Opium poppy
Produces no nectar but offers abundant pollen in the morning; in licensed growing areas it is a short, intense pollen source in early summer.
- Nectar
- None
- Pollen
- Good
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 0.5-1.5 m
- Life cycle
- Annual
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Opium poppy flowers contain no nectar; bees collect large amounts of pollen from flowers that open early in the morning. Large fields provide a short but intense pollen flow and support brood rearing during that period.
Flowering
In Turkey it flowers for about 2-3 weeks between late May and June. A single flower usually stays open for one or two days; pollen is offered mainly before noon, and the petals start to drop in the afternoon.
Honey and pollen
Because it has no nectar, no poppy honey is produced. Although the plant contains alkaloids, there is no strong known evidence that the pollen bees collect harms colonies.
Note for the beekeeper
In Turkey opium poppy may only be grown under licence in authorised provinces (for example around Afyonkarahisar, Denizli, Burdur and Uşak). In these areas, agreeing on spraying times with the grower is the most effective way to protect colonies during the pollen period.