Crimean honey plants are not only evergreen and thermophilic plants of the southern coast, but also typical inhabitants of the forest-steppe and steppe zones.
The content of the article
- 1 Climatic features
- 2 Features of keeping bees
- 3 Steppe vegetation
- 4 Forest steppe vegetation
- 4.1 Foothills
- 5 Vegetation of the Crimean mountains
- 5.1 Southern slopes
- 5.2 Mountain belts
- 5.3 Northern slopes
- 6 South coast vegetation
- 6.1 Wild plants
Climatic features
On the territory of the peninsula, there is a pronounced change in the vegetation cover when moving from north to south. In mountainous areas, there is a vertical zonation from the foot to the peaks.
Experts divide the entire territory into four main natural zones, each of which has its own honey base.
It:
- steppe in the north, west and center, with the transition to the forest-steppe;
- forest-steppe foothills covering Bakhchisarai, Belogorsk and Simferopol;
- mountains, including the Main, Outer and Inner ridges;
- the southern coast is the coastal area between the Black Sea and the Main Ridge of Mountains.
Features of keeping bees
The natural conditions of the peninsula are most favorable for beekeeping in three of the four zones listed:
- in the foothills with its forest-steppe;
- in the mountains;
- on the south coast.
As for the steppe, constant winds reign here. The weather changes dramatically, especially in winter. The climate cannot be called warm. Although the region is characterized by vast areas devoted to melliferous crops, keeping apiaries in this area is considered a risky endeavor.
In the rest of the melliferous zones, a variety of flora is observed – about 1,5 thousand plant species in the foothills, mountains and on the coast. Most of which have been brought to the peninsula by man over the past 200 years and have successfully taken root in a new place.
Steppe vegetation
The Crimean steppes are mostly plowed up. On agricultural land is grown:
Sunflower – an annual, which is a valuable oilseed crop. The plant is thermophilic and drought-resistant. Feels great on sandy loam and loam. When pollinated by bees, the yield increases by about 30-40%. It releases nectar and pollen well. Therefore, apiaries willingly roam the sunflower fields. Average productivity of honey is 30-60 kilograms per hectare.
Read: Sunflower as a honey plant
Sainfoin – an important fodder crop in animal husbandry that blooms in early summer. During this period, summer melliferous plants still do not bloom, and the gardens have already faded. For this reason, sainfoin fields are of great importance to beekeepers. In addition, the culture blooms for 1,5 months. The release of nectar per hectare is about 120 kilograms.
Read: Sainfoin as a honey plant
Melons and garden cropsfeeling well in the steppe Crimea. Melons in the region are represented by the pumpkin family: watermelons, melons, pumpkins. The honey productivity of these crops is not high, but pollen is collected from them in the second half of summer (July, August), when the preparation of bee colonies for wintering is extremely important. And the fields themselves need insect pollination. Therefore, the benefits are mutual – both beekeepers and farmers will be satisfied with the wandering of apiaries. The yield of honey from each hectare of plantations is as follows: watermelons – 20-25, melon, pumpkin – up to 30 kilograms.
Also grown:
Sage – perennial from the labiate family. Three of its varieties are of particular value for apiaries: whorled (ringed), meadow and medicinal. Whorled sage provides bribes from 250 to 300-600 kilograms per hectare. Meadow and medicinal – 100-130 kilograms.
Read: Sage as a honey plant
Lavender – a beautiful perennial shrub from the Labiate family, capable of growing in one place for 15-20 years. It is appreciated in beekeeping as a source of healing honey with a delicate aroma and delicate taste. The fields bloom from June to August. Average nectar productivity is 130-145 kg.
Read: Lavender as a honey plant
Forest steppe vegetation
The Crimean forest-steppe is conditionally divided into two parts:
- territories adjacent to the steppe;
- and foothill areas located on the inter-ridge depression.
In the first part of the natural zone, mainly shrub varieties of melliferous plants, collected in thickets, and trees grow:
Hawthorn – a large bush covered with thorns, blooming in May and June. A total of 47 plant species are known. The most common and popular among beekeepers is its ordinary variety, which can be used to form hedges around apiaries.
Read: Hawthorn as a honey plant
Kizil – an early summer honey plant from the Rosaceae family, featuring long flowering from May to the end of July (on average 2,5-3 months). Can grow on infertile soils, resistant to dry weather and spring frost. Used for hedges. Provides bribes of up to 160 kilograms of honey per hectare of dense thickets.
briar – a thorny perennial bush that blooms in May and June. This plant provides the apiary mainly with pollen. Can be used in hedges. The height of the bushes reaches 1,5-2 meters.
lenses (other names are “hazel”, “hazelnut”) – a perennial bush from the birch family. It grows on slopes and ravines, thriving in developed areas. Can be used to form hedges. It throws out inflorescences in the form of earrings in April before the foliage opens. Bees work on hazel from morning to evening, collecting pollen. Its share in hives in one working day is about 12%. Hazel blossom lasts a week.
