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Honey plants. honey plant flowering calendar

Are you passing by a flower?
Bend over.
Look at the miracle.
Which you could not see anywhere before.
He can do things that no one else on earth can do.

From the same black earth
It's either red or blue
either purple or gold!

V. Soloukhin

The variegation of the green meadow is unusually attractive. On a hot summer day with a cloudless sky, bright spots of flowers against the background of grass create an amazingly colorful picture, so familiar and so beloved. White slender priests, purple shy bells, scarlet lights of carnations ... What a variety of colors, what a whimsical pattern, what beauty created by nature for man!

Is it for a person? Here is a question, my friends, to ponder. Man on Earth is a recent guest. Our gloomy ancestors were still hiding in caves, unable to understand the beauty of the surrounding nature, and flowers were already full of flowers in the meadows and swarms of insects were flying over them, collecting nectar and pollen. Once upon a time, millions of years ago, most plants had inconspicuous small flowers, the pollen of which was carried by the wind. But gradually plants and insects adapted to each other. The flowers are brighter, larger and more fragrant. Bees, bumblebees and butterflies have learned to choose one plant for themselves and feed only on it for several days, flying from flower to flower and pollinating them. The magnificent outfit of the flower and its delicate aroma is an "identification mark" for a friend flying towards: "Here I am! The one you are looking for!" That part of the petals that is visible to the insect is colored brighter than the reverse. In a buttercup, for example, the inner side of the petals is visible, so it is bright yellow and shiny, and in aconite - outer side. It is always more purple than the inside.

Distinguishes better than other insects different colors bee petals. She sees yellow, blue and purple colors especially well. The red color, be it the brightest, neither the bee nor the bumblebee notice. Meanwhile, in the spring, when the foothills of the Caucasus and the steppe Central Asia completely covered with a red carpet of poppies or tulips, bees unmistakably find them. Why? The sun sends to the Earth along with visible rays ultraviolet rays invisible to humans... These rays, falling on the petals of poppies and tulips, paint them in a special color that only insects see, but we do not notice it. To a bee, a red poppy looks like bright purple.

But the purple carnation, which does not have an additional ultraviolet color, is almost invisible to the bees. Its flowers are pollinated mainly by butterflies, which see the red color from afar and distinguish well all its shades.

A lot of red in the tropics. Wherever you look, among the lush greenery of the jungle, bunches of orange-red flowers on the trees blaze with fiery tongues. But all these flowers are so large that they can be pollinated by small birds that love to feast on nectar and recognize the red color perfectly.

Scientists have found that ultraviolet rays the flowers of many plants are colored, so insects see the flowers more colorful and patterned than we see them. On some flowers, the veins are painted in ultraviolet color, on others there are ultraviolet spots and stripes.

The sweet nectar that the insects are after is hidden deep in the center of the flower, but the insects quickly find it, as almost all flowers have some kind of sign showing the way to the nectar.

Look at forget-me-not. In the center of her blue corolla is a bright yellow ring. The bee rushes right at him.

Cockle and pink carnation have a light spot in the center of the flower, while flax and mallow show the path to the nectaries with bunches of thin, clearly visible stripes. Often the stamens of the flower are colored in bright color different from the color of the petals. Instinct tells the insect that where the stamens are, it is necessary to look for the entrance to the nectaries.

Look closely at the potato flower. It is very elegant in form and beautiful in its combination of shades: a corrugated yellow cone of stamens looms on the purple star of the petals.

In peony and wild rose, in water lilies and lumbago, and in many other plants, bright petals surround an equally bright bunch of numerous stamens. The petals of rose hips and peony are painted in pink-red tones and are poorly visible to bees. But they are attracted by the piercing yellow stamens that they see from afar.

The flower of some species of delphinium is interestingly arranged. These delicate herbaceous plants with whimsical purple flowers store their nectar in deep, narrow pockets on their petals called spurs. Only a bumblebee can get into a spur with its proboscis. The central parts of the flower are so shaped, so colored and covered with such hairs that it seems as if a bumblebee is already sitting on the flower. This drawing is called "false bumblebee." Seeing a painted bumblebee, the real one also rushes to the flower. This is how pollination of the delphinium occurs. The fringed flower of one of the orchids looks like an insect.

In another flower, there are only five petals, but they are all painted in different colors. Violet tricolor - a weed in the garden, and how bizarrely painted its corolla! The top two petals are deep velvet dark purple, two lateral ones are blue, and the lower petal is white. And besides, in the depths of the petals there is a yellow ring, and in the center of it is a button of orange stamens. How can you not notice a little violet here! In vetch and many of its relatives, each of the five petals is also colored differently and each differs in shape from the others.

Often small flowers collected in an inflorescence - either a panicle, or a brush, or an umbrella, or a basket. Remember priest. How much its inflorescence - a basket consisting of many small flowers, is similar to large flower with white petals and yellow stamens.

By the color of the petals of some plants, bees can determine whether there is a lot of nectar in a flower or a little. There are plants whose petals change color with age. For example, an unblown lungwort flower is bright pink. When it opens, accumulates nectar and is ready for pollination, its color changes to lilac. An empty fading flower becomes blue at first, and then almost white. Bees will not sit on a pink or blue lungwort flower. There is nothing for them to do. They confidently fly to lilac flowers and never make a mistake.

In nature, the color of objects to some extent depends on the lighting. For example, white snow in the shade appears bluish. Insects are able to recognize any color of flowers under different lighting conditions - both on a gloomy, foggy morning, and at sunny noon, and at the sunset hour, when the reddish reflection of the last rays of the sun falls on the grass.

But here comes the dusk. Bees and bumblebees finish their working day and go home. Insects that can see in the dark fly out of their hiding places. And to meet them, nocturnal plants open their folded petals, exuding sharp and sweet aromas into the warm air. Snow-white corollas of fragrant resins open up shining in the moonlight. A tender love is fragrant along the edges of the forests. Flowers sparkle with bright stars fragrant honeysuckle. Butterflies and other winged night owls work on them until morning, extracting sweet nectar and transferring pollen from one flower to another. Insects are attracted to the plant not so much by the white color of the corolla, noticeable at night, as by its strong smell. Nocturnal plants smell especially strongly, sending fragrant flowers into the darkness.
signals: "I'm here... I'm here... I'm here..."

