Heather family plants for bees

Heather family plants in the catalogue

• HeatherCalluna vulgarisAugust to September. Nectar very high, pollen high.Major honey crop
• Strawberry treeArbutus unedoOctober to December. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Minor honey crop
• SourwoodOxydendrum arboreumJune to August. Nectar very high, pollen low.Major honey crop
• BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumApril to June. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Minor honey crop
• BilberryVaccinium myrtillusApril to June. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Minor honey crop
• CranberryVaccinium macrocarponJune to July. Nectar moderate, pollen moderate.Minor honey crop
• Bell heatherErica cinereaJune to September. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Major honey crop
• Greek heathErica manipulifloraSeptember to December. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Minor honey crop
• ManzanitaArctostaphylos speciesDecember to March. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Minor honey crop

What this group covers

12 of 12 months have something in flower. Nectar and pollen are counted separately and a month counts only where at least one plant offers that resource at moderate value or better — a plant in flower is not the same as a plant worth visiting.

Bees these plants are recorded with

Taken from the relationships on each plant record. These are the well-attested associations rather than an exhaustive list of visitors, so treat the number as a floor.

• Western honey bee
• Bumblebees
• White-tailed bumblebee
• Heath bumblebee
• Bilberry bumblebee
• Blunthorn bees
• African mountain honey bee
• Mason bees
• Mining bees
• Western bumblebee
• Common eastern bumblebee
• Tawny mining bee

Honeys from these plants

• Heather honeyStrong, smoky and slightly bitter, with a lingering woodfire-and-toffee character. One of the most complex honeys produced anywhere.
• Tree heath honeyStrong, malty and slightly bitter, with a burnt-caramel depth and a woody finish — assertive in a way that divides opinion sharply.
• Tibetan highland honeyDense and strongly herbal with a resinous depth and a faintly smoky finish — a concentrated honey that reflects both a short intense season and traditional processing.
• Mountain laurel honeyReported as bitter and sharp with a burning sensation in the throat, though the toxin is not reliably detectable by taste — which is the single most important fact about it.
• Strawberry tree honeyAggressively bitter — coffee grounds, artichoke and burnt sugar, with the sweetness arriving late and briefly. Nothing in food prepares most people for it.
• Sourwood honeySpicy and aromatic — anise and clove over a caramel base, with a dry, almost tannic finish that stops it being merely sweet.
• Blueberry honeyTangy and lightly fruity with a green, slightly astringent edge — recognisably related to the berry without tasting of jam.
• Lingonberry honeyDelicate and clean with a distinct tart berry note and a fresh acidity — one of the few honeys that genuinely tastes of the fruit its plant produces.
• Bilberry honeyTangy and berry-forward over a caramel base, with a green astringency and a genuine fruit acidity.
• Cranberry honeyTart and fruity with a genuine cranberry acidity — one of very few honeys where sourness is a real part of the profile.
• Bell heather honeyRich, warm and fruity with a caramel base and a distinct red-fruit note — sweeter and rounder than ling heather, and without its smoky bitterness.
• Greek erica honeyDark, malty and faintly bitter, with dried fig and caramel behind it. A robust honey and a distinctly autumnal one.