Scumpia or “sums” – a deciduous shrub from the sumac family, reaching a height of 2-5 meters. From this plant, a yellow dye is obtained for the textile and chemical industries. Can be grown as an ornamental plant. The shrub looks impressive, especially during flowering, when yellowish-green panicles, collected from small flowers, appear on its tops. Blooms in June. Nectar productivity – 30-40 kilograms per hectare of dense thickets.
Grabinnik (aka “eastern” or “black hornbeam”) – a representative of the birch family with a dense rounded crown. Usually grows up to 5-8 meters. Its curved and ribbed trunk is covered with gray bark. Young branches are covered with shaggy hairs. When it blooms in April, it throws out small light yellow catkins. The tree is a source of pollen for apiaries. Foliage and young branches are collected for livestock feed.
Common juniper (“Veres”) is an evergreen shrub from the cypress family that grows well in illuminated places, but at the same time tolerates darkening. Differs in small height (1-3 meters), conical crown, reddish-brown shoots. The first seeds ripen on bushes at the age of 5-10 years. Abundant harvests are observed every 3-5 years. During this time, the juniper secretes the pale green pollen collected by the bees. It is a mediocre pollen.
Fluffy oak – a low dumpy tree with a curved trunk from the beech family, distinguished by pubescent buds and branches of young shoots. Mature trees bloom in summer, emitting mainly pollen. Acorns ripen in early autumn.
Foothills
The foothill areas of the forest-steppe partly occupy the northern slopes and the depression between the ridges. There are oak forests, small thickets of oaks and hornbeams.
In the mixed forest zone, it grows:
Field maple – a thermophilic tree with a height of 10 to 15 meters with a spherical crown. It is sometimes grown as hedges. Differs in 5-lobed pubescent foliage. Only mature trees over 15 years of age bloom. Flowering begins in May and lasts two weeks. According to some data, this breed is capable of producing up to 1 kilograms of honey per hectare.
Read: Maple as a honey plant
Elm (elm) – a representative of the elm family, blooming in early spring (April, May). There are two varieties in the region – holly and glabrous. Trees emit nectar exclusively in favorable years. Basically, bees collect pollen on elms, which is used for the spring development of families.
White svidina (other names are “dogwood”, “white telikrania”) – a short bush from the dogwood family. It differs in bright red twigs, which bend in an arc from old age. Leaves turn purple-red in autumn. In summer they are two-colored: dark green above and gray-white below. The shrub blooms from 2-3 years of age. White corymbose inflorescences bloom twice a year: in mid-June (abundant flowering), and in early September (single inflorescences). The exact honey production is unknown.
Turner – a thorny perennial shrub from the plum family. Grows well on slopes, reaching a height of 2 meters. Can be planted as a living fence near apiaries. In shaded areas, its branches are almost devoid of thorns, and from the sunny side, the plant will always be thorny. It blooms in spring, providing bees with a good supporting honey harvest. Nectar productivity is about 30 kilograms per hectare.
Berezkin belongs to the family of the same name. It can be either a shrub or a short tree with cork growths on the bark. In the foothill forest-steppe, you can often find beamslin (or “European euonymus”), blooming with plain semi-umbrellas with yellowish-green flowers. In the fall, the bush is dotted with pink-red poisonous fruits. It grows on the edges of oak groves, tolerates drought well. Can be used as an ornamental planting, subject to care in handling the fruit. Blooms in April, providing a supportive bribe for the apiaries.
Hawthorn in the foothills it is represented by fifteen species at once.
Vegetation of the Crimean mountains
This natural zone is characterized by vertical zoning, and the region is divided into three parts:
- southern slopes, overgrown with typical Crimean vegetation;
- flat top – plateau;
- northern slopes, in many respects similar to the south in terms of vegetation.
Southern slopes
This part of the natural zone is inhabited mainly by shrubs. Of the wild plants, the most common plants are:
Ivy – a climbing evergreen shrub from the Araliaceae family with leathery leaves, reaching a height of 25-30 meters, and often braiding rocks and trees. Dissolves yellow-green flowers, grouped in racemose inflorescences, in September. The nectar is secreted until the beginning of October, showing excellent honey production. As a bribe, it is often compared to linden trees and edible chestnuts. And, as you know, linden can provide a collection of 600 to 1 kilograms per hectare. Ivy honey crystallizes quickly enough. It is almost white in color, aromatic in taste and smell, with a mint-menthol aftertaste.
