Pollen source

Northern pollen sources for honeybees

The term pollen source is often used in the context of beekeeping. The term pollen source may also be used in reference to the pollenizer of flowering plants. 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. Bees collect pollen as a protein source to raise their brood. 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. 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
Maple	Acer spp.	Feb - Apr	light yellow	fair
Manitoba Maple (Box elder)	Acer negundo	Feb - Apr	light olive	good
Norway maple	Acer platanoides	Apr - May	olive	fair
Red Maple	Acer rubrum	Mar - Apr	grey brown
Grey Alder	Alnus incana	Feb - Apr	brownish yellow
American Chestnut	Castanea dentata	May - Jun
Sweet Chestnut	Castanea sativa	May		good
Common Hackberry	Celtis occidentalis	Apr - May
Flowering Quince	Chaenomeles japonica, Chaenomeles lagenaria, Chaenomeles speciosa 'Nivalis', Chaenomeles x superba	Apr - May		good
American Hazel	Corylus americana	Mar - Apr	light green	fair/good
Hawthorn	Crataegus spp.	Apr - May	yellow brown	fair
White Ash	Fraxinus americana	Apr - May
Honey Locust	Gleditsia triancanthos	May - Jun
American holly	Ilex opaca	Apr - Jun
Walnut	Juglans spp.	Apr - May		fair
Tulip-tree	Lirodendron tulipifera	May - Jun		good
Crab Apple	Malus spp.	Mar - Jun	light olive
Apple	Malus domestica, Malus sylvestris	Apr - May	yellow white	very good
American Sycamore	Platanus occidentalis	Apr - May	light olive
Peach, Plum and Cherry	Prunus spp.	Apr - May
Almond	Prunus amygdalus		light brown to brown pollen - not considered a good pollen source but bees are the primary pollinator
Wild Cherry	Prunus avium	Apr - May	light brown	very good
Cherry Plum	Prunus cerasifera		light brown to brown	fair
Sour Cherry	Prunus cerasus	Apr - May	dark yellow	very good
Peach	Prunus persica	Apr - May	redish yellow	good
Black Cherry	Prunus serotina	Apr - May		minor
Blackthorn	Prunus spinosa			good
Pear	Pyrus communis	Apr - May	red yellow	good
Oak	Quercus spp.	May
Oak	Quercus robur, Quercus pedunculata	May	light olive	minor
Black Locust	Robinia pseudoacacia	May - Jun
Blackberry	Rubus spp.	May - Jun	light grey
Raspberry	Rubus idaeus	May - Jun		good
Willow	Salix spp.	Feb - Apr	lemon	good
White Willow	Salix alba			good
Goat Willow	Salix caprea	Mar - Apr		very good
Violet Willow	Salix daphnoides	Mar - Apr		very good
Pussy Willow	Salix discolor	Mar - Apr
Basket Willow	Salix purpurea	Mar - Apr		very good
Silky leaf osier, Smith's Willow	Salix x smithiana	Apr - May		very good
American Rowan Mountain Ash	Sorbus americana	May-Jun
Elm	Ulmus spp.		light grey
American Elm	Ulmus americana	Feb - Apr	light grey
Europea field elm	Ulmus americana			good

Flowers and annual crop plants

Common name	Latin name	Blooming months	Pollen color	Source for honeybees
Chives	Allium schoenoprasum	May - Sep
Asparagus	Asparagus officinalis	May - Jun
Mustard	Brassica arvenisi	Apr - May	lemon
Canola	Brassica napus	May - Jun	lemon	very good
Yellow Crocus	Crocus aureus	April	orange yellow	fair
Crocus	Crocus vernus	April	orange yellow	fair
Leopards bane	Doronicum cordatum	Apr - May
Winter aconite	Eranthis hyemalis	Mar - Apr	yellow	good
Snowdrop	Galanthus nivalis	Mar - Apr	red
Henbit	Lamium amplexicaule	April	orange red
White Sweet Clover	Melilotus alba	May - Aug	yellow to dark yellow	good
Yellow Sweet Clover	Melilotus officinalis	May - Aug	yellow to dark yellow
Sainfoin	Onobrychis viciifolia	May - Jul	yellow brown	very good
Raspberry	Rubus idaeus	May - Jul	white grey	good
Siberian squill	Scilla sibirica	Mar - Apr	blue	good
White mustard	Sinapis alba	June	lemon	good
Chick weed	Stellaria media	Apr - Jul	yellowish	minor
Dandelion	Taraxacum officinale	Apr - May	red yellow	very good

