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Pollen source
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. Bees mix dry pollen with nectar and/or honey to compact the pollen in the pollen basket. Dry pollen, is a food source for bees, which contains 16 - 30% protein, 1 - 10% fat, 1 - 7% starch, many vitamins, but 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.
Source: THE R-VALUES OF HONEY: POLLEN COEFFICIENT accessed Feb 2005
Spring
Trees and shrubs
| Common name
| Latin name
| Blooming months
| Pollen color
| Source for honeybees
|
| Grey Alder
| Alnus incana
| Feb - Apr
| brownish yellow
|
|
| American Rowan Mountain Ash
| Sorbus americana
| May-Jun
|
|
|
| Crab Apple
| Malus spp.
| Mar - Jun
| light olive
|
|
| Apple
| Malus domestica, Malus sylvestris
| Apr - May
| yellow white
| very good
|
| Black Locust
| Robinia pseudoacacia
| May - Jun
|
|
|
| Blackberry
| Rubus spp.
| May - Jun
| light grey
|
|
| Chestnut
| Castanea dentata
| May - Jun
|
|
|
| Common Hackberry
| Celtis occidentalis
| Apr - May
|
|
|
| Elm
| Ulmus spp.
|
| light grey
|
|
| American Elm
| Ulmus americana
| Feb - Apr
| light grey
|
|
| Hawthorn
| Crataegus spp.
| Apr - May
| yellow brown
| fair
|
| Hazel
| Corylus americana
| Mar - Apr
| light green
| good
|
| American holly
| Ilex opaca
| Apr - Jun
|
|
|
| Honey Locust
| Gleditsia triancanthos
| May - Jun
|
|
|
| Maple
| Acer spp.
| Feb - Apr
| light yellow
| fair
|
| Manitoba Maple
| Acer negundo
| Feb - Apr
| light olive
|
|
| Red Maple
| Acer rubrum
|
|
|
|
| Norway maple
| Acer platanoides
| Apr - May
| olive
| fair
|
| Oak
| Quercus spp.
| May
|
|
|
| Oak
| Quercus robur
| May
| light olive
|
|
| Pear
| Pyrus communis
| Apr - May
| red yellow
| good
|
| Peach, Plum and Cherry
| Prunus spp.
| Apr - May
|
|
|
| Sour Cherry
| Prunus cerasus
| Apr - May
| dark yellow
| very good
|
| Wild Cherry
| Prunus avium
| Apr - May
| light brown
| very good
|
| Black Cherry
| Prunus serotina
| Apr - May
|
|
|
| Cherry Plum
| Prunus cerasifera
|
| light brown to brown
|
|
| Peach
| Prunus persica
| Apr - May
| redish yellow
| good
|
| Almond
| Prunus amygdalus
|
| light brown to brown pollen - not considered a good pollen source but bees are the primary pollinator
|
|
| American Sycamore
| Platanus occidentalis
| Apr - May
| light olive
|
|
| Walnut
| Juglans spp.
| Apr - May
|
| fair
|
| White Ash
| Fraxinus americana
| Apr - May
|
|
|
| Willow
| Salix spp.