Cretan ladannik (“Stone rose”, “rock rose”, “cistus”) – perennial shrub from the cistus family. Its pink flowers resemble a rose hip. Twigs and leaves are characterized by tomentose pubescence. The flowers of the plant do not live long – only a day.
Arbutus (“Strawberry”, “arbutus”) – an evergreen low tree or shrub with coral-red bark, covered with leathery leaves. His flowers are white-pink, grouped in hanging panicles, resembling lanterns in shape. It grows very slowly, reaching 45 meters in height only by 5 years of age. It is considered a good honey plant, but the resulting honey tastes slightly bitter. The exact nectar production is unknown.
Butcher (other names are “ruskus”, “mouse thorn”) – an evergreen shrub from the asparagus family. Differs in modified shoots that play the role of leaves. Flowers with greenish perianths develop directly on the upper surface of the shoot. The plant is also used for decorative purposes. The exact honey production is unknown.
Blackberry – a short shrub from the rose family, which thrives in thickets among other plants. Blooms in June and August. The entire period of pollen and nectar excretion takes 1,5 months. Together with other summer honey plants, it provides the main summer bribe. Productivity – 20-25 kilograms of honey per hectare.
Holdtree (hold the tree) or “Christ’s thorn” is a well-known Mediterranean bush from the buckthorn family. The plant is dotted with sharp thorns. It blooms with inconspicuous yellow-green inflorescences that bloom from July to August. Can be used in green hedges. Honey productivity is about 60-70 kilograms.
Read: Hold the tree as a melliferous plant
Funduk, which is the closest relative of common hazel (hazel). Differs in large fruits in the form of nuts. It blooms violently in spring in April, May, providing bee colonies with large volumes of pollen. In beekeeping, it is used to form a living enclosure for apiaries.
Abraham tree (other names are “prutnyak”, “ordinary vitex”) – a tree-like shrub from the family of lamines, covered with thick hairs. The branches give off a pungent aroma. During flowering, apical lavender spikelets are formed on them. The shrub blooms from June, releasing nectar until October. Refers to secondary melliferous plants.
Cup tree (“Medlar”) – a representative of the pink family with thorny branches and pear-shaped edible fruits. Of the three wild varieties in the gardens, only one variety can be grown – Crimean (German). The tree has a spreading crown, dotted with flat, like saucers, light pink flowers in the spring. The tree is used to decorate landscapes. In autumn, its foliage takes on a beautiful brownish-red hue. Re-flowering occurs in August-September. Medlar is referred to as secondary melliferous plants.
Zamaniha – a rare prickly shrub plant from the Araliaceae family. In folk medicine, it is valued on a par with ginseng. The green-yellow flowers of the bush are collected in simple umbrellas. They are disbanded in June, providing a secondary bribe. The leaves are reminiscent of maple in structure and shape.
Juniper and rosehip bushes also grow wild on the southern slopes. From the vegetation of decorative and fruit forms, common here by man, one can distinguish:
Walnut (other names: “royal, voloshsky”) – a large tree belonging to the family of the same name. Blooms in early, mid-May, simultaneously with the blooming of the foliage. Stamen flowers look like greenish catkins, while pistil flowers “sit” on the tops of branches. The culture is pollinated by the wind. Bees collect only pollen from it, and then in small quantities.
Pomegranate tree (other names are “pomegranate”, “pomegranate”) – is a small tree or bush from the family of Derbennikovs. Differs in thin thorny branches covered with glossy leaves. Orange-red flowers are funnel-shaped. When shaded, the plant does not bloom. The tree belongs to the secondary spring melliferous plants. Extremely popular with subtropical gardeners.
Sweet almonds (“Almond”) belongs to the family of the same name. Grown to obtain aromatic nut seeds used in the confectionery industry. Secondary honey plant.
Sweet chestnut or sowing (real) – the closest relative of the horse chestnut, but with suitable fruits for food. Belongs to the beech family. Begins to bear fruit at the age of 20. Its inconspicuous greenish flowers are grouped into long spikelets. Chestnut blooms in June and July. It can be pollinated by both wind and insects. Bees willingly work on its inflorescences, extracting nectar from female flowers (male ones supply pollen). Honey productivity from 500 to 600 kilograms per hectare of dense plantations. Pumped out honey is liquid in consistency, has a characteristic bitter taste.
