This blog documents the story of the Bee Limerick Group and their quest to introduce honey bees back into the city centre of Limerick. Bee Limerick along with its partners are also involved in planting native Irish flowers, shrubs and trees to create a resilient urban ecology.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Major Native and Naturalised Foraging Plants for Irish bees

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