What determines how far a colony develops and how much honey it gives is less what the beekeeper does than the vegetation around it. Bees bring in only what is there.

Two distinct needs

• Nectar: Sugar; the energy source. For flight, heating and winter stores
• Pollen: Protein, fat and minerals. For brood rearing and the development of young bees

Some plants give both, some only one. An area may have abundant nectar and scarce pollen; the colony then makes honey but cannot grow.

Why pollen diversity matters

The amino acid composition of pollen varies by plant species. Pollen from a single source provides an incomplete protein package.

A colony receiving varied pollen is more resilient: immunity works better and winter bees live longer. The diversity of the landscape is therefore directly a matter of colony health.

The forage calendar

In assessing an area what matters is not the total number of plants but how flowering is spread across the season.

• Early spring: A pollen source is critical; it starts brood rearing
• Late spring: Usually the most intense period
• Midsummer: A gap in many regions; the weakest link
• Late summer and autumn: Winter bees are reared then; late forage is valuable

A short, intense flowering is worth less than a long, balanced one.

What affects nectar secretion

A plant in flower does not necessarily yield nectar. Secretion depends on:

• Temperature: Each plant has a threshold
• Soil moisture: A plant under water stress secretes no nectar
• Night temperature: Warm, humid nights increase secretion
• The age of the plant and the soil structure

"Plenty of flowers but an empty hive" is therefore possible. A hive scale gives more reliable information than the eye.

Assessing the forage

• Use a scale. An increase in weight is the real indicator
• Watch the pollen coming in. Colour and quantity show which plant is working
• Write your own calendar. Record year by year when each plant flowers in your area

The third is the most valuable. After a few seasons that record becomes a tool no general table can provide.

Improving the forage

• Support late-flowering plants; the late summer gap is the critical period
• Talk to landowners about late cutting and leaving flowering margins
• Prefer single-flowered varieties; double ornamentals give no pollen
• Plant trees and shrubs; most give more forage than annuals

Planting has effect years later; a change in the cutting regime often within a single season.