Wildflowers and Natural Sources

Wild plants – the herbs, shrubs and flowers that grow of their own accord – are beekeeping's most reliable and most varied source of nectar and pollen. Species such as thyme, sage, viper's bugloss, milkvetch, knapweed, heather and lavender flower across the season, fill the gaps left by crops and give the colony a varied pollen diet. This page covers Türkiye's important wild honey plants, their flowering periods and ways of protecting these resources.

Why are wild plants so valuable?

• Diversity: Different species offer pollen of different nutritional content; this contributes directly to colony health.
• Continuity: Species flower in succession, so there are fewer gaps in forage.
• Low pesticide risk: There is far less spraying on pastures, scrubland and mountain slopes than on farmland.
• Adaptation to drought: Native species are used to the local climate and can keep secreting nectar even in dry summers.

A region rich in wild forage may give less honey than one with large monoculture fields, but colonies usually develop in a healthier, more balanced way. Türkiye's multifloral (wildflower) honeys come largely from this source.

Türkiye's important wild honey plants

The dates are general ranges. The same species can flower in spring on the coast and in midsummer on the high plateaus; flowering varies with region, altitude and year.

Thyme and sage: the honey plants of the mountains

In Türkiye the name thyme covers many species from several genera: Thymus (wild thymes), Thymbra spicata (za'atar, spiked thyme) and Origanum (oreganos such as Turkish oregano). They are common on stony slopes, in maquis and on steppe, and give abundant, sugar-rich nectar. Thyme honey is amber with a sharp, lingering aroma; it usually crystallises with a fine grain within a few months.

Sages (Salvia) are represented in Türkiye by a great many species, a large share of which are endemic. Their flowers have a lever mechanism that dusts pollen onto the bee's back. Their honey mostly goes into multifloral honeys.

Viper's bugloss and phacelia: the blue-pollen plants

Viper's bugloss (Echium) grows on roadsides, in fallow fields and on dry slopes. It flowers for a long time, gives nectar all day and is a source bees love. Its pollen loads are dark blue to navy. Because it contains alkaloids toxic to livestock it is unwanted on pasture, but it is valuable for the beekeeper.

Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) is of American origin and in Türkiye is not wild but sown as bee forage and green manure. It flowers about two months after sowing; dearth periods can be filled by sowing on different dates. On phacelia bees collect both nectar and bluish-grey pollen.

What is heather honey like?

Depending on the region, the name heather is used for heath (Erica) and ling (Calluna vulgaris) species. Tree heath (Erica arborea) flowers in spring, while some heath species in south-western Anatolia and ling in the Black Sea region and Thrace flower in late summer and autumn. This late flowering is very valuable because it coincides with the period when winter bees are being reared.

Heather honey is dark, reddish-brown and strongly aromatic. Ling (Calluna) honey is jelly-like (thixotropic): it becomes runny when stirred and sets again when left to stand. It is therefore hard to spin out in an extractor; it is sold as comb honey, pressed, or loosened with special tools.

Milkvetch and knapweed: resources of the steppe and highlands

Milkvetch (Astragalus) is one of Türkiye's richest plant genera, with hundreds of species, most of them endemic. The spiny, cushion-shaped milkvetches of the Eastern and Central Anatolian plateaus are among the main sources of highland beekeeping in early summer. Milkvetch plays a large part in the light colour and mild taste of highland honeys.

Knapweeds (Centaurea) are also represented in Türkiye by many endemic species. Because they keep producing nectar in the dry summer months, when most plants have stopped, they are valuable in Central Anatolia and steppe areas.

Lavender and other aromatic shrubs

In Türkiye, wild French lavender (Lavandula stoechas) flowers in spring in the maquis of the coastal regions; it is recognised by the purple bracts ("flags") on its top. The cultivated lavender fields around Isparta (Lavandula angustifolia and its hybrids), on the other hand, flower in June–July. Because lavender pollen is under-represented in honey, a low pollen percentage is considered sufficient to define lavender honey. Rockrose (Cistus) is very common in maquis; it gives plenty of pollen but no nectar.

Where are wild resources found?

• Roadsides and embankments: Viper's bugloss, sweet clover, thistle.
• Field margins and boundaries: Poppy, mustard, clover, dandelion.
• Scrub, hedges and maquis: Bramble, hawthorn, rockrose, thyme.
• Pastures and highlands: Milkvetch, sainfoin, thyme, knapweed.
• Stream and lake banks: Moisture-loving species such as willow, mint and comfrey.

These linear habitats work like veins in the landscape; they are also nesting sites and corridors for wild bees.

Mowing time and the late-summer gap

The single decision that most affects wild forage is when to mow. Mowing an entire area at once wipes out the resource in a day and also destroys the wild bees that overwinter in hollow stems. The solution is staggered mowing: part of the area is left standing each time. Explaining this to landowners and municipalities often pays off within a single season.

In many regions wild plants are abundant in spring and sparse in late summer, yet that is exactly when winter bees are reared. Protecting late-flowering species such as thistles, knapweeds, heather and ivy directly affects wintering success.

Why is it important to protect native species?

The honey bee is a generalist; many wild bee species, however, depend on particular plants. Protecting native vegetation means protecting the whole pollinator community, and a diverse pollinator community is an insurance against bad-weather years.

In some areas, excessive wild harvesting of plants such as thyme, sage and salep orchids, often pulling them up by the roots, is depleting the resource. Collecting plants from the wild for commercial purposes requires a permit; by talking to local gatherers, beekeepers can encourage them to harvest only the green parts of the plant, sustainably.