Turkish hazel

Value for beekeeping

Turkish hazel is a single-stemmed tree with a regular crown, growing scattered from the Balkans to northern Anatolia, the Taurus Mountains and the Caucasus. Like common hazel it is wind-pollinated and gives no nectar, but its large male catkins produce plenty of pollen, which bees use on mild days.

Flowering

It flowers in February-March, before leaf-out. Because it usually flowers a little later than common hazel, the early pollen period is extended where both species grow together.

Honey and pollen

It is not a honey source. The pollen loads are pale yellow-green and support brood rearing at the end of winter.

Note for the beekeeper

Being tolerant of drought, calcareous soil and urban conditions, it is planted as a street tree in Europe. Its natural populations in Turkey are scattered and worth protecting. Around the apiary it can be seen as one link in the late-winter pollen chain, together with willows and early fruit trees.