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Bee collecting pollen from rata
Pollen-laden bees at hive entrance
Bee on plum tree with pollen
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.[ 1] [ 2]
Trees and shrubs – Spring[ edit ]
Common name
Latin name
Blooming months
Pollen color
Availability
Source for honeybees
Maple
Acer spp.
Feb – Apr
light yellow
feral
fair
Manitoba Maple (Box elder)
Acer negundo
Feb – Apr
light olive
feral
good
Norway maple
Acer platanoides
Apr – May
yellow green, olive
feral
fair
Red Maple
Acer rubrum
Mar – Apr
grey brown
feral
Grey Alder
Alnus incana
Feb – Apr
brownish yellow
feral
American Chestnut
Castanea dentata
May – Jun
mostly ornamental
Sweet Chestnut
Castanea sativa
May
feral
good
Common Hackberry
Celtis occidentalis
Apr – May
feral
Flowering Quince
Chaenomeles japonica , Chaenomeles lagenaria , Chaenomeles speciosa 'Nivalis' , Chaenomeles x superba
Apr – May
feral
good
American Hazel
Corylus americana
Mar – Apr
light green
feral and ornamental
fair/good
Hawthorn
Crataegus spp.
Apr – May
yellow brown
feral
fair
White Ash
Fraxinus americana
Apr – May
Honey Locust
Gleditsia triancanthos
May – Jun
feral
American holly
Ilex opaca
Apr – Jun
feral
Walnut
Juglans spp.
Apr – May
cultivated
fair
Tulip-tree
Lirodendron tulipifera
May – Jun
cream
feral and ornamental
good
Crab Apple
Malus spp.
Mar – Jun
light olive
ornamental
Apple
Malus domestica, Malus sylvestris
Apr – May
yellow white
cultivated and ornamental
very good
American Sycamore
Platanus occidentalis
Apr – May
light olive
feral
Plum
Prunus spp.
Apr – May
light grey, grey
ornamental and cultivated
Almond
Prunus amygdalus
Feb
light brown to brown pollen – not considered a good pollen source but bees are the primary pollinator
cultivated mostly in California
fair
Wild Cherry
Prunus avium
Apr – May
yellow brown, light brown
feral
very good
Cherry Plum
Prunus cerasifera
light brown to brown
feral
fair
Sour Cherry
Prunus cerasus
Apr – May
dark yellow
ornamental and cultivated
very good
Peach
Prunus persica
Apr – May
reddish yellow
ornamental and cultivated
good
Black Cherry
Prunus serotina
Apr – May
feral
minor
Blackthorn
Prunus spinosa
Mar – May
firebrick
feral
good
Pear
Pyrus communis
Apr – May
red yellow
ornamental and cultivated
good
Oak
Quercus spp.
May
feral
Oak
Quercus robur , Quercus pedunculata
May
light olive
feral
minor
Black Locust
Robinia pseudoacacia
May – Jun
feral
Blackberry
Rubus spp.
May – Jun
light grey
feral and cultivated
Raspberry
Rubus idaeus
May – Jun
white grey
feral and cultivated
good
Willow
Salix spp.
Feb – Apr
lemon
feral
good
White Willow
Salix alba
feral
good
Goat Willow
Salix caprea
Mar – Apr
feral
very good
Violet Willow
Salix daphnoides
Mar – Apr
feral
very good
Pussy Willow
Salix discolor
Mar – Apr
feral and ornamental
Basket Willow
Salix purpurea
Mar – Apr
feral
very good
Silky leaf osier, Smith's Willow
Salix x smithiana
Apr – May
very good
American mountain ash
Sorbus americana
May-Jun
feral
American Elm
Ulmus americana
Feb – Apr
light grey
feral
Winged Elm
Ulmus alata
Feb – Mar
pale yellow
feral
good
European field elm
Ulmus minor
feral
good
Flowers and annual crop plants – Spring[ edit ]
Common name
Latin name
Blooming months
Pollen color
Availability
Source for honeybees
Ajuga (Bronze Bugle, Common Bugle)
Ajuga reptans
mid spring
Chives
Allium schoenoprasum
May – Sep
cultivated?
