To most people, the first blooms of spring are a welcome sign that winter is indeed finally coming to an end. For a beekeeper though, these first blooms mean so much more than just the start of spring. While we are out checking how our bees have fared through the winter, we're on a constant lookout for the first nectar and pollen sources for our bees. Depending on where you live, you may already be seeing some blooms too! Honey bees require early sources of both pollen and nectar to fuel their spring growth.
Did you know that different flowers provide different sources of sustenance to our bees?
Some plants, like maple trees, pussy willows, or skunk cabbage, are an early source of pollen and greatly contribute to the colony's brood production. Pollen is a great source of protein and stimulates the rearing of new brood. Pollen is the main ingredient in what we like to call "bee bread," or the slightly fermented mixture of pollen, nectar, and honey that bees make and store. This substance is the main source of food for most nurse bees and, thus, for the honey bee larvae they feed.
On the other wing, some flowers produce just a bit of pollen but plentiful nectar. Nectar is the primary energy source for honey bees and the attractant that brings a foraging worker bee to a flower. The nectar is then brought back to the hive in a special stomach made just for this purpose. It is then converted from a faintly sweet thin liquid into the honey that we all know and love, mostly by evaporating away excess water. Bees also have special glands that can use the sugars in nectar and honey to synthesize the wax that makes up their home's cells. The wax is secreted from glands on the bees’ abdomen and then used to build comb. Raising brood, keeping active, and building comb are all fueled by resources from the spring flowers our bees visit.
Seasonal flowers of early spring in the Northeast
Spring's arrival and bloom dates will vary depending on where you are in the world. Your local bee club or university's cooperative extension office should have many resources available to help track blooms in your location. Here in the Northeast, our earliest sources of both pollen and nectar come from many places, but below we'll describe just a few of our favorites.
Crocus
The Crocus is one of the earliest spring blooms. They emerge toward the very end of winter or early in the spring, and sometimes have to push through snow and ice to show the world their beauty. They come in a variety of colors and are relatively easy to care for. Once the plants are established, they'll naturalize and return year after year. Some varieties will even bloom throughout the fall, but it’s the spring bloom that the bees really enjoy! Yellow Crocus is one of the more common varieties and has an orange-yellow pollen coloring.
Snowdrops
Snowdrops can bloom anytime in the Northeast from January to March but usually pop their pretty heads up in early March. They are a great early source of both pollen and nectar, with a lovely golden orange color to their pollen. These are a perennial bulb-forming plant and clumps of snowdrops can be spread throughout entire fields to create a great foraging landscape.
Eastern Skunk Cabbage
Eastern Skunk Cabbage is named for the unpleasant smell that's released by its tissues. It's found only in wetlands or near marshy areas. It's strictly a pollen source but is still prized by many beekeepers as it is one of the earliest sources available.
Flowers appear before the leaves of the plant and are hidden by a protective hood called a spathe (the purplish rubbery-looking portion seen in the photo to the right). Pollen from the skunk cabbage is bright yellow in color.
Willow
Photo by Miguel from Plattsburgh. Find more of his work on Instagram @menge_captures.
There are a few varieties of willow that have blooms that open in early springtime, including the pussy willow, weeping willow, and black willow. Different willow species can range in size from small shrubs to trees that grow high overhead. They bloom as early as February, and their flowering branches are referred to as "catkins." Willows don’t rely on pollinators like honey bees to spread their pollen - they rely more on the wind to carry it about. They do produce copious amounts of pollen, though, and our bees love to bring home their brightly lemon-colored bounty.
Red Maple and Sugar Maple
While there are very many different varieties of maple trees, shrubs, and bushes, the most common to us in the Northeast are Red Maple and Sugar Maple. Red maple varieties are one of the first flowering plants in the spring and are a welcome gift to bees and pollinators of all types. They are also one of the most abundant and common trees throughout all of North America. With their gray/brown pollen color they aren't one of the more beautiful lodes but are certainly one of the most valuable.
Sugar maple bloom comes a bit later, after red maple bloom, and their yellow flowers mark the end of maple syrup-making season. Though the maples don’t need bees for pollination, they are a lot more important to bees than we often give them credit for. They are not only one of the earliest sources of pollen and nectar, but they are often one of the only substantial sources of pollen and nectar our bees can visit until later in the spring when the flowering perennials start to bloom in force.
Dandelion
Dandelions are one of the most recognizable and common flowering plants. They are an early source of both nectar and pollen for many of our pollinator friends. While they are not as nutrient-rich for honey bees as some other examples on this list, they do pop up much sooner than many other spring blooms. Pollen varies in color from yellow to a reddish yellow/orange.
Honey that comes from dandelions is described as being pungent and sweet. The bitter aftertaste is too much for some, but those who like it find it to be worth its weight in gold. Though many try to keep their yards clear of these "weeds," we hope that more people will consider leaving these early sources around a while longer to give the bees access to an early source of energy.
Basswood trees are a meadow in the sky
Photo by Betterbee Head Beekeeper, Anne Frey.
For an optimist thinking in the long-term, planting a tree today is a way to help bees in the future, and basswood can’t be beaten for its nectar and pollen supply in early summer. The flowers dangle, so rain can’t wash the nectar out, and the nectar smells wonderful, strong enough even for passing humans to detect. The tree is handsome and tall, though smaller varieties are available. A single tree on the lawn is like a field of flowers for bees.
Pollinators love local wildflower mixes
If you're hoping to add beauty to your yard while providing nutrient-dense sources for the hard-working bees, consider a local varietal seed mix instead of small patches of many specific flowers. While specific types of flowers are wonderful to plant, seed mixes with wildflowers local to your region are sometimes the best way to offer your bees food with varied nutrients.
Planting a diverse mix of flowering plants that provide a sequence of blooms from early spring to late fall will have the most impact, assuring there is always something in bloom at each time of year. Just like us, bees and other pollinators appreciate a variety of food at their claw tips and good nutrition can help a colony deal with other kinds of stress. After the stresses of this last year, I think we could all use a little help. Have a happy spring, fellow bee lovers, and consider planting some new life to help your bees in this year and in future years.
