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Photo: H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Mint
Mentha spp. · Lamiaceae
Herb
Plants of stream banks and wet meadows flowering in midsummer and well visited by bees; horse mint is the most important, its nectar going into mountain honey.
- Nectar
- Good
- Pollen
- Low
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 0.3-1 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Mints are plants that flower in midsummer along streams, in wet meadows and in gardens, and bees visit them eagerly. Their small, short-tubed flowers suit honey bees; nectar flows freely in warm, humid conditions.
Species in Turkey
- Mentha longifolia (horse mint): the most common species along streams and ditches, and the most important for beekeeping.
- M. pulegium (pennyroyal): in damp hollows.
- M. spicata (spearmint) and M. × piperita (peppermint): cultivated.
- M. aquatica (water mint): in wetlands.
Flowering
It flowers for a long period from July to September.
Honey and pollen
Mint nectar usually goes into mountain and summer honeys; in the USA, peppermint fields are known to yield a dark amber honey with a sharp scent. Little pollen is collected.
Note for the beekeeper
Places in moist upland pastures where horse mint is abundant are a good site for late summer.