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Author Topic: Where can you find a list with common plant names that good for honeybees?  (Read 2170 times)

Offline Papi

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 Looking for plant in Colo. that maybe good for honeybees? Looking around at what I have growing in the wild in wet years and a new plan in the dry years, and looking for names that I don't have to have a collage degree to read the name or a degree in lation.

Offline Kaisa

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Re: Where can you find a list with common plant names that good for honeybees?
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2011, 05:19:37 pm »
In "American Honey Plants" the plants are listed by common name and the latin names are also given.  For Colorado they list rosin weed but say it gives low grade honey, narcissus, parsley and prairie clover, wild onion, dandelion, canteloupe, sunflowers, mentzelia, lupines, loco weed, white clematis, willow, wild currant, red gaura or ragged lady, aside alfalfa and fruit trees. As mentioned by others this is a great book!

Offline BjornBee

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Re: Where can you find a list with common plant names that good for honeybees?
« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2011, 08:59:56 pm »
Papi,

On this page is a few links that may help. The lady bird johnson link is very useful.

http://www.pennapic.org/linksbeenews.html
www.bjornapiaries.com
www.pennapic.org
Please Support "National Honey Bee Day"
Northern States Queen Breeders Assoc.  www.nsqba.com

Offline bee-nuts

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Re: Where can you find a list with common plant names that good for honeybees?
« Reply #3 on: February 09, 2011, 05:03:53 am »
Kaisa forgot to give one good detail:

"American Honey Plants" can be found free on google books.  Just go to google pull down the more tab, click books and search "American Honey Plants" and you will have enough info on honey plants to keep you busy for awhile.

The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

Thomas Jefferson

Offline gardeningfireman

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Re: Where can you find a list with common plant names that good for honeybees?
« Reply #4 on: February 09, 2011, 11:44:41 am »
Liatris is one of the favorite plants of my bees and the wild bees in my yard. However, I have not seen it mentioned in any book or list of "bee plants". I can't figure that one out!

Offline Vetch

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Re: Where can you find a list with common plant names that good for honeybees?
« Reply #5 on: February 09, 2011, 12:05:20 pm »
Common names for plants can be dangerous. There are many plants that have multiple common names. There are many common names that describe two or more very different plants.

You don't have to learn a whole new language to deal with the Latin names - just two words for each plant. If you know someone as 'Bubba' it isn't that hard to also learn that he is also Jim Willis or Daniel Smith. Lots of Bubbas running around these parts, could cause some confusion.  
« Last Edit: February 10, 2011, 01:40:34 pm by Vetch »

Offline jdnewberry

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Re: Where can you find a list with common plant names that good for honeybees?
« Reply #6 on: February 10, 2011, 01:54:18 am »
When I was in Colorado, I had a lot of luck with Sweet Clover.  It was not my entire nectar source, but a nice supplement to what the bees found elsewhere.  I've been moved away for years, now, so I honestly can't really remember everything they foraged... 

I would, however, recommend the book "The Hive and the Honey Bee."  It breaks down the nectar sources for the entire country into regions, includes common and scientific names, as well as anticipated flowering dates.  I don't have my copy with me at the moment or I would look it up for you, but it's worth a purchase anyway.  Tons of useful information on every aspect of beekeeping, honey plants included.

Offline jdnewberry

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Re: Where can you find a list with common plant names that good for honeybees?
« Reply #7 on: February 10, 2011, 03:48:15 pm »
Okay...  I grabbed my book.  The nectar and pollen plant table is 47 pages long, so I'll just touch on a few plants for your region...

Maple
Box Elder
Thistles
Sunflower
Goldenrod
Dandelion
Rocky Mountain Bee Plant (go figure!)
snowberry/Waxberry
Watermelon, honeydew, cucumber, etc...
Alfalfa
Sweet Clover
Black Locust
Vetch
White/Dutch Clover
Corn
Smartweed

The list continues, but most of these grow wild around there.  The others are either commonly cultivated or well-suited to your area.  Hope this helps a little!