List of pollen

sources

Bee collecting pollen

Pollen laden bees at hive entrance

Bee on plum tree with pollen

The term pollen source is often used in

the context of beekeeping and refers to
flowering plants as a source of pollen for
bees or other insects. Bees collect pollen
as a protein source to raise their brood.
For the plant, the pollinizer, this can be an
important mechanism for sexual
reproduction, as the pollinator distributes
its pollen. Few flowering plants self-
pollinate; some can provide their own
pollen (self fertile), but require a
pollinator to move the pollen; others are
dependent on cross pollination from a
genetically different source of viable
pollen, through the activity of pollinators.
One of the possible pollinators to assist
in cross-pollination are honeybees. The
article below is mainly about the pollen
source from a beekeeping perspective.
The pollen source in a given area
depends on the type of vegetation
present and the length of their bloom
period. What type of vegetation will grow
in an area depends on soil texture, soil
pH, soil drainage, daily maximum and
minimum temperatures, precipitation,
extreme minimum winter temperature,
and growing degree days. The plants
listed below are plants that would grow
in USDA Hardiness zone 5. A good
predictor for when a plant will bloom and
produce pollen is a calculation of the
growing degree days.

The color of pollen below indicates the

color as it appears when the pollen
arrives at the beehive. Bees mix dry
pollen with nectar and/or honey to
compact the pollen in the pollen basket.
Dry pollen, is a food source for bees,
which contains 16–30% protein, 1–10%
fat, 1–7% starch, many vitamins, but little
sugar. The protein source needed for
rearing one worker bee from larval to
adult stage requires approximately 120
to 145 mg of pollen. An average bee
colony will collect about 20 to 57 kg (44
to 125 pounds) of pollen a year.[1][2]

Spring
Trees and shrubs – Spring
Common Blooming Source for
Latin name Pollen color Availability
name months honeybees

Maple Acer spp. Feb – Apr light yellow feral fair

Manitoba
Maple
Acer negundo Feb – Apr light olive feral good
(Box
elder)

Norway Apr –
Acer platanoides yellow green, olive feral fair
maple May

Mar –
Red Maple Acer rubrum grey brown feral
Apr

Grey Alder Alnus incana Feb – Apr brownish yellow feral

American May – mostly

Castanea dentata
Chestnut Jun ornamental

Sweet
Castanea sativa May feral good
Chestnut

Common Apr –
Celtis occidentalis feral
Hackberry May

Chaenomeles japonica,
Chaenomeles
Flowering lagenaria, Apr –
feral good
Quince Chaenomeles speciosa May
'Nivalis', Chaenomeles x
superba

American Mar – feral and

Corylus americana light green fair/good
Hazel Apr ornamental

Apr –
Hawthorn Crataegus spp. yellow brown feral fair
May

White Ash Fraxinus americana Apr –

May

Honey May –
Gleditsia triancanthos feral
Locust Jun

American Apr –
Ilex opaca feral
holly Jun

Apr –
Walnut Juglans spp cultivated fair
Walnut Juglans spp. cultivated fair
May

May – feral and

Tulip-tree Lirodendron tulipifera cream good
Jun ornamental

Crab Mar –
Malus spp. light olive ornamental
Apple Jun

cultivated
Malus domestica, Apr –
Apple yellow white and very good
Malus sylvestris May
ornamental

American Apr –
Platanus occidentalis light olive feral
Sycamore May

ornamental
Apr –
Plum Prunus spp. light grey, grey and
May
cultivated

light brown to
brown pollen – not
cultivated
considered a good
Almond Prunus amygdalus Feb mostly in fair
pollen source but
California
bees are the
primary pollinator

Wild Apr – yellow brown, light

Prunus avium feral very good
Cherry May brown

Cherry light brown to

Prunus cerasifera feral fair
Plum brown

ornamental
Sour Apr –
Prunus cerasus dark yellow and very good
Cherry May
cultivated

