NECTARIFEROUS PLANTS

NECTARIFEROUS PLANTS, the resource plant species, which sustain bees’ life. Bees produce honey from the nectar of N.p., beebread from flower dust, while propolis (bee glue) – from adhesive secretions of birch, cherries, poplar and other plants. The amount of nectar secreted by the flower depends on the plant species, phase of flower’s development, conditions of vegetation, etc. There are more than 50 species of N.p in the RB (more than 10 species of willow, maple, honeysuckle and other bushes, adonis, coltsfoot, lungwort, etc) There are more than 100 species of summer N.p., including sweet clover, blooming sally, lime‑tree, and others. They provide main honey yield. There are about 30 species of late summer and autumn N.p., such as mullein, loosestrife, globe‑thistle, etc. They provide supportive honey yield. Many cultivated plants are also N.p. Among them, cereals (buckwheat), oilseeds (sunflower), fodder plants (sweet clover, sowing alfalfa), vegetable plants (onions), berries (apple, cherry, and others) and those specially seeded for honey production (phacelia, blewit).