The smell of flowers attracts insects not only at night, but also during the day. Insects see the color of the flower from afar. Flying closer, they catch a familiar aroma with their antennae-antennas and swoop down exactly on the flower, falling directly to the nectar. They already know from experience that nectaries are always more fragrant than the rest of the flower. In some plants, the corolla on the outside smells completely different from the inside. If you smell a narcissus flower, you will smell a strong, pleasant, but uniform aroma. The bee, on the other hand, clearly distinguishes with its antennae that the smell of the yellow fringe around the nectaries differs sharply from the smell of the petals.

In general, the human nose is a cruder device than the antennae of a bee or the antennae of a butterfly. Have you ever noticed that the same plant in sunny weather smells completely different than in cloudy weather, and in the morning completely different than in the afternoon?

But insects perfectly "read" the book of smells. A bee, a bumblebee or a butterfly orients itself on the fly and sits exactly on the flower whose nectar they need.

The more inconspicuous the flowers pollinated by insects, the stronger they smell. Everyone knows the honey aroma of linden and the tart smell of mignonette. And their flowers are small and inconspicuous. On the other hand, huge bright yellow pumpkin corollas or blue funnels of gentian, the color of which is visible to everyone from afar, do not emit any aroma, but smell of grass and earth.

What attracts insects to a flower more - its color or smell? Scientists have empirically established that, nevertheless, smell is more important for an insect in finding the plant it needs than color. It turns out that bees distinguish only six color shades and a huge number of a wide variety of odors. When a scout bee brings prey to the hive that has a certain aroma of some flower, then all the bees, having memorized the aroma, rush out of the hive in search of the plant indicated by the scout. Based on this property of bees, beekeepers, if necessary, train them. Trained bees, no worse than trained dogs, can follow the instructions of the trainer.

Such experiments with bees are not made for fun at all. For example, bees do not want to fly on the well-known red clover. The nectar in its flower is hidden so deep that it is difficult for the bee to reach it. Why work hard if you can collect as much nectar from other plants as you like? Clover is pollinated by bumblebees, whose proboscis is longer. But few bumblebees. During the season, they do not have time to pollinate all the clover flowers. Therefore, in autumn, few seeds are formed on clover, and next spring few young clover plants appear in the meadows. Meanwhile, this herb also contains a large number of valuable nutrients, and the more clover in the hay, the more willingly the cattle will eat it. So, you need to get the bees to pollinate the clover. How to do it? Very simple. A thick sugar syrup is insisted on clover flowers for several days. When the syrup acquires a clover flavor, it is fed to the bees early in the morning in the hives. Now bees will fly only on clover flowers for a long time, neglecting other, more accessible ones. This method is now used in many collective farms and state farms.

To test how bees distinguish colors and which ones they prefer, scientists have repeatedly done such simple experiments: several small tables covered with glass were placed on the lawn in front of the beehive, under which colored paper was placed. One table is yellow, another is blue, the third is red, the fourth is green. On one of them, for example on the blue one, they put a transparent saucer with sugar syrup, and on the others - saucers with water. From time to time the tables changed places, but the bees, noticing that the sweet syrup was on the blue table, after a few mistakes later flew right up to him, wherever he was. Interestingly, not all bees are endowed with the same abilities. Some lazy people cannot remember a “delicious” color for a very long time.

On the contrary, there are such smart women who remember at once what color of the table the treat is associated with, and unmistakably find it. When the bees were tested for color and smell at the same time, it turned out that a small part of the bees, in contrast to the majority, remember the color faster than the smell.

Bees, bumblebees and butterflies, so sensitively perceiving delicate aromas, do not notice the putrid smell at all. But for numerous flies and flies, the smell of rotting meat causes the most pleasant sensations. True, in our meadows and forests there are no too smelly plants. But still, if you smell a flower of aronnik or kirkazon, you will hear a faint smell of rotten meat, and the flowers of the well-known hawthorn and viburnum shrubs are somewhat reminiscent of herring brine.

So, fortunately for us, most plants are pollinated by bees, bumblebees or butterflies that love bright colors. fragrant flowers. Only thanks to these insects can we enjoy the fragrance of lily of the valley, white locust and carnation. Only to attract insects are scattered across green herbs multi-colored patterns from fresh flowers. All the nature around us, rich in colors, saturated with delicate smells, “works” for pollinating insects.

Insects, without knowing it, select the most beautiful, most fragrant flowers in meadows and fields, in forests and gardens. And plants, in turn, feed countless bees and bumblebees, butterflies and flies with nectar and pollen.

That is why many plants cannot live without insects, and insects cannot live without plants. They depend on each other, and the death of one would inevitably lead to the death of others. Therefore, a person - a thinking and active being - must protect and protect both flowers and insects. Let us use nature wisely and not destroy it unnecessarily!

Nectar is a sweet liquid secreted by nectaries - special glands located on various parts of the flower. Some plants have nectaries not only in flowers, but also on stipules, on leaf petioles, on leaves, or at the base of the calyx. These are the so-called extrafloral nectaries.

flower nectaries play an important role in the life of plants: the nectar they secrete attracts pollinating insects, which transfer pollen from the male organs of the flower to the female organs and thus contribute to the formation of seeds and fruits.

extrafloral nectaries also play a role in plant life. This adaptation has developed in some of them to attract ants, which benefit plants by destroying small insect pests.

The new design of the hive allows you to get honey "from the tap" and not disturb the bees

Nectar - This is an aqueous solution of sugar containing an admixture of other organic and mineral substances. In particular, the nectar contains essential oils that give the flowers their fragrance.

The sugar content of nectar is extremely variable. The amount of sugar in it can vary over a very wide range, but most often sugar and water in nectar are approximately equal.

The density of nectar does not remain constant even during the day: under the influence of temperature, air humidity and some other factors, the nectar in flowers either thickens or liquefies.

The productivity of the work largely depends on the density of the nectar. The thinner the nectar, the more energy the bees expend on carrying excess water into the hive, and then removing it from the hive by evaporation. Too thick nectar slows down the work of bees, as it is difficult to collect it in the goiter. It has been established that the most productive bees collect nectar, which contains approximately 50% sugar.

Conditions affecting nectar production

Plants are constantly under the influence various conditions external environment- temperature, humidity, sunlight, nature of the soil, agricultural technology and some others. Environmental conditions affect the vital activity of plants, and depending on this, nectar production increases or decreases.

Influence of air temperature

Warm weather is required for nectar production. Minimum temperature, at which nectar begins to stand out, for most plants 10 ° heat. With an increase in air temperature, the process intensifies; nectar stands out best at a temperature of 16-25°C. The highest temperature at which nectar production is still possible, and then only in southern, heat-loving plants, is about 38 °. At high temperatures, this process proceeds well only if the air is sufficiently humid.

