Honey Bee Plants and
Why we Need Bee Plants
Honey bee plants are all around us, we grow these bee plants in our gardens often without realising just how much we are helping our honey bees!. Perhaps you would like to know the best plants for bees? And if you have just started to keep bees for making your own raw honey maybe you'd like to know the best nectar producing plants.
Those of you who find gardening a bit of a chore will be delighted to know those weeds growing in you honey bee garden are actually a huge source of nectar producing plants. There are those forever spreading dandelions and star thistle! Star Thistle Honey is actually very good.
As you drive around the country side you are bound to at some point see field crops like soya beans, alfalfa and cotton, a sea of colour and all are there due to the massive contribution to Plant Pollination which come mainly from the efforts of our honey bees.
Take a walk by a stream in the spring and summer months and honey bee plants are everywhere, it’s what makes our walks even more pleasurable. We would not see these bee plants if all our honey bees disappearas has been predicted. We wouldn't have much to eat either. This makes saving our sources of nectar producing plants a necessity.
We can do a huge amount to save the honey bees by planting our own honey bee plants in our own honey bee gardens which will give us all a huge amount of pleasure and this is actually very easy to do.
Best Honey Bee Plants,
Those that Bees Love for Color
Apart from our weeds and wildflowers that grow everywhere, we can grow an array of our own wonderful bee plants depending on which part of the world we live in.
Probably the best kind of nectar producing plants for those of you who have just taken up beekeeping or are thinking about it for reasons of harvesting your own raw honey, are in fact orchards filled with fruit trees.
Fruit pollination is a honey bees dream come true! Just like you and I they like apples, any type of apple. There is even an apple named "Honey Crisp Apple"Why not plant a couple or more apple trees, these can be as big or as small as you like as they can be grown in pots too if you have a small garden or backyard .
The nectar produced from the apple flowers makes a very distinctive and pleasant tasting honey which is light amber in color. However, it is the nectar produced from the beautiful white blossoms that attract our bees. Honey bees do appear to have a preference of flower colours, their favourite bee plants are purple, yellow, blue and white.
For some reason honey bees love these colors so this gives you a fighting chance to get it right. Dad’s you don’t have to cut the lawn so often leave the dandelions alone and the bees will reward you by making delicious honey and keeping this planet "alive".
Even if you grow a few plants and flowers in the tiniest spot, you will be making a very positive and valuable contribution towards the future of our planet. A large yellow flower and one that can be grown almost anywhere is the stunning sun flower. Sunflower Honey is produced commercially and very tasty it is too. A perfect example of a nectar producing plant. Those particular honey bee plants have been grown as crops for both nectar and seeds for years, however, with the overuse of pesticides in recent years these crops are in danger.
This is such a shame, however it is so easy to grow these bee plants yourself you will be very pleased you did. The sunflower plant is loaded with pollen which makes it very easy for the bees in their pollination efforts..
Have you heard of the Golden Honey Plant? This is a beautiful plant preferably grown in damp conditions so needs plenty of water. The honey produced from this is aromatic and light to medium amber in color.
Probably and amongst our honey bee’s favourites, is one we have all heard of. Lavender, a pretty purple color sending out a wonderful perfume and the nectar produces a very distinct flavoured honey.
Once the bees have finished with these why not collect the seed like blooms, fill little cotton bags to place around your home as wonderful air-fresheners, far better than any chemical sprays.
Talking of chemical sprays, you don’t have to use these to keep your honey plants healthy. There is a great new invention called soap nuts. These soap nuts have become highly recommended for many uses but spraying bee plants with a mixture of these will help to keep honey bees healthy but destroy any little pests too.
Honey Bee Plants ~ For Delicious Fruit
What about a plum tree or two. These generally bloom earlier than most other fruit bearing plants. The nectar from these plants produces a pleasant honey which is a light amber color.
And berries, kids love to pick these and I bet you remember doing the same. Blackberries and raspberries just to name a couple. Packed full of vitamins and also make a delicious honey which can be white to light amber in color and very fruity.
Beneficial Honey Bee Plants
These honey bee plants are absolutely essential for us; make no mistake without these particular plants we will suffer great losses. The cotton plant is probably the most important bee plant.
No cotton plants and very few clothes on our backs. Hold onto your jeans because if predictions are correct about honey bee deaths. There will be no more jeans and we don’t want to be telling our children and grandchildren about the history of jeans!
Clover, a beautiful nectar producing plant. There are so many varieties and is actually the most commonly produced honey bee plant in the world. When I travel to France I always buy this light but beautifully mild in flavour honey. Imagine not having these nectar producing plants anymore!
Canola is from the mustard family, a very important honey bee plant which makes quite a strong flavoured honey. Use this honey for best results when making your own honey mustard recipes, delicious!
I think most people have heard of Manuka Honey. This very special and highly healing honey comes from the honey bee plant known as the Manuka Tree. This is a vital honey bee plant, absolutley vital for growing and making the highly effective medicinal honey which has been re-introduced and recognized as a natural medicine cure for many medical problems.
Honey Bee Plants are Everywhere Thank Goodness
Bee plants are essential, without these nectar producing plants our food stocks will diminish rapidly, our lives will change dramatically and our earth will change beyond recognition.
A book by the title of "American Honey Plants" quotes more than sixty one popular American Honey’s all of which come from an amazing variety of honey bee plants. I will list a few of these below for your information just in case you wish to get really ambitious. - Alder
- Alfalfa
- Anise
- Asparagus
- Aster
- Avocado
- Bay tree
- Bird foot trefoil
- Blueberry
- Blue curl
- Cactus, giant
- Cantaloupe
- Carrot
- Cranberry
- Eucalyptus
- Fiddleneck
- Foxglove
- Gallberry
- Goldenrod
- Holly
- Horehound
- Knapweed
- Larkspur
- Lima bean
- Macadamia
- Meadow foam
- Mint
- M. Monroe
- Peppermint
- Rabbit brush
- Raspberry
- Sainfoin
- Sassafras
- Star thistle
- Tamarisk
- Tyme
- Vetch
These are just a few honey bee plants that our honey bees are responsible for pollinating and making honey from, pretty amazing don’t you think!
I would love to write about every single honey plant there is but would never be able to finish as there thousands, no millions of them. If you plan to grow your own bee plants there are several wonderfully written books which will act just like a mentor for you.
I have chosen a few you maybe interested in growing although there are of course many, many more. This also depends very much on where in the world you live and the climate.  Perhaps you would like to write to me and tell me of the best nectar producing plants in your own area? This is very easy to do just click on this link:write an article. Return to Raw Honey from Honey Bee Plants
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