European larch
The deciduous conifer of the Alps; no nectar. In some years it gives much honeydew, but this is rich in melezitose and can set hard in the comb, causing wintering problems.
- Nectar
- None
- Pollen
- Low
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 25-40 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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European larch is a tree of the higher parts of the Alps and the Carpathians that sheds its needles in autumn. It is wind-pollinated and gives no nectar. In some years aphids living on the shoots and branches produce plenty of honeydew; for Alpine beekeepers this honeydew is both an opportunity and a risk.
Flowering
It flowers in April-May together with the new needles; its pink-red female cones are striking. The pollen is unimportant for bees.
Honey and pollen
Larch honeydew is rich in melezitose. This honey crystallises very quickly and hard, often setting like cement in the comb so that it cannot be extracted. For this reason it is not marketed as a separate monofloral honey.
Note for the beekeeper
Bees cannot use set honeydew honey in winter because they cannot find water; starvation and dysentery can occur. When larch honeydew comes in, harvest early and complete the winter stores with syrup. This species does not grow wild in Turkey, and plantations are very limited.