Nordmann fir
The fir of the eastern Black Sea and Caucasus; no nectar, but firs are major honeydew sources in Europe. In this species flows are local and vary from year to year.
- Nectar
- None
- Pollen
- Low
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 30-50 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Nordmann fir is a large, long-lived tree that forms pure stands or mixed forests with spruce and beech in the eastern Black Sea mountains of Turkey and in the Caucasus; it is the fir most widely grown as a Christmas tree in the world. It gives no nectar. In the fir genus, aphids living on the branches and trunk can produce plenty of honeydew; in Europe silver fir honeydew gives the famous fir honey.
Flowering
It sheds pollen in May-June; bees hardly collect it.
Honey and pollen
A separate commercial fir honey from this species is not common. The honeydew flow becomes noticeable in cool, humid summers and in years with high aphid populations; the honey is dark and not very sweet.
Note for the beekeeper
Its resin is used for propolis. To catch honeydew years, check the branches for aphids and sticky needles. Bornmüller's fir from Uludağ is sometimes treated as a subspecies of this species.