Major Native and Naturalised Foraging Plants for Irish bees
Bees require a wide range of plants to forage on throughout the seasons. Some flowers are valued for their nectar while others are pollen sources; some plants yield both. To a bee keeper an important bee plant is when it is abundant enough in one area to produce sufficient nectar that the bee keeper can confidently say that the honey in the supers can be attributed mainly to that flower.
As the flowering period for most plants is usually confined to one month or two throughout the year, it is vital bees can find enough forage through the lean early months to build up their colonies and in the later months to have sufficient winter storage.
As farming practices move towards monoculture farming and greater land use ‘efficiency’ the diversity of plant species is greatly diminished and ecological resilience is lost. There is a great opportunity for urban dwellers to plant bee friendly plants so a network of bee friendly gardens can be built up throughout the city and a resilient urban ecology can be established that supports bees and other pollinators.
It is also important to plant native and naturalised plants as they will have wider benefits for other native species.
Major Native and Naturalised Foraging Plants for Irish Bees
Common name | Botanical name | 10:high rating 1:low rating | Family | Flowering Time | ||||
Up to May | June | July | Aug. | After Aug. | ||||
Apple | Any Native variety | 5 | Rosaceae | Yes | Yes | |||
Blackberry | Rubus fruiticosus | 8 | Rosaceae | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Blackthorn (sloe) | Prunas spinosa | 7 | Rosaceae | Yes | ||||
Clover, Red | Trifolium | 5 | Legumin -osae | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Clover, White | Trifolium | 9 | Legumin -osae | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Clover, Sweet | Trifolium | 9 | Legumin -osae | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Cherry | Prunas sp | 5 | Rosaceae | Yes | ||||
Chestnut Horse (naturalised) | Aesclus hippocastanum | 4 | hippocastanum | Yes | Yes | |||
Dandelion | Taraxacum officinale | 9 | Compasitae | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Gorse | Ulex sp | 6 | Leguminosae | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Hawthorn | Crataegus monogyna | 6 | Rosaceae | Yes | Yes | |||
Heather, Bell | Erica cinerea | 8 | Ericaeae | Yes | Yes | |||
Heather, Ling | Calluna vulgaris | 9 | Ericaeae | Yes | Yes | |||
Holly | Llex aquifolium | 4 | Aquifoliaceae | Yes | ||||
Ivy (most important Sept –Nov) | Hedera helix | 7 | Araliaceae | Yes | ||||
Sea Lavender | Limonium vulgare | 7 | Plumbaginaceae | Yes | Yes | |||
Mustard, White (naturalised) | Sinapsis alba | 7 | Cruciferae | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Parsnip | Partinaca sativa | 9 | Umbelliferae | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Phacelia (naturalised?) | Phacelia tanacetifolia | 9 | Hydrophyllaceae | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Rape, Wild | Brassica napis | 9 | Cruciferae | Yes | Yes | |||
Raspberry | Rubus adaeus | 9 | Rosaceae | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Sunflower (naturalised) | Hellianthus sp | 7 | Compositae | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Thistle | Cirsium sp | 8 | Compositae | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Willow | Salix sp | 7 | Salicaceae | Yes | ||||
Fruit – Cherry, Pear, plum and apple along with blackthorn occur early in the year and can give the colony pollen and nectar for a good early build up in the spring months. Willow – an extremely important source of early pollen. Sycamore – important source of pollen and nectar early in the season. Ivy – very important end of season for nectar. Blackberry – important dependable bee plant due to long flowering period. | ||||||||
Ref: Practical Beekeeping by Clive de Bruyn
