Arabica coffee
The coffee shrub of tropical highlands; its brief, rain-triggered mass bloom gives bees plenty of nectar and pollen, and bee visits raise fruit set.
- Nectar
- Good
- Pollen
- Good
- Flowering
- Flowering time varies with region and rainfall.
- Height
- 2-5 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Arabica coffee is an evergreen shrub from the mountain forests of Ethiopia, now grown over large areas in tropical highlands. Its white, jasmine-scented flowers give both nectar and pollen and are visited very heavily by honey bees. Although the species is self-fertile, several studies have shown that bee visits increase fruit set.
Flowering
Flowering is triggered by the first rain after the dry season, and the whole plantation opens at once within a few days; a single flower stays open for only 2-3 days. Depending on the region there are one or several flowering waves a year.
Honey and pollen
Coffee honey is amber-toned with a characteristic aroma; it is sold separately in Central and South America and East Africa.
Note for the beekeeper
Because flowering is very short and sudden, the hives must already be in place in the plantation beforehand. Spraying in coffee plantations is a significant risk for bees; agree with the grower on the flowering period. It does not grow outdoors in Turkey.