Night cold snaps have an extremely unfavorable effect on the release of nectar. AT middle lane countries, even with good daytime weather, there are almost no bribes if the nights are cold. The exception is the mountainous regions, where the nights are always cold. Under these conditions, the plants have adapted to the night cold, and their nectar productivity does not decrease.

Influence of air humidity

In most plants, the greatest release of nectar is observed at an air humidity of 60-80%, but not all plants are equally moisture-loving. For example, buckwheat and linden secrete the largest number nectar at high humidity and do not tolerate drought, and meadow cornflower, sweet clover, motherwort can produce nectar in dry weather. Although nectar secretion increases with increasing air humidity, the sugar content of nectar decreases accordingly, it becomes more liquid. On the contrary, with a decrease in air humidity, the amount of nectar secreted by plants decreases, but its sugar content increases.

Influence of sunlight

Plants need sunlight to absorb carbon from the air and form starch, which turns into; therefore, sunlight contributes to the release of nectar.

Honey herbs and shrubs in a shady forest produce much less nectar than in clearings and clearings illuminated by the sun. But an increase in sunlight favors nectar production only with sufficient humidity.

Influence of prolonged rains

lingering rains negatively affect the release of nectar, since the lack of sunlight slows down the absorption of carbon and the formation of starch by plant leaves, and high humidity leads to liquefaction of nectar. In prolonged rainy weather, the strong growth of the green parts of the plant delays the development of flowers. In addition, rain washes nectar from flowers (especially in plants with open flowers like linden, fireweed, raspberry, etc.).

Wind influence

With a strong wind, the nectaries shrink and nectar production decreases; this is primarily seen in plants with open flowers. Particularly unfavorable are northern and northeastern winds, as well as southern and southeastern hot dry winds.

General weather conditions and nectar production

The most favorable for honey collection is warm, windless sunny weather, interspersed with short rains (especially when they fall at night).

Influence of soil conditions

All agricultural honey crops produce better nectar when cultivated in fertile soils that are rich in nutrients, have a good structure and are sufficiently moist. But individual plants have their own specific soil requirements. For example, buckwheat needs light soils: it grows well and produces nectar not only on chernozems, but also on sandy soils; white clover, on the other hand, produces nectar better when grown on clay soils oh, than on sandy loam; sweet clover, sainfoin and alfalfa require soils rich in lime. The specific requirements for soil are especially pronounced in many wild-growing honey plants. For example, heather grows well and excretes profusely on poor, dry sandy soils, and does not tolerate clay soils at all; blueberries, lingonberries, wild rosemary require acidic soils; strong kermek honey plant grows and releases nectar only on salt licks, where other plant species cannot grow. Any honey plant produces nectar well only when it grows on soil that meets its vital needs.

The influence of agricultural technology on nectar production

The methods of advanced agricultural technology are aimed at creating conditions that best meet the vital needs of plants, so the higher the level of agricultural technology, the more abundant nectar is released. It has been found that all cultivated honey plants produce more nectar when they grow in deeply plowed, well-divided and fertilized soil, sown in wide rows, and when the site is regularly cultivated and weeded (see also pp. 93-94).

Flower age and nectar production

Most of all, fully developed flowers, ready for pollination, emit nectar. At this time, nectar attracts insects. If the fertilization of a flower is delayed for some reason, then it blooms longer than usual and intensively secretes nectar.

Dependence of nectar secretion on the flowering period

In the first half of the flowering of the honey plant, plants produce much more nectar than in the second. This is explained by the fact that more late flowers the influx of nutrients decreases (they are spent on the development of seeds and fruits formed in earlier flowers). An experiment conducted at the Research Institute of Beekeeping showed that in the first half of the flowering of buckwheat, its flowers secrete over 70% of the total amount of nectar.

The main delicacy of bees is nectar and pollen, which they collect with the help of their proboscises and legs from flowers, trees and carry them to their hive houses, after which, as a result of many processes that begin in the body of the bees and end with the sealing of honeycombs, nectar and pollen turn into mature honey, which serves as food for bees, a source of energy for fruitful work in spring, summer, and autumn, as well as a guarantee of successful wintering.

Bees collect nectar and pollen from honey plants. There are plants that produce a large amount of nectar and give a lot of pollen. They are the main honey plants. During the season, some honey plants replace others, therefore, the beekeeper should, taking into account the timing and places of flowering of these plants, plan the migration of the apiary to achieve the maximum honey yield. It should be borne in mind that the bees collect nectar and pollen within a radius of two kilometers from the location of the apiary.

The time of flowering and flowering of plants in different parts of the country can vary greatly, therefore, when planning a migration or organizing an apiary, a beekeeper must know the flowering time of certain honey plants in the area of the apiary and draw up a calendar of flowering honey plants, by which it will be possible to determine the route of movement. The apiary can also be stationary, and honey plants can be sown near the apiary to increase the collection of honey.

The taste and color of honey collected during the season will differ depending on the honey plants from which it is collected. by the most early plants willow honey plants are: bred willow, goat willow, eared willow, willow, vine, willow, etc. Rich in nectar and pollen, they, like a magnet, attract bees seeking to recuperate after a long winter. Willow flowering is quite long - from two weeks to a month, so the weight of the hives during their flowering period can increase by 25 kg.

This is how the bee family grows, a large number of young bees appear, a large amount of brood appears, the honeycombs are filled with light, willow honey smelling like a vine.

A little later than willow maples begin to bloom: holly, Tatar, field. They are also beautiful plants- honey plants, giving a large collection of nectar. The flowering of the Norway maple lasts up to two weeks, and the Tatar maple - up to 10 days.

After that, gardens bloom. Bushes of gooseberries and currants, sweet cherries and cherries bloom, apricots and plums begin to bloom. A little later, the garden is filled with the intoxicating aroma of flowering apple and pear trees. This is one of the richest periods of honey collection. After all, the trees and bushes around are strewn with fragrant flowers filled with nectar and pollen. Work in the hives is in full swing. In the evenings, you can hear the hum of the hive. These are bees with the active movement of their wings, evaporate water from nectar.

But the gardens are finishing blooming and the turn of another honey plant comes - white and yellow acacia, the flowering of which lasts about two weeks and during this time the nests are filled with light honey with a delicate aroma. White locust is slightly more honey-bearing than yellow locust.

