Originally, the term ‘bee pasture’ was used in beekeeping to refer to individual plants that provide bees with a particularly good food supply through their pollen and/or nectar. However, it is not only the amount of pollen and nectar that is of interest, but also the season in which the food is available.
Early in the year, bees mainly need pollen. This makes the hazelnut, for example, which has a high pollen yield but does not produce nectar, an important forage plant. Even though the small honey makers gave the bee pasture its name, the plants are usually also visited by other pollinating flying insects such as bumblebees and butterflies.
The term ‘bee pasture’ does not originally refer to a pasture or meadow, but also to large shrubs (e.g., dog rose, blackthorn, cornelian cherry, or hawthorn), fruit-bearing shrubs (e.g., currant, raspberry, or blackberry), and trees (e.g., apple, pear, or quince). Nowadays, small flower meadows with many such pollen-rich plant species are also referred to as ‘bee pastures’.
However, it is important for bees to find food over a long period of time. That is why willow trees and hazelnuts as early pollen sources and ivy as a later pollen source are important ‘bee pastures’ that hardly anyone thinks of in connection with the term ‘bee pasture’. Thyme, lavender, sage, and dandelions are also important bee food plants.
With little effort and minimal expense, you too can make a valuable contribution to protecting wild bees, bumblebees, butterflies, and other insects in your garden.
