf lindenTilia cordatavery goodcitrine feralBlueberryVaccinium myrtilloidesJunred yellow, orangecultivatedpoor

Flowers and annual crop plants – Summer Common nameLatin nameBlooming monthsPollen colorAvailabilitySource for honeybeesAlliumAllium spp.feral and cultivatedOnionAllium cepalight olivecultivatedChivesAllium schoenoprasumMay – Sepferal and cultivatedGarlic chivesAllium tuberosumAug – Sepferal and cultivatedLeadwort syn. IndigobushAmorpha fruticosaJun – Julornamental?AsterAster spp.Sep-Frostreddish yellowferal and ornamentalLand-in-blue, Bushy AsterSymphyotrichum dumosumAug – Sepbronze yellow feralBorageBorago officinalisJun – Frostblueish greyornamentalPot marigoldCalendula officinalisJun – SeporangeHeather sp.Calluna vulgarisJul – Augyellow white, whitegoodHempCannabis sativaAugyellow greengood sourceBlue ThistleCarduus spp.Star thistleCentaurea spp.Jul – SepPersian centaureaPsephellus dealbatushemp KnapweedCentaurea macrocephalaJul – AuggoodLesser knapweedCentaurea nigravery light oliveChicoryCichorium intybuswhiteCotoneastersCotoneaster spp.goodCucumberCucumis spp.pale yellowcultivatedMelonsCucumis meloJun-Frostpale yellowcultivatedPumpkinCucurbita pepoJun-Frostbright yellowcultivatedFireweed, rosebay willowherbChamaenerion angustifoliumJul – AugblueferalJoe-Pye weed, BluestemEutrochium spp.; Eupatorium purpureumAug – Sepbistre greenBuckwheatFagopyrum esculentumJul – Auglight yellow to light greencultivatedgood sourceBlue vineGonolobus laevis syn. Cynanchum laeveSunflowerHelianthus annuusJun – Sepgoldenferal and cultivatedJewelweedsImpatiens capensisyellowish whiteAlyssumLobularia maritimaJun – SepLupinLupinus sp.Jun – Julwhite, yellow or blueminorMallowMalva sylvestrisJun – SepAlfalfaMedicago sativaJuly – Augkhaki feral and cultivatedCloverMelilotus spp. and Trifolium spp.May – Augferal and cultivatedWhite Sweet CloverMelilotus albaauburn feral and cultivatedYellow Sweet CloverMelilotus officinalisauburn feral and cultivatedBasilOcimum basilicumwhiteornamentalPoppiesPapaver orientaleMay – Julblueish greyornamental onlygood source Die Honig Macher (in German)Opium poppyPapaver somniferumMay – Jungreyferal and ornamentalvery good sourcePhaceliaPhacelia tanacetifoliaJun – Sepnavy blueferal and cultivatedgood sourceSmartweedPolygonum spp.Aug – SepCommon chickweedStellaria mediaApr – Julminor sourceGermanderTeucrium chamaedrysJul – AugAlsike cloverTrifolium hybridumyellow browngood sourceCrimson cloverTrifolium incarnatumdark brownWhite cloverTrifolium repensJun – Julcaledonian browngood sourceCat-tailTypha latifoliaJun – JulCow vetchVicia craccaJul – AugGarden vetchVicia sativaJul – AugSweet cornZea maysJun – Julyellowish whitecultivated

Fall Trees and shrubs – Fall Common nameLatin nameBlooming monthsPollen colorAvailabilitySource for honeybeesChinese elm, Lacebark elmUlmus parvifoliaAug – Sepornamentalgood

Flowers and annual crop plants – Fall Common nameLatin nameBlooming monthsPollen colorAvailabilitySource for honeybeesAsterAster spp.Sep-Frostreddish yellowBorageBorago officinalisJun – FrostMelonsCucumis meloJun-FrostcultivatedSweet autumn clematisClematis ternifloralate SeptwhiteornamentalPumpkinCucurbita pepoJun-Frostbright yellowcultivatedIvyHedera spp.Sep – Octdull yellow or black?feral and ornamentalGoldenrodSolidago spp.Sep – OctgoldenferalBienenweide Arbeitsblatt 207, Bieneninstitut Kirchhain, 2001Tew, James Some Ohio Nectar and Pollen Producing Plants Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet, 2000Stahlman, Dana Honey Plants Flowering Plants/Trees 2004Hodges, Dorothy; The pollen loads of the honeybee, Bee Research Association Limited, London, 1952Lamp, Thomas; Bienennährpflanzen 1 : Gehölze Nov 1999; accessed 05/2005

See also Forage (honey bee) List of honey plants Melliferous flower Nectar source

References

List of pollen sources

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