The European Journal of Plant Science and Biotechnology ©2007 Global Science Books Nectar Production for the Hungarian Honey Industry Ágnes Farkas1* • Edit Zajácz2 1 Institute of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pécs, Rókus u. 2., H-7624 Pécs, Hungary 2 Research Institute for Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Research Group for Honeybee Breeding and Biology, H-2100 GödöllP, Isaszegi út, Hungary Corresponding author : * [email protected] ABSTRACT The review gives an overview of the nectar and honey production of the most important melliferous plants in Hungary, where apiculture is a small but significant segment of agriculture. The climatic and soil conditions are favourable for beekeeping, with a flowering period that lasts from April to September, offering abundant nectar sources for bees. The most important bee-pollinated plants yielding unifloral honeys are: black locust/robinia (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), lime (Tilia spp.), rape (Brassica napus L.), sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.), goldenrod (Solidago canadensis L.), milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.) and wild garlic (Allium ursinum L.). Robinia and milkweed honeys belong to the speciality honeys, so-called “Hungaricums”, while robinia and sunflower honey are popular export products of Hungary. Among the rare unifloral honey sources the nectar of Brassica, Fagopyrum, Melilotus, Phacelia and Trifolium species can be mentioned. Other nectar-producing plants of the Hungarian flora contribute to multifloral honeys, which are also popular with consumers. The nectar of early blooming fruit trees is important for honeybees in the brood rearing season, but rarely can provide unifloral honey, as well. The quantity and quality of the available nectar sources can show huge differences depending on the season, environmental conditions, the blooming stage of the plant, the age of the flowers and the time of the day. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Keywords: bee forage plants, black locust, lime, milkweed, oilseed rape, phacelia, sunflower CONTENTS INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................................................................... 125 EARLY SPRING BEE PASTURE ............................................................................................................................................................. 126 Cornus mas L., Cornaceae (Cornelian cherry dogwood or European cornel)....................................................................................... 126 Salix (willow) species, Salicaceae......................................................................................................................................................... 126 SPRING BEE PASTURE........................................................................................................................................................................... 128 Allium ursinum L., Alliaceae (ramson or wild garlic)............................................................................................................................ 128 Brassica napus L., Brassicaceae (oilseed rape and canola)................................................................................................................... 128 Fruit trees and shrubs (Rosaceae and Grossulariaceae)........................................................................................................................ 130 Acer (maple) species, Aceraceae ........................................................................................................................................................... 133 Cornus sanguinea L., Cornaceae (common dogwood or bloodtwig dogwood) .................................................................................... 133 EARLY SUMMER BEE PASTURE .......................................................................................................................................................... 134 Robinia pseudoacacia L., Fabaceae (acacia, black locust, false acacia, robinia)..................................................................................134 Tilia (lime) species, Tiliaceae................................................................................................................................................................ 136 Castanea sativa Mill., Fagaceae (sweet chestnut) ................................................................................................................................ 137 Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth., Hydrophyllaceae (lacy or tansy phacelia) ............................................................................................. 137 Brassica nigra (L.) Koch, Sinapis alba L., Brassicaceae (black and white mustard) ........................................................................... 138 Elaeagnus angustifolia L., Elaeagnaceae (Russian olive) .................................................................................................................... 138 Onobrychis viciifolia Scop., Fabaceae (sainfoin).................................................................................................................................. 139 SUMMER BEE PASTURE........................................................................................................................................................................ 139 Trifolium (clover) species, Fabaceae..................................................................................................................................................... 139 Helianthus annuus L., Asteraceae (sunflower)...................................................................................................................................... 140 Asclepias syriaca L., Asclepiadaceae (milkweed)................................................................................................................................. 141 Cucurbita and Cucumis spp., Cucurbitaceae (squashes, cucumbers and melons)................................................................................. 142 Lotus corniculatus L., Fabaceae (bird’s foot trefoil)............................................................................................................................. 143 Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle syn. A. glandulosa Desf., Simaroubaceae (Chinese Sumach, tree of heaven)............................ 143 Evodia (evodia) species, Rutaceae ........................................................................................................................................................ 144 Melilotus (melilot or sweetclover) species, Fabaceae........................................................................................................................... 144 Vicia (vetch) species, Fabaceae............................................................................................................................................................. 145 Stachys annua L., Lamiaceae (annual hedgenettle, woundwort)........................................................................................................... 146 END OF SUMMER BEE PASTURE ........................................................................................................................................................ 146 Solidago (goldenrod) species, Asteraceae ............................................................................................................................................. 146 Sophora japonica L., Fabaceae (Japanese pagodatree, scholar tree) .................................................................................................... 147 Fagopyrum esculentum Moench, Polygonaceae (buckwheat)............................................................................................................... 147 CONCLUDING REMARKS AND NEED FOR FURTHER RESEARCH ............................................................................................... 148 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................................................................................... 148 REFERENCES........................................................................................................................................................................................... 148 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION Hungarian Beekeepers, there are 15-17,000 beekeepers with 600-900,000 colonies in Hungary (out of 50 million colo- Hungary traditionally belongs to countries with significant nies worldwide), having an essential role in maintaining the honey production. According to the data of the Society of ecological balance. In the past decade, honey production Received: 15 July, 2007. Accepted: 21 November, 2007. Invited Review The European Journal of Plant Science and Biotechnology 1(2), 125-151 ©2007 Global Science Books ranged from 10,000 to 22,000 t, averaging 15,000 t/year honey flow of black locust. Willow honey is mostly con- (out of 1.1 million tons in the world) (OMME, National sumed up by the nest, used in brood rearing (Tompa 1973), Program of Beekeeping 2004). The honey bee density in but sometimes willows can yield even surplus honey (Sas Hungary is one