Summer is coming and it's time for meadow plants of honey plants. Especially valuable among them are clover, cornflower, sage, geranium, mouse peas, oregano. Their flowering lasts a very long time, so flowering meadows are a great place for an apiary, especially mountain ones. Meadow mixed herb variety of honey has a pleasant taste, bright aroma and absorbs the healing properties of honey plants from which it is collected.

At the beginning of July, linden blossoms in central Russia, the flowering of which lasts 12-16 days, depending on the area, although in the Far East it stretches up to 25 days. In rugged and hilly areas, flowering lasts longer. Linden can rightfully be called the queen of honey plants, since in a relatively short period of flowering, up to a ton of honey can be collected from one hectare of linden forest. No wonder beekeepers say: "Linden in color - and there is no grief." Linden honey has a pleasant creamy color, is fragrant, and has a slight bitter taste. Linden honey is very useful, has the ability to warm up the body, so it is used in the treatment of colds.

But it is worth considering that linden is sensitive to the weather, low or vice versa high temperatures significantly reduce the amount of nectar released. Rain has a negative effect on the collection of linden honey. It washes the nectar from the flowers. Strong winds also harm the honey flow, and the winds are harmful to almost all honey plants, since dry winds dry the flowers and make the nectar inaccessible to bees.

By the flowering period of the linden honey plant, bee colonies already have time to grow and come into force, so this has a very positive effect on the volume of honey collected.

The beekeeper should keep in mind that by the flowering period of lindens, it is necessary to stock up on spare cases for hives, combs, frames, so that the bees are maximally loaded with work and have the opportunity to collect the maximum possible amount of honey. During the flowering period of linden, a hive of a strong bee family can grow up to 3-4 twelve-frame buildings.

To ensure good ventilation in the hive in hot weather, beekeepers open the upper and lower notches.

Fireweed or Ivan tea can rightfully be called the king of taiga honey plants. Siberian beekeepers get a lot from this plant. the healthiest honey cream color with a pleasant candy aroma.

Another very useful and recognizable variety of honey is buckwheat honey. Once you have tasted its aroma and taste, it is almost impossible to confuse it with other varieties, since its taste has a peculiar bitterness, and the aroma is very expressive. Buckwheat is an excellent honey plant. Bees collect up to 8 kilograms of buckwheat nectar per day, or 50-60 kilograms for the entire period of active flowering per family. No wonder many beekeepers transport hives to buckwheat fields. Moreover, the apiary on the field is of great benefit. Bees collect a large amount of excellent honey, colonies grow and grow stronger, while cross-pollination of buckwheat occurs, in which seeds are tied due to this, as a result, a good harvest is obtained. Therefore, it is beneficial not only to the beekeeper, but also to agriculture.

Another good plant honey plant, which is impossible not to mention is the sunflower. Sunflower belongs to the plant melliferous late bribe. From it you can get 3-4 kilograms of nectar per day for a family, which is not bad at all. True sunflower honey is light and has a mild aroma. For farm owners, the presence of bees in a sunflower field has a very importance, since they are the main insect pollinators of the sunflower, so the future harvest of this honey plant depends on the bees.

Bees, as we have already noted, are not only collectors of nectar and pollen from honey plants, but also perform exclusively important role for their cross-pollination. It has been established that bees pollinate up to 80-90% of the total volume of honey plants, so many agriculture along with the cultivation of fields and sowing them with agricultural crops, apiaries are established near the fields, as well as orchards, thereby significantly increasing their productivity by 25-30%.

Below is a table of periods and flowering zones various plants honey plants on the territory of Russia. (according to A.N. Burmistrov)

Flowering calendar of honey plants

Zones	Flowering periods
Zones	spring	early summer	summer	autumn
European part
Northern lane (forest zone)	Willows (different types)	White clover. Raspberry.	Raspberry. Fireweed. Angelica and other umbrella.	Heather. Goldenrod.
Middle lane (forest-steppe zone)	And you. Norway maple.	White clover. Raspberry. Fruit.	Linden. Buckwheat. Meadow herbs. Mustard. Coriander.	Heather. Late crops honey plants
Southern and southeastern (steppe and mountainous) regions	And you. Fruit (cultivated and wild)	Acacia white. Chestnut. Maples. Sainfoin. Winter rapeseed.	Sunflower. Mustard. Coriander.	Gills. Gourd cultures.
Asian part
Taiga lowland zone	And you. Lungwort.	Rosemary. Raspberry. Honeysuckle.	Raspberry. Fireweed. Angelica and other umbrella. Cornflower feathery.	-
Forest-steppe and steppe zones	And you	White clover. Acacia yellow.	Buckwheat. Sunflower. Sweet clover. Meadow herbs.	Thistle is pink.
Mountainous and foothill regions of Central Asia and Altai	Willow. Fruit and berry (wild) Lungwort. Kandyk.	Acacia yellow. Honeysuckle. Sainfoin	Cotton. Camelthorn plant. Angelica and other umbrella. Forest herbs.	Cotton. Gourd cultures. Saussurea.
Far East (southern regions)	And you Maples	Raspberry. Amur velvet. Meadow forbs	Linden.	Lespedets. Serpukha. Saussurea. Saussurea.

Another table showing the estimated volumes of honey collection from various honey plants per 1 hectare. These data can be used in planning the movement of hives with bees in the nomadic method of beekeeping and calculating the expected volume of honey collection.

honey plant	The volume of honey in kg from 1 ha
White acacia	300-400
Acacia yellow	350
Borage or borage	200
Heather	200
Mustard	40
Buckwheat	60
wild sweet clover	200
Cultural sweet clover	600
Blackberry	20
snakehead	290
willow	150
Fireweed or Ivan tea	600
Clover	100
Maple	200
Coriander	500
swallowtail	600
Linden	1000
burdock	600
Alfalfa	380
Raspberry forest	70
Raspberry garden	50
Melissa	150
Sunflower	50
Rape	50
Mignonette	200
Rowan	40
Bruise	300-400
Surepka	40
Pumpkin	30
Phacelia	150-500
Cotton	100-300
Chingil	190
Sage	650
Shandra white or horsemint	50
Sainfoin	100-600
Apple tree	20

From the table above, it can be seen that linden, white acacia remain the queens of honey plants, cultivated sweet clover, swallowtail, burdock, sage, and sainfoin are rich in nectar. For a more extended table with average indicative data on the content of nectar in various flowers and plants, see the article "

Flowers give bees food - nectar and pollen, and bees as pollinators, as if in gratitude, help them bear fruit.

