Cucumber

Value for beekeeping

The small yellow flowers of cucumber give a small amount of nectar, though with a reasonable sugar content; the pollen contribution is low. Bees readily abandon a cucumber field when other attractive sources are around. Parthenocarpic varieties grown in greenhouses need no pollination, but field pickling varieties and seed production depend on bees.

Flowering

In the field it flowers from June to August; the flowers open in the morning and last a single day. Male flowers appear first.

Honey and pollen

No single-flower honey is produced. Pollen loads are seen rarely, so there is no reliable colour record.

Note for the beekeeper

For pollination services, bringing colonies to the field when about one in ten flowers is open keeps the bees from getting used to other sources nearby. In greenhouses bumblebees usually give better results.