Have you ever heard the name of the bee flower, which attracts attention with its beautiful appearance? There is valuable information to learn about this bee-friendly plant, also known as "Phacelia" or "purple tansy"!
There are still many species to discover in the vastness of the plant world. And bee flower is one of these plants! With its bright purple color, the bee flower is very pleasant to the eye, and it stands out especially for its importance in beekeeping. Naturally, there is a reason why this plant is called bee flower. So, how about learning the answer to this reason and many other questions, such as where the bee flower grows and how it is used?
1. WHAT IS BEE FLOWER?
Bee flower is a herbaceous plant species in the Hydrophyllaceae family, with flowers typically light purple in color. There are 13 known species of this plant worldwide, which is also cultivated in Turkey. The most commonly cultivated species is called Phacelia Tanacetifolia Bentham. Bee flower also stands out as a nectar and pollen source and is known to be a strong food source for honey bees. Thanks to this, bee flower ranks among the top 20 best honey plants in the world.
2. WHERE DOES BEE FLOWER GROW?
Bee flower is not a picky plant in terms of soil it grows in; its origin is known to be the southwestern USA, especially California, and Mexico. The plant was brought to Europe in the last century for use in beekeeping and was domesticated and spread across the continent. In Turkey, which has a significant advantage in agriculture due to its plant diversity, bee flower is mostly grown in the Çukurova and Southeastern Anatolia regions.
3. HOW IS BEE FLOWER USED?
Bee flower, a plant true to its name, is highly favored by beekeepers due to the characteristics mentioned above! Bees actually frequent plants like astragalus, thyme, and mustard more often than bee flower. However, the ability of bee flower to bloom for a longer period than these plants increases the time honey bees spend on it. When sown at different times, the flowering period of bee flower can be extended even further.
Thanks to its ability to provide nectar to bees, bee flower can be used by planting it directly in front of apiaries. Alternatively, beekeepers move their colonies to areas where this plant grows. When the plant finishes flowering, the plants can be collected and used to provide food for farm animals. In summary, the importance of this plant in agriculture and animal husbandry extends to many areas.
4. WHAT ARE THE USES OF BEE FLOWER?
The uses of bee flower, which are becoming more widespread in Turkey as well as globally, include its use as a bee pasture, animal feed, soil improvement, cover crop, biological control, and pollination. If we elaborate on these, a broad stream of information emerges as follows:
4.1. Bee Pasture
The use of bee flower as a bee pasture is for the purpose of bees collecting pollen and nectar. While honey bees visit bee flower for pollen collection at a rate of 22 percent, this rate is as high as 97 percent for wild bumblebees. Since the plant is resistant to diseases and harmful insects, pesticides are not used in its cultivation. This increases the naturalness and quality of honey made from the nectar of bee flower.
4.2. Animal Feed
After flowering is complete, bee flower can be used fresh or dried to feed animals. However, as the plant becomes more difficult for animals to digest in later stages of flowering, certain additives may need to be included in bee flower when making silage, a type of feed.
4.3. Cover Crop
Another use of bee flower is as a cover crop. That is, this plant can be grown to protect fields, similar to alfalfa, when agricultural land is left fallow.
4.4. Biological Control
Bee flower, with its ability to attract insects, can also be used in cultivated plant farming to prevent insect damage to plants. By planting bee flower around cultivated plants to attract harmful insects and then harvesting it, this method makes it possible to prevent the use of chemical pesticides.
4.5. Pollination
Improper agricultural practices can lead to the destruction of the feeding and living areas of some beneficial insects. This means a decrease in the number of insects that have a positive effect on agriculture, as well as their contribution to pollination. By creating pastures with bee flower used in combination with other plants, a new food source is provided for these insects. As a result, an increase is observed even in the spread of plants that insects do not frequent much.
4.6. Soil Improvement
Mixing bee flower into the soil during harvest after it has flowered helps improve the soil structure by contributing to soil reclamation.
5. WHAT IS BEE FLOWER USED FOR?
Are you still wondering what bee flower, which is of great importance for beekeeping, is used for? Then let's talk with some concrete research results: A study conducted in the Çukurova Region shows that this plant positively affects the population development of honey bee colonies. There are also different studies indicating that honey yield can multiply in areas with bee flower pastures. The honey obtained from this plant is called phacelia honey.
6. WHAT SUBSTANCES DOES BEE FLOWER CONTAIN?
Bee flower harvest is generally done for the purpose of using the plant as animal feed. For this reason, bee flower needs to be harvested when its nutritional values are highest. This period coincides with the budding and half-flowering period of the bee flower. Thus, the plant is observed to be more productive in terms of protein, fat, and fiber.
7. WHERE IS BEE FLOWER SOLD?
The seeds of bee flower, whose primary use is in beekeeping, can be obtained from stores selling herbal products. In addition, bee flower can also be purchased online. It is necessary to thoroughly research the quality of these seeds before purchasing them for planting.
Is your goal also to access only high-quality, genuine honey varieties produced by natural methods? Then you can confidently choose Balparmak honey! Balparmak tests the honey varieties it collects from different regions of Anatolia for naturalness and quality with at least 100 parameters. All that's left for you is to enjoy natural honey with your whole family, without hesitation!
Disclaimer: The information on this page is compiled from various scientific sources and should under no circumstances be taken as medical advice.
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