Hornbeam
A wind-pollinated forest and hedge tree flowering in April-May; no nectar, and bees take its pollen only when little else is available. Low value for beekeeping.
- Nectar
- None
- Pollen
- Low
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 15-25 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Hornbeam is a shade-tolerant tree common in beech and oak forests from Europe to northern Anatolia and the Caucasus; in Turkey it is frequent in Thrace, Marmara and the Black Sea region. It is wind-pollinated and gives no nectar. The pollen of its male catkins is not attractive to bees and is usually collected only when other sources nearby are scarce.
Flowering
It flowers for about two weeks in April-May, together with leaf-out. Since fruit trees and spring herbs are more attractive at this time, bees mostly ignore hornbeam.
Honey and pollen
It is not a honey source; its pollen contribution is small.
Note for the beekeeper
The value of hornbeam forests for beekeeping comes less from the tree itself than from the shrubs and herbs along forest edges and in clearings. If you plant it as a hedge, it is more useful to mix it with shrubs that are more productive for bees, such as hawthorn or dog rose.