Spiny restharrow

Value for beekeeping

The pink, pea-like flowers of spiny restharrow produce no nectar. When a honey bee or bumblebee lands on the keel of the flower, the pollen is pushed out like a piston and sticks to the underside of the bee's abdomen. The plant is therefore only a pollen source; its value is moderate.

Flowering

From June to August on dry pastures, roadsides and calcareous soils. Thanks to its deep roots it keeps flowering through the summer drought.

Honey and pollen

It does not contribute to honey; its pollen found in honey only indicates that the plant grows nearby.

Note for the beekeeper

It adds to pollen diversity in midsummer, but no flow should be expected. Because grazing animals eat little of it on account of its spiny, woody habit, it holds its ground on overgrazed pastures and keeps offering bees pollen in dry periods.