Pistachio
A wind-pollinated, nectarless orchard tree; it gives a little pollen in April, and in some years bees collect honeydew from pistachio psyllids.
- Nectar
- None
- Pollen
- Low
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 3-8 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Pistachio is grown in large orchards around Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Siirt and Adıyaman. It is dioecious and wind-pollinated; its flowers have no nectar, so it does not need bees for fruit set. Bees collect pollen from male trees for a short time.
Flowering
It flowers briefly in April, for one to two weeks, together with leaf-out. Because almond and wild plants are also in flower in the region at this time, bees may show only limited interest in pistachio pollen.
Honeydew
In years when the pistachio psyllid is abundant, the leaves become covered with plenty of honeydew, which bees collect. This honeydew can raise the honey yield, but a separate, defined pistachio honeydew honey is not common.
Note for the beekeeper
The period of heavy psyllid honeydew is also when insecticide spraying in the orchards is most intense. For apiaries near pistachio orchards, talking with growers about the spraying schedule prevents colony losses.