Asparagus
Asparagus officinalis
May – Jun
bright orange
cultivated
Mustard
Brassica arvenisi
Apr – May
lemon
cultivated and feral
Canola (Oilseed Rape)
Brassica napus
May – Jun
lemon
extensively cultivated
very good
Yellow Crocus
Crocus vernus (syn. Crocus aureus )
April
orange yellow
feral and ornamental
fair
Leopard's Bane
Doronicum cordatum
Apr – May
Winter aconite
Eranthis hyemalis
Mar – Apr
yellow
feral and ornamental
good
Snowdrop
Galanthus nivalis
Mar – Apr
orange, red
fair
Henbit
Lamium amplexicaule
April
orange red, red, purplish red
Apr – Jul
poor
Common Mallow
Malva sp.
Apr – Sep
mauve
feral
good
White Sweet Clover
Melilotus alba
May – Aug
yellow to dark yellow
feral and cultivated
good
Yellow Sweet Clover
Melilotus officinalis
May – Aug
yellow to dark yellow
feral and cultivated
Sainfoin
Onobrychis viciifolia
May – Jul
yellow brown
very good
Siberian squill
Scilla siberica
Mar – Apr
steel blue
feral and ornamental
good
White mustard
Sinapis alba
June
lemon
feral and cultivated
good
Chick weed
Stellaria media
Apr – Jul
yellowish
feral
minor
Dandelion
Taraxacum officinale
Apr – May
red yellow, orange
feral
very good
Gorse
Ulex europaeus
Mar – Dec
light firebrick
feral
good
Trees and shrubs – Summer[ edit ]
Common name
Latin name
Blooming months
Pollen color
Availability
Source for honeybees
Red Horse chestnut
Aesculus carnea
raisin [ 3]
feral
Horse chestnut
Aesculus hippocastanum
May – Jun after 80-110 growing degree days.
anatolia [ 3]
feral
good
Southern Catalpa
Catalpa bignonioides
Jun – Jul
ornamental
fair
Northern Catalpa
Catalpa speciosa
Jun – Jul
ornamental
Bluebeard
Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Heavenly Blue'
Aug – Sep
very good
Virginia creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Jul – Aug
good
Boston Ivy 'Veitchii'
Parthenocissus tricuspidata 'Veitchii'
Jun – Jul
good
Sumac
Rhus glabra
Jun – Jul
Elder
Sambucus canadensis
Jun – Jul
canary yellow [ 3]
Basswood or American Linden
Tilia americana
Jun – Jul
yellow to light orange
feral and ornamental
Little Leaf Linden
Tilia cordata
citrine [ 3]
feral
Blueberry
Vaccínium myrtíllus
Jun
red yellow, orange
cultivated
poor
Flowers and annual crop plants – Summer[ edit ]
Common name
Latin name
Blooming months
Pollen color
Availability
Source for honeybees
Allium
Allium spp.
feral and cultivated
Onion
Allium cepa
light olive
cultivated
Chives
Allium schoenoprasum
May – Sep
feral and cultivated
Garlic chives
Allium tuberosa
Aug – Sep
feral and cultivated
Leadwort syn. Indigobush
Amorpha fruticosa
Jun – Jul
ornamental?
Aster
Aster spp.
Sep-Frost
reddish yellow
feral and ornamental
Land-in-blue , Bushy Aster
Aster x dumosus
Aug – Sep
bronze yellow [ 3]
feral
Borage
Borago officinalis
Jun – Frost
blueish grey
ornamental
Marigold
Calendula officinalis
Jun – Sep
orange
Heather sp.
Calluna vulgaris
Jul – Aug
yellow white, white
good
Hemp
Cannabis sativa
Aug
yellow green
good source
Blue Thistle
Carduus spp.
Star thistle
Centaurea spp.