Summer

Trees and shrubs

Common name	Latin name	Blooming months	Pollen color	Source for honeybees
Horse chestnut	Aesculus hippocastanum	May - Jun after 80-110 growing degree days.	red	good
Southern Catalpa	Catalpa bignonioides	Jun - Jul		fair
Northern Catalpa	Catalpa speciosa	Jun - Jul
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
Linden	Tilia spp.	Jun - Jul
Basswood or American Linden	Tilia americana	Jun - Jul	yellow to light orange
Blueberry	Vaccínium myrtíllus	Jun		good

Flowers and annual crop plants

Common name	Latin name	Blooming months	Pollen color	Source for honeybees
Allium	Allium spp.
Onion	Allium cepa		light olive
Chives	Allium schoenoprasum	May - Sep
Garlic chives	Allium tuberosa	Aug - Sep
Leadwort syn. Indigobush	Amorpha fruticosa	Jun - Jul
Aster	Aster spp.	Sep-Frost	reddish yellow
Land-in-blue	Aster x dumosus	Aug - Sep
Borage	Borago officinalis	Jun - Frost
Marigold	Calendula officinalis	Jun - Sep
	Calluna vulgaris	Jul - Aug		good
Hemp	Cannabis sativa	Aug	yellow green	good source
Blue Thistle	Carduus spp.
Star thistle	Centaurea spp.	Jul - Sep
Knapweed	Centaurea macrocephala	Jul - Aug		good
Knapweed	Centaurea nigra		very light olive
Cotoneaster	Cotoneaster spp.			good
Cucumber	Cucumis spp.		pale yellow
Melons	Cucumis melo	Jun-Frost	pale yellow
Pumpkin	Cucurbita pepto	Jun-Frost	bright yellow
Fireweed	Epilobium angustifolium	Jul - Aug	blue
Joe-Pye weed	Eupatorium spp.	Aug - Sep
Buckwheat	Fagopyrum esculentum	Jul - Aug	light yellow to light green	good source
Blue vine	Gonolobus laevis syn. Cynanchum laeve
Sunflower	Helianthus annuus	Jun - Sep	golden
Alyssum	Lobularia maritima	Jun - Sep
Mallow	Malva alcea	Jun - Sep
Alfalfa	Medicago sativa	July - Aug	greyish yellow
Clover	Melilotus spp. and Trifolium spp.	May - Aug
White Sweet Clover	Melilotus alba
Yellow Sweet Clover	Melilotus officinalis
Basil	Ocimum basilicum
Poppy	Papaver somniverum	May - Jun	grey	very good source
Smartweed	Polygonum spp.	Aug - Sep
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	yellow brown	good source
Cat-tail	Typha latifolia	Jun - Jul
Common vetch	Vicia cracca	Jul - Aug
Spring Vetch	Vicia sativa	Jul - Aug
Sweet Corn	Zea mays	Jun - Jul	yellowish white

Fall

Trees and shrubs

Flowers and annual crop plants

Common name	Latin name	Blooming months	Pollen color
Aster	Aster spp.	Sep-Frost	reddish yellow
Borage	Borago officinalis	Jun - Frost
Melons	Cucumis melo	Jun-Frost
Pumpkin	Cucurbita pepo	Jun-Frost
Goldenrod	Solidago spp.	Sep - Oct	golden

Source: Bienenweide Arbeitsblatt 207, Bieneninstitut Kirchhain, 2001

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Northern pollen sources for honeybees

Spring

Trees and shrubs

Flowers and annual crop plants

Summer

Trees and shrubs

Flowers and annual crop plants

Fall

Trees and shrubs

Flowers and annual crop plants

See also