Pollen or nectar?

From the different plants and trees, do the bees collect pollen or nectar?

Pollen or Nectar?

In this blog post, we are going to talk about some of the plant species that bees use in Spain for the production of honey. And we will specify whether, from them, bees collect honey or pollen (or both).

If you want us to include some more, let us know so we can improve the contents of our publications.

We start:

Bearberry: (Arctostaphylos uva ursi) Also known as bear grape, apple or shepherd's bag. The flowers are hermaphrodite, pink or whitish, in the form of small bells. From the flower of the bearberry, bees collect nectar.

Boxwood: (Buxus sempervirens) very dense shrub present in the vicinity of the Mediterranean, in limestone soils and cold weather. The boxwood is a shrub much appreciated in gardening (especially to form hedges, because it holds very well pruning). Boxwood flowers have no petals, and bees collect nectar.

Jara pringosa: (Cistus ladanifer) is an evergreen shrub, which can measure between 2.5 and 4 meters (although usually does not exceed 2 meters). The flowers are very large (up to 10 cm in diameter), with 3 sepals and 5 petals pure white, and blooms from April to June. From the flower of the prickly jara, the bees collect pollen.

Tangerine: (Citrus reticulata) tree 3 or 4 meters high with very characteristic green leaves. The flowers are white hermaphrodites, with numerous stamens petals elongated. From the flowers of the mandarin, the bees collect the nectar.

Sweet orange tree: (Citrus sinensis). There are several races, such as the Navel group, or the common or white group (to which the Valencia variety belongs). From the sweet orange blossom, the bee collects nectar.

White heather: (Erica arborea) evergreen shrub, with narrow linear persistent leaves and flowers of hermaphrodite species. The flowers are white and small (from 0.3 to 0.4 cm) very fragrant and gathered in pyramidal ratios at the top of the branches. From the flower of the white heather, the bees collect nectar.

Common heather: (calluna vulgaris) low shrub present in almost all of Spain (especially in the northwestern area). The flowers are small and balloon-shaped, with a pink chalice and corolla. From common heather, bees extract nectar.

Oregano: (Origanum vulgare) herbaceous plant 30 to 80 cm high, with bilabia flowers from 4 to 7 mm, purple. Oregano blooms from July to September. From the oregano flower, bees collect nectar.

Almond tree: (Prunus dulcis) of deciduous leaves of 6 to 12 cm of dark green color. Almond blossoms are hermaphroditic, white or pink and large (3 to 5 cm). Almond blossoms leave long before the leaves come out. From the almond tree flower, the bees collect nectar.

Blackthorn: (Prunus spinosa) shrub with spiny branches. The leaves are deciduous, and the flowers are hermaphrodite, white and very numerous. The flowers leave before the leaves. From the blackthorn flower, the flowers collect nectar.

Holm oak: (quercus ilex) also known as carrasca or chaparro, is a tree with a short and straight trunk (or somewhat crooked). Regarding the flowers of the oak, we can say that it has yellowish and hanging male catkins, and tiny female flowers in groups of 2 or 3 flowers. From the oak, bees collect pollen and nectar.

Rosemary: (Rosmarinus officinalis) green shrub all year round, with many very aromatic leaves and, when it blooms, it has violet-blue flowers (or blnaquecinas) with bell-shaped calyx and bilabiada corolla, with two long stamens. From rosemary, bees collect nectar.

Common bramble or blackberry: (Rubus ulmifolius) Sarmentous shrub with very long stems (turiones) and full of thorns. Deciduous, has hermaphrodite flowers. The flowers are white or pink and with many stamens. It is found in almost all of Spain. From the flower of the bush, the bees collect nectar.

Savory: (Satureja montana): It is also known as hyssop, royal thyme, St. John's wort. It is a hemispherical, aromatic shrub, with persistent leaves of 1 to 3 cm in length. Its flowers are pink or white, grouped in clusters with leaves. From savory, bees collect nectar.

Salsero thyme: (Thymus zygis) also known as olive thyme, is a mat of 10 to 30 cm, with very narrow leaves, and present throughout the Iberian Peninsula. From the flowers of the salsero thyme, the bees collect nectar and pollen.

Thyme: (Thymus vulgaris): very aromatic matilla, with persistent leaves of 0.5 to 1 cm in length, and with pink or whitish flowers, gathered in very tight heads. We can plant it in our garden as an aromatic plant. From thyme, bees collect nectar.

Common elm: (Ulmus minor) is a tree with thick trunk, smooth and gray bark, deciduous and growing throughout Spain. Its flowers are hermaphrodites, with small reddish glomeruli. From the elm, bees collect pollen.

We hope you liked this article.

www.mundoabejas.com team