Egyptian clover
An annual clover that is the main forage crop of Egypt and the Middle East; large fields give a strong spring flow and produce Egypt's most important monofloral honey.
- Nectar
- Good
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 0,3-0,8 m
- Life cycle
- Annual
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An annual forage legume native to the eastern Mediterranean and grown in the Nile valley for thousands of years. In Egypt, Pakistan, India and the Middle East it is sown on large areas as a winter crop and cut several times. Its short-tubed white-cream flowers are very well suited to honey bees; it is the main spring flow of Egyptian beekeeping.
Flowering
With winter sowing it flowers from March to May after the last cut; with spring sowing in cooler regions it flowers in May-June. Secretion is high in hot, irrigated fields; the flowering after the last cut, left for seed, is the key period for the beekeeper.
Honey and pollen
Berseem honey is light in colour, with a mild, soft aroma; it is the most produced and consumed monofloral honey in Egypt. Reliable information on its crystallisation speed is limited.
Note for the beekeeper
In Turkey it is sown on a limited scale as a forage crop in the Çukurova plain and the south-east. Keeping bee colonies in seed fields increases the seed yield; if the field is to be sprayed, communication with the grower protects the colonies.