ornamental
Apr –
Peach Prunus persica reddish yellow and good
May
cultivated

Black Prunus serotina Apr – feral minor

Cherry May

Mar –
Blackthorn Prunus spinosa firebrick feral good
May

ornamental
Apr –
Pear Pyrus communis red yellow and good
May
 y
cultivated

Oak Quercus spp. May feral

Quercus robur, Quercus

Oak May light olive feral minor
pedunculata

Black May –
Robinia pseudoacacia feral
Locust Jun

May – feral and

Blackberry Rubus spp. light grey
Jun cultivated

May – feral and

Raspberry Rubus idaeus white grey good
Jun cultivated

Willow Salix spp. Feb – Apr lemon feral good

White
Salix alba feral good
Willow

Goat Mar –
Salix caprea feral very good
Willow Apr

Violet Mar –
Salix daphnoides feral very good
Willow Apr

Pussy Mar – feral and

Salix discolor
Willow Apr ornamental

Basket Mar –
Salix purpurea feral very good
Willow Apr

Silky leaf
osier, Apr –
Salix x smithiana very good
Smith's May
Willow

American
mountain Sorbus americana May-Jun feral
ash

American Ulmus americana Feb – Apr light grey feral

Elm

Winged Feb –
Ulmus alata pale yellow feral good
Elm Mar

Europea
Ulmus americana feral good
field elm
Gallery

Flying honeybee with red pollen in pollen

basket, likely on henbit

Bees in April with blue Siberian squill

pollen in pollen basket
 Honeybees in May with red (likely Horse
chestnut) pollen in pollen basket

Dandelion pollen

Flowers and annual crop

plants – Spring
 Blooming Source for
Common name Latin name Pollen color Availability
months honeybees

Ajuga (Bronze
mid
Bugle, Common Ajuga reptans
spring
Bugle)

Allium May –
Chives cultivated?
schoenoprasum Sep

Asparagus May –
Asparagus bright orange cultivated
officinalis Jun

Apr – cultivated
Mustard Brassica arvenisi lemon
May and feral

Canola (Oilseed May – extensively

Brassica napus lemon very good
Rape) Jun cultivated

Crocus vernus
feral and
Yellow Crocus (syn. Crocus April orange yellow fair
ornamental
aureus)

Doronicum Apr –
Leopard's Bane
cordatum May

Mar – feral and

Winter aconite Eranthis hyemalis yellow good
Apr ornamental

Mar –
Snowdrop Galanthus nivalis orange, red fair
Apr

orange red,
Lamium
Henbit April red, purplish Apr – Jul poor
amplexicaule
red

Apr –
Common Mallow Malva sp. mauve feral good
Sep

May – yellow to dark feral and

White Sweet Clover Melilotus alba good
Aug yellow cultivated

Melilotus May – yellow to dark feral and

Yellow Sweet Clover
officinalis Aug yellow cultivated

Onobrychis May –
Sainfoin yellow brown very good
viciifolia Jul

Mar – feral and

Siberian squill Scilla sibirica steel blue good
Apr ornamental
 feral and
White mustard Sinapis alba June lemon good
cultivated

Chick weed Stellaria media Apr – Jul yellowish feral minor

Taraxacum Apr – red yellow,

Dandelion feral very good
officinale May orange

Mar –
Gorse Ulex europaeus light firebrick feral good
Dec

Summer
Trees and shrubs – Summer
 Common Pollen Source for
Latin name Blooming months Availability
name color honeybees

Red Horse
Aesculus carnea raisin [3] feral
chestnut

May – Jun after 80-

Horse Aesculus anatolia
110 growing degree [3]
feral good
chestnut hippocastanum
days.

Southern Catalpa
Jun – Jul ornamental fair
Catalpa bignonioides

Northern
Catalpa speciosa Jun – Jul ornamental
Catalpa

Bluebeard Caryopteris x Aug – Sep very good

clandonensis
'Heavenly Blue'

Virginia Parthenocissus
Jul – Aug good
creeper quinquefolia

Parthenocissus
Boston Ivy
tricuspidata Jun – Jul good
'Veitchii'
'Veitchii'

Sumac Rhus glabra Jun – Jul

Sambucus canary
Elder Jun – Jul
canadensis yellow [3]

Basswood or yellow to
feral and
American Tilia americana Jun – Jul light
ornamental
Linden orange

Little Leaf
Tilia cordata citrine [3] feral
Linden

red
Blueberry Vaccínium myrtíllus Jun yellow, cultivated poor
orange

Flowers and annual crop

plants – Summer
 Blooming Source for
Common name Latin name Pollen color Availability
months honeybees

feral and
Allium Allium spp.
cultivated

Onion Allium cepa light olive cultivated

Allium May – feral and

Chives
schoenoprasum Sep cultivated

Aug – feral and

Garlic chives Allium tuberosa
Sep cultivated

Leadwort syn.
Amorpha fruticosa Jun – Jul ornamental?
Indigobush

Aster Aster spp. Sep-Frost reddish feral and

yellow ornamental

Land-in-blue , Aug – bronze yellow

Aster x dumosus [3]
feral
Bushy Aster Sep

Jun –
Borage Borago officinalis blueish grey ornamental
Frost

Jun –
Marigold Calendula officinalis orange
Sep

yellow white,
Heather sp. Calluna vulgaris Jul – Aug good
white

good
Hemp Cannabis sativa Aug yellow green
source

Blue Thistle Carduus spp.

