Bitter orange
A citrus with highly fragrant white flowers giving plenty of nectar in April-May; not a separate honey, but it contributes to Mediterranean citrus honey.
- Nectar
- Good
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 4-8 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Bitter orange is a sour-fruited species from South-East Asia, grown on Mediterranean coasts as an ornamental tree, as a source of fragrant flower water and as a citrus rootstock. Like other citrus its flowers give plenty of sugar-rich nectar; bees work it hard on warm, sunny and humid spring days.
Flowering
It flowers for about 3-4 weeks in April-May, overlapping with orange and mandarin.
Honey and pollen
A separate monofloral bitter orange honey is not common; honey from citrus groves is mostly dominated by orange. Citrus honey is very pale, distinctly floral and sweet; it crystallises fairly quickly with a fine grain. Its pollen contribution is moderate.
Note for the beekeeper
In Antalya, Mersin, Adana and Hatay in Turkey, citrus flowering is one of the most important flows of spring. The biggest risk is spraying during flowering; agreeing with grove owners and following local spraying announcements prevents colony losses.