Pistachio tree (“Pistachio”) belongs to the sumach family. It can form rare forests of the same name. The plant is drought-resistant, withstands frosts down to -25 degrees. It blooms with very small greenish flowers, collected in panicle spikelets. Such inflorescences are found in the leaf axils. They bloom in March, April. Grown for nuts. In beekeeping, it is a secondary melliferous plant that provides an early bribe.
Fig tree (other names are “fig”, “fig”, “wine berry”) – a plant with light gray bark from the mulberry family with nondescript heterosexual flowers growing on different trees. Pollinated mainly by a special breed of wasps (blastophagus), working exclusively on this culture.
Fejxoa (“Akka”) is an evergreen bush or tree from the myrtle family. A valuable fruit crop that grows well in subtropical climates. It is distinguished by a rough greenish-brown bark, elliptical leaves with pubescence on the underside (the surface is smooth on top), and pink-red bright flowers with large red stamens. Blooms in May, June for three weeks. Secondary honey plant.
Wisteria (another name “wisteria”) is a climbing plant from the legume family, dotted with lilac fragrant tassels during the flowering period. This vine blooms in late March, early April. Perennial attracts bees well, being an early spring honey plant.
Ailanthus – a fast-growing tree from the Simarubaceae family, covered with pinnate leaves. When buds open, the shoots give off an unpleasant odor. The flowers are small, grouped in candle-shaped panicles. This is a secondary honey plant.
Banana – a perennial herb that produces edible fruits. Food and forage crops that are very popular in the world. It has single pink or purple 3-petal flowers planted on long peduncles. The leaves are wide, elongated. Honey productivity is unknown.
Samşit – an evergreen bush or tree from the family of the same name, blooming with small flowers (located in the leaf axils). In ornamental gardening, it is valued for its shiny foliage and dense crown that tolerates pruning well – any shape can be formed. Blooms in late February. According to some reports, the nectar collected from the plant is poisonous to humans.
Magnolia Is a drought-resistant shrub belonging to the barberry family. Shades well. Can be used to organize hedges. In height, this evergreen plant reaches 90-100 centimeters. Its leaves are dotted with spiny teeth along the edge. In autumn, they acquire a beautiful golden-bronze hue. The bush blooms every year, and each plant has up to 42 thousand bright yellow flowers, grouped in erect panicles. Duration of flowering is three weeks (from the end of April to the second decade of May). Flowering panicles are readily visited by flight bees. Honey productivity up to 100 kilograms per hectare.
Silk acacia (another name is “albitsia of lincoran”) – a low tree with a spreading openwork crown, blooming from May to August. The whitish-yellow flowers look very beautiful thanks to the long white-pink stamens. The plant reproduces successfully by self-seeding. It is considered a good honey plant, although there is no exact information about its nectar productivity.
Hamerops squat – one of the varieties of palm trees that have adapted to existence in Europe. Differs in wide fan-shaped leaves and bright yellow flowers, grouped in branched inflorescences. Blooms in April, producing nectar and pollen until early June. The honey productivity of this decorative culture is unknown.
Plane and cork oaks, also grown artificially, are of interest to beekeepers only as mediocre pollen. Oak blooms in May, and only mature trees bear fruit. Plane trees are successfully used in the decorative design of urban landscapes. These are real long-livers in the plant kingdom (there are representatives of the species at the age of two thousand years). Nuts are formed only in mature trees.
Mountain belts
Mountain belts of the southern slopes are located above 226 meters above sea level:
- At the bottom there are mixed forests formed by small-leaved hornbeam, Crimean pine, rocky oak.
- Above, down to the flat tops, lie beech forests. Occasionally there are: pines (ordinary and Crimean), aspens, maples. There are rowan bushes (link) and dogwood.
Northern slopes
The northern slopes are mostly forested. The lowest belt, where plants are grown by humans on purpose, as on the southern slopes, is not here.
Oaks and small-leaved hornbeam grow in the lower part of the northern slopes. Also occurs:
- hazel (hazel) – early spring pollen;
- aspen trees;
- euonymus – April honey plants;
- hawthorn;
- barberry (link), some varieties of which yield up to 230 kg of honey per hectare;
- buckthorn is an early summer honey plant, providing bribes of 15-20 kilograms.
Above, there are hornbeam and beech forests interspersed with birches, lindens, common pines, maples, dogwood and mountain ash.
Above them, there are juniper stans with rare inclusions of yews and werewolf.
The latter is an evergreen shrub with green flowers that bloom in early spring or late winter. It has no special value for apiaries. The berries of the plant are poisonous.
