Raspberry
Its drooping June–July flowers yield nectar even in cool, cloudy weather; in forest clearings it gives a pale, delicately aromatic raspberry honey.
- Nectar
- Good
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Honey yield
- 50–100 kg/ha
- Crystallisation
- Medium
- Pollen colour
- Height
- 1-2 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Raspberry forms large stands in forest clearings, on felled and burnt areas and on mountain slopes; it is also grown in gardens for its fruit. Because its flowers hang downwards, the nectar is protected from rain, and bees keep working even in cool, overcast and even lightly rainy weather. It is rich in nectar, and its pollen contribution is moderate.
Flowering
Depending on altitude it flowers between late May and July and stays in bloom for about three to four weeks. Together with blackberry and lime, which flower at the same time, it can create a strong early summer flow.
Honey and pollen
In Russia, Poland and the Baltic states a monofloral honey is obtained from wild raspberry: a very light-coloured honey with a delicate, pleasant aroma that crystallises at a moderate rate with fine grain. The pollen loads range from off-white to grey.
Note for the beekeeper
In garden raspberries bee visits clearly improve fruit size and shape. When hives are moved to large clear-felled areas, yields vary between years, but a range of 50-100 kg per hectare is often reported.