The shaggy, densely hairy body of the bee and its legs are adapted to capture a lot of the smallest, just a few microns, dust particles and not lose them during the flight. The proboscis of bees, its length and structure make it possible to get nectar from nectaries, wherever they are located - on the pistil or sepals, on the receptacle or at the base of the stamens.

It is noteworthy that plants secrete nectar at the time when pollen ripens and anthers burst. With nectar, they attract, as it were, lure insects that carry pollen from flower to flower and thereby ensure pollination.

Bees work equally skillfully on flowers of any shape: on hazel catkins, dandelion inflorescences, sunflower baskets, clover heads, drooping lime brushes. Plants and honey bees are well adapted to each other. Among the huge number of species of flowering plants, there are those that secrete a lot of nectar. Beekeepers call them the main honey plants. From them, the bees procure honey for themselves.

Many insects feed on sweet fragrant nectar: bumblebees, all kinds of flies, butterflies, wasps. But the largest amount of nectar is collected and brought to their nests by honey bees. During flowering gardens and meadow grasses, in linden groves and on a buckwheat field, a hundred? T2 is an even, incessant, overworked rumble of worker bees extracting nectar. The bee has to process many flowers before it fills its honey ventricle with nectar. To collect a kilogram of nectar from buckwheat, bees must visit about two million flowers! In the midst of flowering of such powerful nectar-bearing plants as linden and fireweed, in warm weather, strong, well-provided families with honeycombs can collect 20-25 kg of nectar per day. It is hard to even imagine that such small insects could obtain and bring home such a fantastic amount of sugary liquid.

Nectar is known to be the secret of special nectar-bearing glands of flowers. It is emitted by plants in the prime of their lives, ready to produce offspring.

From nectar to honey, the path is quite complicated. As a raw material, nectar enters the "technological line" immediately, as soon as it enters the mouth and honey ventricle of the bee. Here it is exposed to the action of the bee's digestive juices, which break down complex sugar into simple sugars - glucose and fructose. In the reservoir of the ventricle, nectar also loses part of the water. Work on nectar continues in the cell for another whole week, not stopping for an hour, day or night. Almost the whole family is involved in this. As a result of the great efforts of the bees, the amount of water in the nectar decreases by almost four times, the honey thickens, becomes heavier, enriched with enzymes and acids. Its taste changes, it becomes sweeter, the color becomes more saturated. The aroma is also enhanced. Honey, as it were, is infused in a beehive, absorbs smells, bee bread, propolis, wax.

Mature, brought to readiness, honey bees are tightly sealed in honeycombs with wax. Each cell filled with honey, like a tin can, is hermetically sealed with a wax cap: air does not penetrate into the clogged cell with honey, moisture does not enter. So it is stored until the bees need it.

Honey is the main food of bees. During the year, a bee colony of good strength consumes up to 120 kg of it. Most of spent in spring and summer, when the bees lead the most energetic life: they grow brood, build combs, collect nectar and pollen. Surplus honey belongs to the beekeeper for his labors, care and love for the winged workers.

Bees collect honey from all flowers. However, naturally, preference is given to those that produce more nectar. They are usually found by intelligence bees. At their signal, the pickers switch to more nectar-bearing flowers.

Plants with high lectar productivity

found in spring, summer and autumn. They are found among grasses, shrubs and trees. From strong nectar-bearing bees, they store food for a whole year, sometimes even for several years. After all, there are different years - dry and cold, rainy, when the bees fail to get food.

Unlike other animals bred by man, only honey bees prepare their own food for the winter. A person can safely use excess honey for bees. And only in hungry, honeyless years do you have to replenish their food.

In early spring, willow trees give a lot of nectar. The spring waters have gone. Everything is still bare all around, and in the low, damp places the willow bushes have turned golden. Inconspicuous in summer, now they stand out among the still undressed vegetation. With pale yellow lambs of flowers and the smell of nectar, they attract honey bees.

The willow family is rich. Bredina willow, goat willow, eared willow, numerous willows, vines, willows ... Willows bloom for a long time, about a month, and give bees nectar and pollen in abundance. On a good warm day in places overgrown with willows, strong families bring 5-6 kg of nectar.

During the flowering period of these excellent plants, 25 kg weight gain of the control hives is known. The nests are renewed, the nests are getting younger, they are getting heavier, the honeycombs are filled with light, willow honey smelling like a vine.

Unfortunately, the weather in spring is unstable, the heat is short-lived. Often, just at the time of flowering willows, the cold returns. They interrupt the honey flow. The nectar remains in the flowers. In such weather, neither bees nor other insects can take advantage of the wonderful gifts of nature.

But the maple ones bloom later. These are also good honey plants. Norway, Tatar, and field maples stand out especially.

Norway maple is a powerful, slender tree. Everyone is well aware of its wide, five-fingered leaves, like those of other maples, which are especially beautiful in autumn. And in spring, maple is no less beautiful with its flowers. Look at the inflorescence, and you will see beads shining in the sun - droplets of nectar. For almost two weeks, while it blooms, bees swarm in its crown. In deciduous forests, where there is a lot of it, bees store a lot of honey.

Appreciate beekeepers and Tatar maple. This is a shrub. Its flowers are not greenish-yellowish, like those of the holly maple, but white, elegant. Therefore, it is bred as ornamental plant. Where there are thickets of this shrub, bee colonies bring 5-6 kg of nectar per day. And it blooms for about 10 days. You can propagate it with lionfish seeds.

When the gardens bloom, yes.> I am the bees - a real feast. They swarm in gooseberries, visit each flower ten times, and he always gives them nectar. Full of bees and currant bushes. In white decoration plum, sweet cherry, cherry, apricot. And then they fly from flower to flower, from branch to branch.

Next, the buds of pear and apple trees bloom - the main representatives of the gardens. In their soft pink boiling from morning to night, bees work, intoxicated by the healing May nectar. During the flowering of gardens, families grow before our eyes.

Every day the control hive becomes heavier. At the end of the day, the hives hum like running engines. These are fan bees evaporating water from nectar. Bring your palm close to the notch, and you will feel a trickle of warm air rushing from the hive. For the beekeeper, the time of flowering orchards is very joyful.

After they bloom fruit trees, the bees begin to visit the yellow and white locust. These are excellent honey plants. Bees with a yellow back arrive, which means that the honey collection from the yellow Siberian acacia has begun. There is usually a lot of it - ^ on the streets, along roadsides, slopes, ravines and beams. In Altai, where the mountains are completely covered with this shrub, families collect acacia honey from the store.