| Feb - Apr
| lemon
| good
|
| Pussy Willow
| Salix discolor
| Mar - Apr
|
|
|
| Willow
| Salix alba
|
|
| good
|
| Tulip-tree
| Lirodendron tulipifera
| May - Jun
|
|
|
Flowers and annual crop plants
| Common name
| Latin name
| Blooming months
| Pollen color
| Source for honeybees
|
| Asparagus
| Asparagus officinalis
| May - Jun
|
|
|
| Canola
| Brassica napus
| May - Jun
| lemon
| very good
|
| Mustard
| Brassica arvenisi
| Apr - May
| lemon
|
|
| Chick weed
| Stellaria media
| Apr - Jul
| yellowish
| minor
|
| Chives
| Allium schoenoprasum
| May - Sep
|
|
|
| Crocus
| Crocus vernus
| April
| orange yellow
| fair
|
| Yellow Crocus
| Crocus aureus
| April
| orange yellow
| fair
|
| Dandelion
| Taraxacum officinale
| Apr - May
| red yellow
| very good
|
| Leopards bane
| Doronicum cordatum
| Apr - May
|
|
|
| Raspberry
| Rubus idaeus
| May - Jul
| white grey
| good
|
| Sainfoin
| Onobrychis viciifolia
| May - Jul
| yellow brown
| very good
|
| Siberian squill
| Scilla sibirica
| Mar - Apr
| blue
| good
|
| White mustard
| Sinapis alba
| June
| lemon
| good
|
| White Sweet Clover
| Melilotus alba
| May - Aug
| yellow to dark yellow
| good
|
| Yellow Sweet Clover
| Melilotus officinalis
| May - Aug
| yellow to dark yellow
|
|
| Winter aconite
| Eranthis hyemalis
| Mar - Apr
| yellow
| good
|
Summer
Trees and shrubs
- Linden (Tilia spp.), Jun - Jul
- Basswood or American Linden (Tilia americana), Jun - Jul (yellow to light orange)
- Sumac, (Rhus glabra), Jun - Jul
- Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa), Jun - Jul
- Elder (Sambucus canadensis), Jun - Jul
Flowers and annual crop plants
- Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), July - Aug (greyish yellow)
- Alyssum (Lobularia maritima), Jun - Sep
- Aster, (Aster spp.), Sep-Frost (reddish yellow)
- Land-in-blue, (Aster x dumosus), Aug - Sep
- Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
- Blue Thistle (Carduus spp.)
- Blue vine (Gonolobus laevis syn. Cynanchum laeve)
- Borage (Borago officinalis), Jun - Frost
- Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), Jul - Aug (light yellow to light green) good source
- Cat-tail, (Typha latifolia), Jun - Jul
- Chickweed (Stellaria media), Apr - Jul; minor source
- Allium (Allium spp.)
- Chives (Allium schoenoprasum), May - Sep
- Onion (Allium cepa) (light olive)
- Garlic chives (Allium tuberosa), Aug - Sep
- Clover (Melilotus spp. and Trifolium spp.), May - Aug
- White Sweet Clover (Melilotus alba)
- Yellow Sweet Clover (Melilotus officinalis)
- Alsike Clover (Trifolium hybridum) (yellow brown) good source
- Crimson Clover (Trifolium incarnatum) (dark brown)
- White Clover (Trifolium repens), Jun - Jul (yellow brown); good source
- Cucumber (Cucumis spp.) (bright yellow)
- Melons (Cucumis melo), Jun-Frost (bright yellow)
- Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepto), Jun-Frost (bright yellow)
- Common vetch (Vicia cracca), Jul - Aug
- Spring Vetch (Vicia sativa), Jul - Aug
- Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium), Jul -Aug, (blue)
- Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys), Jul - Aug
- Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium spp.), Aug - Sep
- Leadwort syn. Indigobush (Amorpha fruticosa), Jun - Jul
- Mallow (Malva alcea) Jun - Sep
- Marigold (Calendula officinalis), Jun - Sep
- Smartweed (Polygonum spp.), Aug - Sep
- Poppy (Papaver somniverum) May - Jun (grey); very good source
- Sunflower (Helianthus annuus), Jun - Sep (golden)
- Sweet Corn (Zea mays), Jun - Jul (yellowish white)
- Star thistle (Centaurea spp.), Jul - Sep
- Knapweed (Centaurea nigra), (very light olive)
Fall
Trees and shrubs
Flowers and annual crop plants
- Aster, (Aster spp.), Sep-Frost (reddish yellow)
- Borage (Borago officinalis), Jun - Frost
- Hemp (Cannabis sativa), Aug (yellow green) good source
- Goldenrod, (Solidago spp.), Sep - Oct (golden)
- Melons (Cucumis melo), Jun-Frost
- Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo), Jun-Frost
Source: Bienenweide Arbeitsblatt 207, Bieneninstitut Kirchhain, 2001
See also
Sources:
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