Oriental spruce
The spruce of the eastern Black Sea and Caucasus mountains; no nectar, but resin for propolis. Measured data on honeydew flows are scarce; its role is considered local and irregular.
- Nectar
- None
- Pollen
- Low
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 30-40 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Oriental spruce forms forests in Turkey in the eastern Black Sea mountains from Giresun to Artvin and in the Caucasus, mostly mixed with beech, fir and Scots pine. It is wind-pollinated and gives no nectar. As with Norway spruce, scale and aphid honeydew can occur on this species too; however, there is little measured data on the yield and regularity of spruce honeydew in the eastern Black Sea region.
Flowering
In April-May, early among the spruces, it sheds pollen from its reddish male cones. Bees collect this pollen rarely.
Honey and pollen
A separate commercial honey sold as spruce honey is not common in the region; the share of honeydew in honey taken from the upland pastures can vary from year to year.
Note for the beekeeper
Its resin is a good source for propolis. In these forests, the home of the Caucasian bee, the main nectar sources are sweet chestnut, lime and upland flowers. Remember that the purple-flowered rhododendron, which yields mad honey, also grows in the same forests.