What flowers did this honey come from?
This series of posts looks at different forage plants that bees use to source nectar, pollen or resin, from the everyday to the utterly unusual.
Dandelions are typically in flower from spring to early summer and are a great source of pollen and nectar for bees and many other insects.
What plant is this bee using? Taraxacum officinale or the common dandelion. Yes, it has other common names and no, we’re not going in to them here.
What do bees get from dandelions? Dandelions are an abundant early source of both nectar (for fuel and making honey) and pollen (for protein to feed to brood).
Ugh…I hate dandelions. Fetch me the weedkiller… No! Step away from the weedkiller. Dandelions are an important early source of nectar and pollen, not just for honeybees but bumblebees, butterflies and other insects, not to mention more than a dozen bird species who rely on the seeds later in the season. Having dandelions in your garden is an honour and something you should be proud of. If you must control them (for some reason) then there are less harmful ways of doing so.
Do dandelions make good honey? Yes, they do – but it does give a distinctive smell while it’s being processed. Kind of socklike. The scent rapidly evaporates and areas abundant in dandelions produce great honey.
Leave a Reply