Honey Bee Feeding Plant
As with other livestock, bees also need sufficient feed for basic living needs, colony growth, honey production and bee reproduction activities. The important bee food is the nectar and pollen that plants produce. it is a sweet liquid found in the flowers of plants. In addition, bees also need pollen and water for the survival of members of the colony.
Nectar is generally produced by flowers of food crops, forestry plants, plantation crops, horticultural crops (fruits and vegetables), ornamental plants, grasses and shrubs. The continuous availability of bee feed is one of the conditions supporting the development of bee colonies and honey production. Therefore, the feed factor is important to consider in determining the location of beekeeping.
It is known as a sweet secretion from plants, which is the main ingredient in honey. it is a complex compound produced by plant nectar glands in the form of a sugar solution. it is found in the petals, sepals, stamens and stigma. The concentration of nectar varies from one flower plant to another plant flower
Nectar contains 15-50% sugar solution. In general, there are two kinds of it:
- namely floral nectar
- extra floral nectar.
They are one of nectar produced from within or near the flowers of plants. Extra floral nectar is produced by plant parts other than flowers. Bees have a special organ for taking it, which is called a proboscis. Bees have proboscis, shaped like a trunk on an elephant. Proboscis has the ability to suck liquid nectar on flowers. The flying activity of bees collecting pollen lasts from morning to evening.
The ability of worker bees to collect plant nectar varies from 25-70 mg per head and is determined by several factors, including the capacity of worker bees’ honey sacs, the amount and concentration of sugar nectar, weather conditions and the experience of worker bees in collecting it.
Pollen is a source of protein for honey bees. Pollen is obtained from flowers produced by the male sex cells of plants. In cold climates, a colony of bees requires about 50 kg of pollen per year.
Have you ever thought about the tenacity of a worker bee in search of nectar. Under normal conditions, a worker bee in one day is able to collect nectar from 250,000 flower stalks. To make 1 kg of honey bees have to make 81,400 flight trips or the equivalent of a distance of 1,056,000 km of flight.
Honey bees have a unique body construction in collecting and carrying pollen, by using almost all parts of the body surface, especially the thorax. Thousands to millions of pollen grains will stick to the surface of the body, then cleaned with a special brush and into a special basket called the pollen basket which is located on the bee’s hind legs. Pollen basket can hold 20 mg of pollen
How Bee Feeding Plants?
In general, all flowering plants are a source of food for bees. Based on the identification of the Beekeeping Center, the types of producing plants include: acacia, sengon, ketapang, sono rivet, tamarind, mahogany, calliandra, sandalwood, rubber, cotton, mango, mancang, langsat, star fruit, rambutan, guava, peanuts , petai, chili, pineapple, sweet potato, water pumpkin, oyong, pariah, chayote, red onion, and cat’s whiskers.
Pollen is produced by sugar palm, lamtoro, puspa, api-api, rice, palm oil, bidara, tobacco, cashew, pomegranate, lobi, avocado, guava, salak, corn, string beans, potatoes, coriander, carrots, purslane, bitter grass, and shy daughter, while nectar and pollen-producing plants include: kapok, eucalyptus, sugar cane, vanilla, coconut, sesame, coffee, kedondong, durian, papaya, pumpkin, watermelon, persimmon, banana, star fruit, apple , sweet orange, big orange, apple, longan, lychee, grape, cabbage, cucumber, peanut, soybean, sunflower and flamboyant flower.