South coast vegetation
The flora of the southern coast includes a number of exotic plants that have been artificially multiplied here. They are used for decorative purposes – to decorate gardens, parks in cities and sanatoriums. There are winter blooming and remontant species blooming 2-3 times a year. It:
Pansies or a tricolor violet with inflorescences with a predominance of blue and purple shades. Blooms from May until winter. It is considered a minor melliferous plant and a good source of pollen.
Hymonant Is an evergreen deciduous shrub from the Calicanth family with practically bare branches. The flowers are yellow with purple petals inside. Blossom from the second half of December to May. They give off a strong, pleasant aroma. The plant is an early spring honey plant.
Japanese camellia – a shrub plant with gray-brown branches and purple young shoots, almost devoid of foliage. It blooms in winter and early spring with red-purple small flowers.
Wisteria blooms two or three times in a year. One of the liana blooms occurs at the end of March, beginning of April. Its lilac fragrant tassels attract flying bees well.
Among the types of vegetation brought by man, it can also be noted:
Several varieties of palm trees (washingtonia, date, hamerops and others).
About 300 varieties of figs… In some areas, it acquires all the characteristics of a self-sown weed.
Robinia Is a pink-flowered variety of acacia imported from Canada. From April to October, it blooms in waves with an interval of 2-3 weeks, showing honey productivity from 40 kilograms per hectare of plantations.
Italian variety of gleditsia, which ranks second in nectar productivity after acacia. It blooms in late May, early June for 5-7 days. Bribes from a tree up to 250 kilograms.
Read: Gledicia as a honey plant
As for the flowering calendar of honey plants in the Crimea, it is compiled individually by each beekeeper. Because it is impossible to predict with 100% accuracy the timing of the appearance of flowers on plants even in one settlement, not to mention different parts of the peninsula. The situation is changing literally from year to year. For example, acacia can bloom in the second decade of May, but sometimes it throws out its fragrant inflorescences in the first days of this month.
Tentatively on the south coast almonds bloom before everyone else – end of February, beginning of March.
Then purple (“Certis”) – a shrub plant from the legume family with irregular bell-shaped pink flowers, collected in brushes or bunches. Its value for apiaries lies precisely in its early flowering before the leaves appear.
Paulownia (another name “Adam’s tree” or “Paulownia”) – a tall deciduous tree with a spreading crown and purple-lilac panicles, collected from bell-shaped flowers.
Tulip tree, known in biology as “tulip lyrodendron”, “lyran”, is a representative of the magnolia family. The plant has a massive trunk, a pyramidal crown and characteristic flowers of a greenish-yellow hue. When blooming, they exude a cucumber aroma. According to the reference literature, lyran produces a lot of nectar in early spring. However, its exact honey production is not indicated.
Myrtle or the myrtle tree is an evergreen plant with beautiful white 5-petal flowers characterized by elongated stamens. Blooms in spring, providing supportive bribes.
Oleander – a beautiful shrub from the kutrov family with branchy brown shoots covered with narrow leaves. The inflorescences are pink or white, clustered at the tips of the branches. Blooms from late May to October. Grown with care because of the toxic sap containing glycosides.
Separately, I would like to note vineyards, which are pollinated not only by the wind, but also by bees. Their honey productivity is low – from 5 to 10 kilograms per hectare. However, the fields set aside for this crop occupy large areas. Also, the vine is a source of honeydew with a high sugar content.
Wild plants
Outside settlements and sanatoriums, there is a low-growing woodland inhabited by deciduous and evergreen plants.
Here grows:
- fluffy oak;
- hornbeam;
- hold a tree;
- needle;
- several varieties of rose hips (Turkish, dog, and others).
The hills and ridges near the coast are inhabited by juniper, beech, pine trees. Moreover, pines occupy about 13% of this natural area. Separate tracts with rare species have been taken under protection, for example, the Stankevich pine.
In the upper tiers of the ridges near the mountain plateaus, northern types of vegetation are found:
Grushanka – a perennial medicinal herb with rounded large leaves and purple-red flowers. They look very small, collected in a brush. Bloom from May to June, providing early summer bribes.
Hanging birch – a representative of the family of the same name, actively blooming in April, May. It is a good supplier of pollen for apiaries (collected from male inflorescences in the form of long earrings).
Stone berry – perennial grass with long shoots creeping along the ground. The leaves of the honey plant are trifoliate, planted on long petioles and covered with hard hairs. White flowers are small, grouped in scutes or small umbrellas. Blooms in May, June, providing early summer honey harvest.
Given that the agricultural industry on the peninsula is the leading one, nomadic apiaries have all the advantages. Extensive vineyards, orchards, fields with essential oil crops (sunflower and rapeseed are leading in area) require pollinating insects. On stationary apiaries, the possibility of guaranteed honey collection is noticeably lower.