Jul – Sep
Persian centaurea
Centaurea dealbata
hemp [ 3]
Knapweed
Centaurea macrocephala
Jul – Aug
good
Knapweed
Centaurea nigra
very light olive
Chicory [ 4]
Cichorium intybus L.
white
Cotoneaster
Cotoneaster spp.
good
Cucumber
Cucumis spp.
pale yellow
cultivated
Melons
Cucumis melo
Jun-Frost
pale yellow
cultivated
Pumpkin
Cucurbita pepo
Jun-Frost
bright yellow
cultivated
Fireweed (Rosebay Willowherb)
Epilobium angustifolium
Jul – Aug
blue
feral
Joe-Pye weed , Bluestem
Eutrochium spp.; Eupatorium purpureum
Aug – Sep
bistre green
Buckwheat
Fagopyrum esculentum
Jul – Aug
light yellow to light green
cultivated
good source
Blue vine
Gonolobus laevis syn. Cynanchum laeve
Sunflower
Helianthus annuus
Jun – Sep
golden
feral and cultivated
Jewelweed
Impatients capensis
yellowish white
Alyssum
Lobularia maritima
Jun – Sep
Lupin
Lupinus sp.
Jun – Jul
white, yellow or blue
minor
Mallow
Malva sylvestris
Jun – Sep
Alfalfa
Medicago sativa
July – Aug
khaki [ 3]
feral and cultivated
Clover
Melilotus spp. and Trifolium spp.
May – Aug
feral and cultivated
White Sweet Clover
Melilotus alba
auburn [ 3]
feral and cultivated
Yellow Sweet Clover
Melilotus officinalis
auburn [ 3]
feral and cultivated
Basil
Ocimum basilicum
white
ornamental
Poppy
Papaver orientale
May – Jul
blueish grey
ornamental only
good source [ 5]
Opium poppy
Papaver somniferum
May – Jun
grey
feral and ornamental
very good source
Phacelia
Phacelia tanacetifolia
Jun – Sep
navy blue
feral and cultivated
good source
Smartweed
Polygonum spp.
Aug – Sep
Common Chickweed
Stellaria media
Apr – Jul
minor source
Germander
Teucrium chamaedrys
Jul – Aug
Alsike Clover
Trifolium hybridum
yellow brown
good source
Crimson Clover
Trifolium incarnatum
dark brown
White Clover
Trifolium repens
Jun – Jul
caledonian brown
good source
Cat-tail
Typha latifolia
Jun – Jul
Common vetch [verification needed ]
Vicia cracca
Jul – Aug
Spring Vetch [verification needed ]
Vicia sativa
Jul – Aug
Sweet Corn
Zea mays
Jun – Jul
yellowish white
cultivated
Trees and shrubs – Fall[ edit ]
Common name
Latin name
Blooming months
Pollen color
Availability
Source for honeybees
Chinese Elm , Lacebark Elm
Ulmus parvifolia
Aug – Sep
ornamental
good
Flowers and annual crop plants – Fall[ edit ]
Common name
Latin name
Blooming months
Pollen color
Availability
Source for honeybees
Aster
Aster spp.
Sep-Frost
reddish yellow
Borage
Borago officinalis
Jun – Frost
Melons
Cucumis melo
Jun-Frost
cultivated
Sweet autumn clematis
Clematis ternifolia
late Sept
white
ornamental
Pumpkin
Cucurbita pepo
Jun-Frost
bright yellow
cultivated
Ivy
Hedera spp.
Sep – Oct
dull yellow or black?
feral and ornamental
Goldenrod
Solidago spp.
Sep – Oct
golden
feral
[ 6] [ 7] [ 8] [ 9] [ 10]
^ THE R-VALUES OF HONEY: POLLEN COEFFICIENT Archived 2006-07-24 at the Wayback Machine accessed Feb 2005
^ Reiter, R, THE COLORATION OF ANTHER AND CORBICULAR POLLEN , THE OHIO JOURNAL OF SCIENCE, VOL. XLVII JULY, 1947 No. 4, Camden, N. J.
^ a b c d e f g h i https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/1811/3589/1/V47N04_137.pdf [bare URL PDF ]
^ Legan, Christiaan (2012-07-21), mmm... chicory , retrieved 2019-07-18
^ Die Honig Macher ( in German )
^ Bienenweide Arbeitsblatt 207, Bieneninstitut Kirchhain, 2001
^ Tew, James Some Ohio Nectar and Pollen Producing Plants Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet, 2000
^ Stahlman, Dana Honey Plants Flowering Plants/Trees 2004
^ Hodges, Dorothy; The pollen loads of the honeybee, Bee Research Association Limited, London, 1952
^ Lamp, Thomas; Bienennährpflanzen 1 : Gehölze Nov 1999; accessed 05/2005