Star thistle Centaurea spp. Jul – Sep

Persian
Centaurea dealbata hemp [3]
centaurea

Centaurea
Knapweed Jul – Aug good
macrocephala

very light
Knapweed Centaurea nigra
olive

Chicory Cichorium intybus L. white

Cotoneaster Cotoneaster spp. good

Cucumber Cucumis spp. pale yellow cultivated

Melons Cucumis melo Jun-Frost pale yellow cultivated

Pumpkin Cucurbita pepo Jun-Frost bright yellow cultivated

Fireweed
Epilobium
(Rosebay Jul – Aug blue feral
angustifolium
Willowherb)

Eutrochium spp.;
Joe-Pye weed, Aug –
Eupatorium bistre green
Bluestem Sep
purpureum

Fagopyrum light yellow good

Buckwheat Jul – Aug cultivated
esculentum to light green source

Blue vine Gonolobus laevis syn.

Cynanchum laeve

Jun – feral and

Sunflower Helianthus annuus golden
Sep cultivated

yellowish
Jewelweed Impatients capensis
white

Jun –
Alyssum Lobularia maritima
Sep

white, yellow
Lupin Lupinus sp. Jun – Jul minor
or blue

Jun –
Mallow Malva sylvestris
Sep

July – feral and

Alfalfa Medicago sativa khaki [3]
Aug cultivated

Melilotus spp. and May – feral and

Clover
Trifolium spp. Aug cultivated

White Sweet feral and

Melilotus alba auburn [3]
Clover cultivated

Yellow Sweet feral and

Melilotus officinalis auburn [3]
Clover cultivated

Basil Ocimum basilicum white ornamental

May – ornamental good

Poppy Papaver orientale blueish grey
Jul only source [4]

May – feral and very good

Poppy Papaver somniferum grey
J t l
 Jun ornamental source

Jun – feral and good

Phacelia Phacelia tanacetifolia navy blue
Sep cultivated source

Aug –
Smartweed Polygonum spp.
Sep

Common minor
Stellaria media Apr – Jul
Chickweed source

Germander Teucrium chamaedrys Jul – Aug

good
Alsike Clover Trifolium hybridum yellow brown
source

Crimson Clover Trifolium incarnatum dark brown

White Clover Trifolium repens Jun – Jul caledonian good

brown source

Cat-tail Typha latifolia Jun – Jul

Common vetch Vicia cracca Jul – Aug

Spring Vetch Vicia sativa Jul – Aug

yellowish
Sweet Corn Zea mays Jun – Jul cultivated
white

Fall
Trees and shrubs – Fall
Blooming Pollen Source for
Common name Latin name Availability
months color honeybees

Chinese Elm, Ulmus

Aug – Sep ornamental good
Lacebark Elm parvifolia

Flowers and annual crop

plants – Fall
Blooming Source for
Common name Latin name Pollen color Availability
months honeybees

reddish
Aster Aster spp. Sep-Frost
yellow

Borago
Borage Jun – Frost
officinalis

Cucumis
Melons Jun-Frost cultivated
melo

Sweet autumn Clematis

late Sept white ornamental
clematis ternifolia

Cucurbita
Pumpkin Jun-Frost bright yellow cultivated
pepo

dull yellow or feral and

Ivy Hedera spp. Sep – Oct
black? ornamental

Solidago
Goldenrod Sep – Oct golden feral
spp.

[5][6][7][8][9]

See also
Forage (honey bee)
List of honey plants
Melliferous flower
 Nectar source

References
1. THE R-VALUES OF HONEY: POLLEN
COEFFICIENT accessed Feb 2005
2. Reiter, R, THE COLORATION OF
ANTHER AND CORBICULAR POLLEN ,
THE OHIO JOURNAL OF SCIENCE, VOL.
XLVII JULY, 1947 No. 4, Camden, N. J.
3. [1]
4. Die Honig Macher ( in German )
5. Bienenweide Arbeitsblatt 207,
Bieneninstitut Kirchhain, 2001
6. Tew, James Some Ohio Nectar and
Pollen Producing Plants Ohio State
University Extension Fact Sheet, 2000
7. Stahlman, Dana Honey Plants
Flowering Plants/Trees 2004
8. Hodges, Dorothy; The pollen loads of
the honeybee, Bee Research Association
Limited, London, 1952
9. Lamp, Thomas; Bienennährpflanzen 1 :
Gehölze Nov 1999; accessed 05/2005

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