Trees and Shrubs
| Plant type | Common name | Latin name | Begin Bloom Month | End Bloom Month | Monofloral honey | Availability | Source for honey bees / pounds of honey per acre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T | Maple | Acer | 2 | 4 | no | feral | major but temperature usually too cold |
| T | Red Maple | Acer rubrum | 2 | 4 | no | feral | major but temperature usually too cold for bees to fly |
| T | Ohio Buckeye | Aesculus glabra | 4 | 5 | no | feral | minor |
| S | Shadbush | Amelanchier arborea | 4 | 5 | no | feral | minor |
| Devils-walkingstick | Aralia spinosa | 7 | 8 | no | feral | minor | |
| S | Red Chokeberry | Aronia arbutifolia, Photinia pyrifolia | 5 | 6 | no | feral | minor |
| S | Black Chokeberry | Aronia melanocarpa | 5 | 6 | no | feral | minor |
| T | Catalpa, Indian Bean | Catalpa speciosa | 6 | 7 | no | feral, ornamental | minor |
| S | Common Hackberry | Celtis occidentalis | 4 | 5 | no | feral | minor |
| S | Buttonbush | Cephalanthus occidentalis | 7 | 8 | Honey is light in color and mild in flavor. | feral | |
| S | Hawthorn | Crataegus | 4 | 5 | no | feral | minor - 50 - 100 pounds/acre |
| S | Honeysuckle | Diervilla lonicera | 6 | 8 | minor | ||
| T | Honey Locust | Gleditsia triancanthos | 5 | 6 | no | feral | minor |
| S | American Holly | Ilex opaca | 4 | 6 | no | feral | minor, important in southeastern US |
| T | Tulip-tree | Liriodendron tulipifera | 5 | 6 | yes, see Monofloral honey | feral | major in southern Appalachians and Piedmont |
| T | Apple | Malus domestica | 4 | 5 | No, the nectar is mostly used for spring brood raising and not stored for surplus. see Monofloral honey | cultivated | minor |
| T | Crab Apple | Malus sylvestris; Malus coronaria | 3 | 6 | no | ornamental | minor |
| T | Cherry | Prunus cerasus | 4 | 5 | no | feral, cultivated | minor |
| T | Pear | Pyrus communis | 4 | 5 | no | cultivated | minor |
| T | Black Cherry | Prunus serotina | 4 | 5 | no | feral, cultivated | minor |
| T | Plum | Prunus | 4 | 5 | no | feral, cultivated | minor |
| S | Common Buckthorn | Rhamnus cathartica | 5 | 6 | no | feral | minor |
| T | Sumac | Rhus glabra | 6 | 7 | mixed with other honeys | feral | major |
| T | Black Locust | Robinia pseudoacacia | 5 | 6 | yes, see Monofloral honey | feral | major - 800 - 1200 pounds/; short bloom period of about 10 days |
| S | Raspberry | Rubus | 5 | 6 | yes, see Monofloral honey | feral, cultivated | major in some areas |
| S | Blackberry | Rubus spp. | 5 | 6 | yes, see Monofloral honey | feral, cultivated | major in some areas |
| T | Willow | Salix | 2 | 4 | no | feral, ornamental | major but outside temperatures are usually too cold for bees to fly. 100 - 150 pounds honey per acre; 1,500 pounds pollen |
| T | Pussy Willow | Salix discolor | 3 | 4 | no | feral, ornamental | major but temperature usually too cold for bees to fly |
| T | Bee bee tree | Tetradium | 7 | 9 | ornamental | major | |
| T | Basswood | Tilia americana, Tilia cordata | 6 | 7 | yes, short flow up to 14 days; Honey white; aromatic see Monofloral honey | feral, ornamental Produces a high volume of honey on a cycle of every five to eight years, with lower volume of nectar other years. | major 800 - 1,100 pounds honey |
| T | American Elm | Ulmus americana | 2 | 4 | no | feral | minor |
| S | Blueberry | Vaccinium corymbosum, Vaccinium angustifolium, Vaccinium pennsylvanicum | 5 | 6 | no. Honey amber and of good flavor. | cultivated | minor in most areas. Strong colonies may store 50-90 pounds of surplus from it. |
| S | Black haw | Viburnum prunifolium | 5 | 6 |
Read more about this topic: Northern American Nectar Sources For Honey Bees
Famous quotes containing the words trees and/or shrubs:
“Society is all but rude,
To this delicious solitude.
No white nor red was ever seen
So amorous as this lovely green.
Fond lovers, cruel as their flame,
Cut in these trees their mistress’ name:
Little, alas, they know or heed
How far these beauties hers exceed!
Fair trees, wheresoe’er your barks I wound,
No name shall but your own be found.”
—Andrew Marvell (1621–1678)
“He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.””
—Bible: New Testament, Matthew 13:31,32.