Apiculture

Introduction to Bee Flora

Honey bees collect nectar and pollen from a variety of plants which are known as bee flora or bee forage or bee pasture or nectar and pollen plants. Nectar is source of honey, meeting the carbohydrate requirements of honey bees, where as pollen is source of protein. Bee pasture can be designated as build up, honey flow and dearth period flora depending on period of availability with respect to development of bee colonies. The flora of an area is characteristic of its agro climatic conditions and as such varies from place to place. This flora is also a food base for large number of pollinators. Out of 3,52,000 species of flowering plants in the world nearly 3,08,000 species (87.5 per cent) are pollinated by animals (including insects, birds, bats, etc.). Bees pollinate a large majority of these plants. Pollination is an ecosystem service provided by the bees that is almost always taken for granted. In simple terms bees make more fruits and seeds for us by collecting nectar and pollen then the quantity of honey they make. Hence, it is essential to understand various types of bee flora and their blooming phenology in a given area to conserve bee colonies.
List of important bee flora:



Sr.No.	Common name	Botanical name	Family	Flowering period (1-12 months)	Source for N - nectar P - pollen
1.	Stone and pome fruits	Prunus & Pyrus spp.	Rosaceae	2-4	N+P
2.	Bramble	Rubus ellipticus	Rosaceae	2-3	N+P
3.	Barberry	Berberis lycium	Berberidaceae	3-4	N+P
4.	Honey suckle	Lonicera angustifolia	Caprifoliaceae	3-4	N+P
5.	Yellow clover	Medicago denticulata	Leguminosae	3-4	N+P
6.	White clover	Trifolium repens	Leguminosae	3-4	N+P
7.	Egyptian clover	Trifolium alexandrinum	Leguminosae	4-5	N+P
8.	Hirad	Terminalia chebula	Combretaceae	4-6	N
9.	Jamun	Syzygium cumini	Myrtaceae	4-5	N+P
10.	Eucalyptus	Eucalyptus sp.	Myrtaceae	3-5	N+P
11.	Bottle brush	Callistemon lanceolatus	Myrtaceae	4	N+P
12.	False acacia	Robinia pseudoacacia	Leguminosae	4	N+P
13.	Gulmohar	Jacaranda mimosaefolia	Bignoniaceae	4-5	N
14.	Bird’s foot treefoil	Lotus corniculatus	Leguminosae	4-5	N
15.	Daru	Punica granatum	Punicaceae	4-5	N+P
16.	Toon	Toona ciliata	Meliaceae	4-5	N+P
17.	Sunflower	Helianthus annuus	Compositae	4-7	N+P
18.	Shisham	Dalbergia sissoo	Leguminosae	4	N+P
19.	Wild rose	Rosa moschata	Rosaceae	4-6	N+P
20.	Ber	Zizyphus jujuba	Rhamanaceae	5-7	N
21.	Ohi	Albizia chinensis	Mimosaceae	5-6	N
22.	Khair	Acacia catechu	Mimosaceae	5-7	N
23.	Bhang	Cannabis sativa	Cannabaceae	7-9	P
24.	Maize	Zea mays	Graminae	8-9	P
25.	Shain	Plectranthus rugosus	Labiatae	8-10	N+P
26.	Cruciferous oil seeds	Brassica spp	Cruciferae	10-4	N+P
27.	Wild cherry	Prunus puddum	Rosaceae	10-11	N+P
28.	Rubber	Hevea brasiliensis	Euphorbiaceae	-	N
29.	Soapnut	Sapindus spp	Sapindaceae	10-12	N