Acacia white is even more honey-bearing. Her drooping fragrant clusters are full of nectar. For 12-14 days of flowering of this plant, bees literally fill the nests with honey, light as a tear, with a delicate aroma. Southern beekeepers are trying to increase the bee colonies by the beginning of the flowering of the white acacia so as not to miss a single fine hour.

In June, bees collect a lot of nectar from meadow grasses. Where there are upland, flood or mountain meadows, there is always honey. They amaze with the richness and diversity of plants. Real multi-color carpet. Among the many meadow honey plants for bees, white and pink clover, meadow cornflower, sage, geranium, mouse pea, oregano are especially valuable. These plants bloom for a long time. Honey from meadow herbs is amber, fragrant, pleasant in taste, very healing. Especially peculiar is honey from alpine and subalpine mountain meadows.

Of all the honey plants growing in our country, there is no equal to the linden. From a hectare of linden forest, you can collect a ton of honey. One age-old, hundred-year-old tree growing in a well-lit place can produce five buckets of nectar in one flowering. Linden is deservedly called the queen of honey plants. “Linden in color - and there is no grief,” beekeepers say.

Linden blooms in the midst of summer - in late June - early July. Mighty sprawling trees in the gold of their violent flowering are uniquely beautiful at this time. The delicate aroma of flowers thickly infuses the air.

Linden honey collection is short. It lasts only 12-14 days. Therefore, every hour is precious. Only in the Far East, where several types of linden grow, blooming one after another, it lasts up to 25 days. Far East residents therefore receive the most high yields honey.

In places where the terrain is rugged or hilly, the linden bloom period is longer. Trees on the northern slopes or in the lowlands bloom later than on the southern, warm slopes or in an open sunny place. ,

When choosing a site for linden honey collection, both the terrain and the proximity of springs, streams and rivers are taken into account, creating a mild, humid microclimate that favors the abundant release of nectar and stretches the flowering of linden.

Linden is very sensitive to the weather. Low or, conversely, high temperatures adversely affect nectar production. The rain washes away the nectar from the flowers: after all, the nectaries of the linden are open. Dry winds dry it out and make it inaccessible to insects. In such weather, the bees “shoot” from flower to flower or do not sit on them at all. Dry winds adversely affect all honey plants, especially in open areas. Beekeepers say: "The winds blow - the honeycombs are empty." Nectar production also stops during cold snaps.

On the contrary, humid, warm weather with an air temperature of 18-24 ° C, when the sun peeps through a thin haze of clouds, is most favorable for nectar production. Linden literally oozes. Especially a lot of sugary liquid accumulates in flowers overnight.

In order to collect a lot of nectar from this short stormy fake bribe, families with large reserves are needed, able to quickly get involved in the collection of nectar and its processing into honey.

Family of bees in 6-7 kg with large quantity brood of all ages is considered quite ready for linden honey collection. When connected to a family of flying bees from a reserve family, which is specially kept for this, the size of the family can reach 90-100 thousand insects (about 9-10 kg). Such powerful families are able to bring the maximum possible amount of nectar, even if, due to adverse weather, the honey collection period is reduced.

N Modern advanced beekeepers use a two-queen system of keeping bees, when two families live in one hive through a partition. Powerful reserves are being prepared in this semi-detached house. At the beginning of the honey harvest, families are connected.

The more bees, the more they will collect nectar, besides, it is easier for strong colonies to recover losses due to large reserves of young bees and brood.

The second important condition for using honey collection from linden, as well as from other main honey plants, is the volume of the nest and the number of combs. After all, you remember, honeycombs are containers, elevators, where the honey crop is folded, where it is brought to readiness and stored; large area cells In cells, folded nectar usually occupies no more than 1/4 of the volume. The warmth of the nest and the ventilation provided by the bees make it easier for the water to evaporate from the nectar. If there are not enough combs in the hive, the bees are forced to fill the cells almost to the brim. It becomes more difficult to remove water from the nectar. A lot of energy is wasted.

It is believed that to accommodate 3 kg of nectar collected in one day, the family needs a whole extension - a store. But bees bring nectar every day. If there is not enough space in the nest, they fill them with cells of brood combs. The instinct to gather food, when nature provides it in abundance, is stronger than the instinct to reproduce. Such colonies reduce the rearing of brood and after the main honey collection they become so weak that they become unsuitable for participating in the collection of honey from the next strong nectar-bearing plants.

The lack of combs for honey reduces the family's flight activity. It is necessary in such cases to select honey during a bribe, and the more often, the faster the nectar accumulates. But this is very disturbing to the bees. Disturbed, they collect almost half as much nectar. Moreover, honey taken prematurely from the nest is not ripe.

During the honey harvest, each hundred is more expensive than gold. In addition, empty cells encourage bees to search for nectar and pollen, make them work harder. When linden blossoms, if there is a lot of it and the weather favors nectar secretion, bee nests should consist of 6-7 buildings or 3 buildings and 4-5 stores with multi-hull content and 3 buildings with bees kept in 12-frame hives. You need to put 2-3 stores on sunbeds. Only such nests will enable the bees to accumulate an unlimited amount of nectar and gradually thicken it, and the beekeeper not to take unripe honey during the flow and not interfere with the bees.

Bees have a very valuable biological property - to collect nectar as long as it is given by plants and as long as there is at least one free cell in the hive for its folding.

In order for honey to retain its natural taste, color and aroma, light combs are placed in stores, in which the brood was not hatched. Honey in combs dark from cocoons stains, deteriorates and taste qualities. In stores they put not 10, but 8 frames. Honeycombs are full-bodied. They have deeper cells. The queen does not lay eggs.

The first enclosure or magazine is placed above the brood nest. When the bees fill the first store with honey, a second store is placed under it. So the bees are more likely to master it. Each successive extension is placed under the top, filled with honey.

During the main honey harvest, especially a long one, the bees, eating plentifully, secrete a lot of wax and actively build honeycombs. To use the energy of builder bees, you can put frames with wax in the hives, but only one or two, so as not to distract many bees from the honey collection for construction work.

To make it easier for the bees to process nectar, they increase ventilation: the lower and upper notches are fully opened. In hot weather, they even move the upper cases back so that small gaps form in front and behind, which will also increase air exchange. Indeed, in the heat, even when individual plants, adapted to high temperatures, produce a lot of nectar, the pickers stay at home. They either switch to ventilating the nest or leave it and settle outside the hive.

