Perennial lupine as a honey plant

Content:

Is lupine a honey plant
Description of the varieties of lupine melliferous
Features of lupine as a honey plant: useful properties of such honey
How to grow honey lupine for maximum honey production

Lupine is widespread in many countries. Each variety grows in specific regions - it depends on the climatic conditions. The flower is appreciated for its attractive appearance, unpretentious care. Some varieties are used for agricultural purposes. However, beekeepers have their own interest - first of all, they are interested in the question: is lupine a honey plant or not? In order to answer correctly, it is worth delving into the botanical description of some plant varieties.

Is lupine a honey plant

Only an experienced beekeeper can accurately answer the question - lupine is a honey plant or not. All plant varieties are so similar that any kind of flower can be mistaken for a honey plant. In fact, only 3 varieties are such.

Lupine like a honey plant

Lupine, as a honey plant, is not particularly valuable, since the nectar of this culture in the total product is a tiny fraction in comparison with other flowers and plants. But this is enough for honey to become unique in its medicinal properties.

Only one herb variety of this culture can boast of a high degree of melliferousness - the narrow-leaved lupine. The rest of the species produce a lot of pollen and a minimum of honey.

Is the plant a honey plant?

Description of the varieties of lupine melliferous

Perennial lupine - when to plant seedlings

The honey productivity of lupine is determined by the plant variety. Basically, only 3 varieties are valuable for beekeeping: white, yellow and narrow-leaved lupine. At the same time, the white and yellow species are used as a source of pollen for bees, but the narrow-leaved one is a source of nectar. It turns out that not every lupine is a honey plant with good indicators of nectar productivity.

As for the honey productivity of a flower, you need to know some facts:

In terms of the amount of nectar, lupine as a honey plant gives 50-90 kg per hectare, if it is the narrow-leaved lupine that mainly grows on the territory.
Collecting nectar and pollen by insects is done after 100 - 130 days of active vegetation.
In comparison with other varieties of flowers, the percentage of nectar from this plant is small - only 10-12%.

Description of the honey-bearing flower

The presence of pollen or nectar from lupine can be identified by the characteristic bloom on the frames or legs of the insects. The aroma of this plaque is pleasant, and the taste is slightly bitter.

Yellow

To provide bees with pollen, it is necessary to sow the yellow plant variety. This species grows in Polesie (forest-steppe), in other regions it is necessary to specially plant a flower.

It's easy to find out such a variety:

Leaves are palmate emerald in color.
Erect stems up to 1 m in height. Sometimes there are specimens more than 2 m in height.
The pedicel is high, dotted with large yellow flowers, collected in dense inflorescences.

Yellow variety

note! Look for yellow lupine in places with sandy soil, which has a high acidity.

Flowering begins in early June. If the flower grows in the shade, then the buds will bloom in early July and will not bloom for long.

White (lat.Lupinus albus)

This variety is especially common in the southern regions. A honey plant with an average index, since it is more suitable for obtaining pollen.

Externally, the flower can be described as follows:

The stem reaches 1 m in height. The root is twice as long.
The peduncle can reach 1.5 - 2 m in height.
The flowering period is over 1 month. The buds bloom in mid-July.
The buds are large, white with a complex flower shape.

White view

Additional Information! The culture grows only in those places where the soil is very fertile. Therefore, if possible, you need to apply fertilizer to the ground.

The white flower variety is not afraid of frost and tolerates drought well, but still + 25 degrees is considered the ideal temperature.

Narrow-leaved

The narrow-leaved (blue) lupine is not a perennial herbaceous variety. An interesting feature is the color of the inflorescences. On one peduncle, the buds can have a purple, blue, pink-blue color of the petals with whiteness.

The narrow-leaved species belongs to high-quality honey plants with good indicators. Reaches a peduncle of two meters in height. It prefers a temperate climate, therefore it grows in the central and eastern regions. The composition of the soil should be predominantly sandy.

Narrow-leaved honey plant

Withstands frosts down to -8 degrees, but loves warm summers. Blooms for about 20 days, starting in late June. The blue variety is an excellent honey plant, but it also provides bees with pollen.

Features of lupine as a honey plant: useful properties of such honey

Lupine as a siderat - when to sow and when to bury

Lupine is a very attractive plant for bees - a delicate aroma of flowers, a huge amount of pollen and sweet nectar. An additional plus is the unique property of honey, which contains nectar from this plant:

is a mild pain reliever;
helps in wound healing;
ideal for relieving inflammation.

Attention! Honey containing lupine nectar can cause allergies in people with legume intolerance.

Lupine honey

Attention! Due to the presence of all the above properties, a beekeeping product with such a component is actively used for the manufacture of medicinal tinctures and ointments, an excellent component for cosmetics.

How to grow honey lupine for maximum honey production

Lupine feed for animals

Lupine, whose melliferousness is already low, requires proper care if it is planted for bees. Correct cultivation techniques will increase the plant's honey productivity. You need to consider the following nuances:

You can sow a plant only after grain crops, beets or corn. If legumes grew on the site before this, then the flower will develop poorly.
Before sowing, it is advisable to fertilize the soil with organic fertilizers. It is desirable to increase the acidity of the soil and make it loamy.
The site must be open. The maximum proximity of shrubs or trees is 1.5 m.
Planting material (seeds) is best laid in the fall, around November. Then flowering will occur earlier.
According to the standards, 3 kg of seeds are used for sowing 1 hundred square meters of land space. You can take 2 kg of planting material, then the specimens will be larger and the flowering period will last longer.

Cultivation of culture

You can put seeds in the holes. Each groove contains about 4 seeds. The distance between them must be at least 20 cm.
You can sow in the grooves. The spacing of the rows should be 40 - 45 cm.
So that the seedlings appear on time, and the seeds do not freeze in winter, you need to sprinkle the holes with earth, the layer of which will be at least 4 cm.
Too dense seedlings need to be thinned so that the bushes grow strong and bloom accurately.
After each watering, it is imperative to loosen the soil so that the soil does not bloom and allows moisture to pass through well.

Bees make honey from lupine nectar

If all the conditions for high-quality sowing and care are met, the plantation will delight with its appearance, and the bees will receive enough pollen and nectar from the flowers. Additionally, a properly organized planting will help to grow excellent shrubs with good flowering.

Not many beekeepers realize that lupine can be a honey plant. The flower does not bring much nectar, but enough pollen for the bees. But only a few varieties are considered as such - namely 3. In addition, the plant also attracts with its interesting appearance, pleasant aroma.Honey containing lupine nectar is considered medicinal and very useful.