Dandelion
A key spring resource; plenty of orange pollen and nectar boost brood, and it gives bright yellow dandelion honey that crystallises very fast.
- Nectar
- Medium
- Pollen
- Good
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Crystallisation
- Fast
- Pollen colour
- Height
- 0.1-0.4 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Dandelion is a very common plant that turns meadows, pastures, orchards and roadsides yellow in spring. It gives both nectar and plenty of pollen and is one of the key sources for spring brood build-up. On sunny, mild days the flower heads open in the morning and close in the afternoon; in cloudy, cool weather they stay closed.
Flowering
The main flowering is between March and May; it keeps flowering more sparsely until autumn. A single meadow can provide a strong flow for 3-4 weeks.
Honey and pollen
Dandelion honey is bright yellow, with a sharp, distinctive scent; it crystallises very quickly with a fine grain. The pollen loads are dark orange and easy to recognise in the hive.
Note for the beekeeper
In orchards, dense dandelion can draw bees away from the fruit blossom; take this into account with hives brought in for pollination. Not mowing spring meadows before they flower is a great help to bees.