Linden honey, Lipets, is excellent. It is slightly creamy, fragrant, with a slight bitterness, and has the ability to warm up the body. Especially useful for colds.

In terms of the abundance of nectar, fireweed or Ivan-tea, a taiga honey plant, is close to linden. It is a herbaceous plant with purple flowers.

On a warm July day, if you walk through the thickets of fireweed, you will be wet from sticky nectar. It blooms for a long time, about a month. Siberian beekeepers get a lot of honey from it. Fireweed honey is transparent, almost colorless, with a delicate candy aroma.

The taiga nectar riches are incalculable. Unfortunately, they are not used enough.

For beekeeping, field crops are also of exceptional value, especially buckwheat and sunflower.

A buckwheat field is a white ocean of inflorescences. And there is a thick honey smell over it. This "valuable cereal crop has been blooming for more than a month. Buckwheat has long been known as a good honey plant. During its mass flowering bee families bring 5-6 or even 8 kg of buckwheat nectar per day. “From buckwheat,” beekeepers say, “without a misfire.” Bees in almost every inflorescence. They collect nectar and pollinate plants. Without cross-pollination, buckwheat does not set seeds. Every grain contains the work of winged agronomists. Eat buckwheat porridge - do not forget to praise the bee.

Buckwheat flowers produce nectar mainly at night and in the morning. Therefore, the bees work intensively in the buckwheat field until noon. And in the afternoon you hardly see them there. Dark buckwheat honey with a special flavor and aroma cannot be confused with any other. It gives a peculiar taste to gingerbread and gingerbread, in which buckwheat honey is specially added. It contains many trace elements, so it is considered very useful. In good weather and sufficient air humidity during the flowering of buckwheat, families collect 50-60 kg of honey.

When the sunflower blossoms, it is as if a thousand hot burning suns have descended to the ground. It occupies huge areas in the North Caucasus and in the Central Black Earth zone, in Ukraine and the Volga region, in Altai and Kazakhstan.

This plant produces nectar well only at high temperatures. There are up to two thousand nectar-bearing flowers in a sunflower basket. Therefore, several bees often work on one] inflorescence at the same time. And they have enough to do. Nectar is located in the depths of the flower, you need to get it, and besides, collect pollen along the way. There are a lot of her here. For a long time, more than a month, sunflower blooms - a representative of the late main bribe. Bees work from morning to evening, often do not even have time to return home before dark and spend the night in the field.

On some hot days after rain, the control hive becomes heavier by 10-12 kg. However, an increase of 3-4 kg per day, as often happens in the midst of sunflower flowering, is considered good and suits beekeepers quite well. “From a sunflower,” they say, “not from a linden tree, but still it sticks.” Sunflower honey is golden-light, like the flowers themselves, with a faint aroma.

honey bees are the main pollinators of sunflowers. They greatly increase its yield.

The beekeeper must know the honey flora of his area well and enrich it. Only then can he count on a high honey yield. He must remember that bees collect the maximum amount of nectar and pollen from those plants that. located from the apiary within a radius of 2 km. With the removal of plants, the amount of nectar and pollen brought decreases, honey collection decreases, although bees can fly over 3-4 km.

First, get acquainted with the main honey plants growing on the streets, in a park, forest, meadow, field, approximately determine their number (trees, shrubs) or area (herbaceous plants). It is better to do this in spring and summer, during their flowering. To complete this task, systematic excursions in small groups are required.

Set the beginning of flowering of each type of melliferous plants, the duration of flowering and its end. Such phenological observations will help you create a honey plant flowering calendar. In central Russia, for example, bredina willow blooms on April 26 and blooms for 10-12 days, an apple tree on May 21 and blooms for about two weeks, a linden on July 4 and finishes flowering on days 14-16.

Pay attention to how, intensively or weakly, the bees work on the flowers of these plants, how many times they visit one flower, how long the collector of nectar or pollen lingers on the flower. For this you need a stopwatch.

At the same time, make a herbarium of honey plants, distributing them into forest, meadow, field; describe them in detail (the family to which the plant belongs, the structure of the flower, the color of the corolla, inflorescence type, location of nectaries, flowering time).

Follow individual foraging bees working on different honey plants: white clover, cornflower, sweet clover, etc. These observations will help to establish the so-called flora-specialization of insects, in which each bee seeks and visits the flowers of a strictly specific plant species.

Collect seeds of honey plants - white clover, white and yellow sweet clover, phacelia, bruise, borage, sow them on the school plot, inconvenient lands, in the village. It is good to create a collection of seeds.

In spring and autumn, plant honey trees and shrubs - linden, Willow, yellow and white acacia, honeysuckle, Norway maple, hawthorn. Seedlings can be grown in the plots of the school grounds.

In order to get good volumes, it is very important to have a large number close to . If there are none, you can help nature and additionally engage in the cultivation of plants that are capable of producing a lot of nectar. In this article, we will provide a list of the best honey plants, supplementing its photo with names.

Trees and shrubs

Trees and bushes that are good honey plants include the following:

. This is a very popular honey plant, which is distributed everywhere. Its flowering period begins in July. quite large, can reach 1 ton from 1 hectare of plantings.
. The tree belongs to the garden. Excellent honey plant and pollen. Flowering usually occurs in May. It is characterized by relatively low productivity, within 10 kg per 1 ha of pure plantations.
. It is considered one of the most common honey plants. The predominant number of species grows as shrubs (eared willow, ashen, three-stamen), some - as trees (brittle willow, white). loves wet areas, grows well near water bodies. This plant belongs to the spring early flowering. Productivity can vary between 10-150 kg/ha.
. This is a garden tree that grows in almost every garden. The beginning of flowering falls on the first half of May. The productivity of the honey collection can be about 30 kg per 1 ha.
. It grows as a small tree or as a shrub. The flowering period starts from the beginning of summer and lasts until its end. High-quality honey can be collected within 20 kg per 1 ha.
. it wild plant. Usually grows as a shrub, in rare cases - as a small tree. It is very widespread, since it does not have special requirements for climate conditions. The first color can be seen in early June. The productivity of this honey plant is 20 kg/ha.
. It is a very valuable and healing honey plant. It grows remarkably in forests, especially in log cabins and clearings. Blooms in June. You can collect up to 100 kg of delicious from 1 ha.
. As the name implies, this grows on personal plots. Has the appearance of a shrub. The flowering period closes almost the whole of June. It is a very good honey collector, since 200 kg of a sweet product can be collected from 1 ha.
. It is not easy to call it a honey plant, since this plant produces quite a bit of nectar. Blossom starts in early spring when the snow hadn't completely melted yet. Excellent pollen. It is thanks to the spring that they actively replenish their stocks.
. This low tree grows both in the forest and in parks. Often grows in home gardens. Blooms in late spring. You can collect a sweet product up to 40 kg per hectare.
It is an orchard tree that can pay more than 40 kg per hectare. The production period begins in May and lasts about 10 days.
. This bush can be found in almost all summer cottages. It blooms for a short time, usually in May. Productivity - 50 kg per 1 ha.
. Small honey plant. Grows in mixed and. Begins to bloom at the end of May. If plantings have a high density, then up to 80 kg of honey can be collected from 1 ha.
. This is a common garden honey plant. The production period begins in May and lasts until the end of June. It is possible to collect relatively little honey from 1 ha of pure plantations - about 20 kg.
. This small shrub grows on poor and wild soils. He loves sunny and open areas. The flowering period falls on the second half of summer. Nectar can produce a lot. Bribes can reach 170-200 kg per 1 ha.
. Depending on the species, it can grow as a small tree or a bush. At comfortable conditions the flowering period begins at the end of May. The plant produces a lot of nectar and pollen. Productivity is about 200 kg/ha.

Herbs and flowers

In addition to trees, there are also many herbs and flowers that are also excellent honey plants. The most common honey plants are:

. This plant grows everywhere. It is often confused with common dandelion. Flowers from July to early September. Productivity is usually in the range of 80 kg/ha.
. This flower belongs to the early honey plants. Productivity is relatively low, usually kept within 30 kg/ha. However, the coltsfoot is very valuable because it has a number of medicinal properties, and also releases pollen in addition to nectar.
. It can rightly be attributed to the most common plants on the planet. It starts blooming in early June. It is characterized by a small honey flow, but rather long. The average productivity is 50 kg per 1 ha.
. She loves wet soils. Flowering period from June to September. Bribes can reach up to 120 kilograms per hectare.
. It likes to grow near water bodies or on moist soils. Blooms actively from June to September. In the presence of favorable conditions bribes can be very large - up to 1.3 tons per hectare.
. Such honey plants grow very well in shady places, they love moist soil. The process of active flowering falls on June-September. The bribe is as large as that of y - up to 1.3 t/ha.
. It is a field plant, perennial. The bribe is within 110 kg per hectare. Cornflowers bloom from June to September.
This is a plant from the family. Loves moist soil. Blooms in May-June. Productivity can reach up to 100 kg per hectare.
. This plant belongs to the early honey plants, as it blooms in April-May. They grow exclusively in deciduous and spruce forests. Productivity can vary between 30-80 kg per hectare.
This plant is very common in forests. Blooms in early spring. It produces little nectar, but it can produce pollen abundantly.

Did you know? A sandwich with honey, consumed in the morning after the holiday, can help relieve discomfort due to a hangover, as it removes alcohol from the body.

Specially sown honey plants

Experienced beekeepers, in order to get a good harvest of a sweet product, practice sowing honey plants on their own. So you can choose those plants that will grow well in the selected area. And in this way, you can significantly increase the amount of collected honey.

The best honey plants for bees and popular ones for self-growing are:

Yellow and white clover. This plant blooms in May and continues to bloom until the end of summer. If landings are provided proper care, then the bush can grow up to 2 m in height. The shade of flowers depends directly on the type of plant. Sweet clover will suit almost any type. It calmly tolerates heat, grows well from seeds. Honey from this plant is considered the most valuable, so it is not in vain that many beekeepers actively grow it.
In order to grow yellow or white sweet clover on your own, you should definitely carry out seeds, this will help the sprouts to break through faster. Landing is recommended in early spring or before they come. It is important to guess the time of sowing so that the sprouts have time to break through before the onset of cold weather. The productivity of the honey plant can reach 270 kg of honey per hectare.
. For bees, you can grow both pink and white clover. Flowers at first glance may seem inconspicuous, but they are very loved. The plant grows remarkably in a site where they walk a lot. He is not afraid of rain or fluctuations in air temperature. The only thing that will be very harmful to the clover is the shade. It is important to provide him with good access to sunlight. Clover honey is white in color, has a strong aroma, and is also very rich in nutrients. From one hectare of land sown with clover, you can collect up to 100 kg of honey. Sowing of this plant should be carried out in August. To grow pink clover per one hundred square meters of land, you will need 5 kg of seeds, for white - 3 kg of planting material. Seeds can not be planted deeper than 1 cm into the ground after planting, you need to water abundantly. The first sprouts usually appear in just two weeks. The flowering period will take all summer, so it is very profitable for a beekeeper to grow clover.
. This plant is native to Asia. It begins to bloom in July and continues until the end of autumn. flowers of pink or lilac color. To grow it on the site, you can use seeds or simply divide the bush. Seeds cannot be buried too deep, the maximum depth should be about 0.5 cm, otherwise they simply will not germinate. Landing should be carried out in easy. unpretentious to climatic conditions, tolerates cold and lack of moisture.
. This plant is also called steppe mint. It blooms in early July and continues until frosty weather. The bushes are low, about 0.8 m. Bees love this plant very much. Seeds sometimes do not germinate well in open ground, so it is best to use seedlings by first sowing the seeds in containers. I like regular watering and a bright area.
. This flower is convenient for beekeepers because it grows well in the same place for 10 years. It can be propagated by seedlings or seeds. The first option is much faster and more convenient. active growth lofanta will contribute good lighting plot, then the bush can grow up to 1.5 m in height. The shrub is also able to tolerate cold and short drought, but despite this, it is necessary to water it and, if possible, shelter from the cold.
. This is a perennial plant that does not require much attention to itself. On average, it grows up to 50 cm. The flowering period begins in May. To grow goat's rue, the seeds need to be sown in July, so that it has time to develop well before the onset of cold weather. Seeds are a must. The productivity of this plant is quite good, about 200 kg of honey product can be collected from 1 ha. At the same time, for sowing the same area, 28 kg of seed will be needed.
It is very profitable to grow this plant. After all, having spent only 6 kg of seed per hectare, it will be possible to collect about 800 kg of honey later. It is better to sow an ordinary bruise together with some kind of cereal plant. It blooms in the first half of June with small flowers of pink shades.