Every region has its own vegetation, and this is the most local aspect of beekeeping. General beekeeping knowledge applies everywhere; forage knowledge does not.

Why a general list is not enough

Lists of forage plants are plentiful in books and online. But they reflect the experience of another region.

The same species flowers at a different time in a different climate and yields a different amount of nectar. Soil, altitude, rainfall and night temperatures all change the result.

Regional forage knowledge can therefore only be built by observation on the spot.

Making your own forage map

The most valuable tool is the record the beekeeper keeps. What to do is simple:

• Write down the flowering date. Which plant, on what date
• Match it to the scale. During which flowering did the weight rise, and during which did it not
• Note the pollen colour. The colour of the loads coming in shows which plant is working
• Add the weather. The same plant yields differently in different years, usually because of the weather

After a few seasons the resulting table is a tool available in no general source.

The value of the scale

Seeing flowers does not mean there is forage. A plant under water stress flowers but secretes no nectar.

The hive scale is the only tool that makes this distinction: if there are flowers but the weight is not rising, there is no forage.

Altitude and microclimate

Flowering times shift markedly even over short distances. There can be weeks of difference between a valley floor and a hillside.

This is the basis of migratory beekeeping: the same plant flowering in succession at different altitudes extends the forage period.

Endemic species

Species growing only in a particular region create a honey character specific to that area. This is a commercially valuable distinction.

Where such a honey is produced, separate harvesting and proper records are essential; an origin claim can only be defended with them.

The conservation dimension

Endemic and local plant communities are the first to be affected by habitat loss and climate change.

The beekeeper is both observer and party to this: records spanning years are among the rare data showing how flowering is shifting. Shared with beekeeping associations they build a regional pool of knowledge.

Summary

Forage knowledge cannot be borrowed. The beekeeping calendar of a region can only be written by beekeepers who have observed it there for years.