The best herbs for bees

Herbs in the catalogue

• LavenderLavandula angustifoliaJune to August. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Major honey crop
• ThymeThymusMay to August. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Major honey crop
• SageSalviaMay to October. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Major honey crop
• MintMenthaJuly to September. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• MarjoramOriganum vulgareJuly to September. Nectar very high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• CatmintNepetaMay to October. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• Dead-nettleLamiumJanuary to December. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• Lamb's earStachys byzantinaJune to August. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• BetonyBetonica officinalisJune to September. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• AgastacheAgastache foeniculumJuly to October. Nectar very high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• BergamotMonarda didymaJuly to September. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• HyssopHyssopus officinalisJune to September. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Minor honey crop
• Sea hollyEryngiumJuly to September. Nectar very high, pollen high.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• Wild carrotDaucus carotaJune to September. Nectar moderate, pollen high.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• FennelFoeniculum vulgareJuly to September. Nectar high, pollen high.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus
• HogweedHeracleum sphondyliumJune to September. Nectar high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• SelfhealPrunella vulgarisJune to September. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Lemon balmMelissa officinalisJune to September. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• BugleAjuga reptansApril to June. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Woodland sageSalvia nemorosaJune to September. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Lesser calamintClinopodium nepetaJuly to November. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Russian sageSalvia yangiiJuly to October. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• Winter savorySatureja montanaJuly to September. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Major honey crop
• CorianderCoriandrum sativumJune to August. Nectar high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• AngelicaAngelica archangelicaJune to August. Nectar very high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• Giant catmintNepeta racemosaMay to October. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Not a honey source
• MotherwortLeonurus cardiacaJune to August. Nectar very high, pollen moderate.Minor honey crop
• TulsiOcimum tenuiflorumSeptember to February. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Minor honey crop
• AjwainTrachyspermum ammiJanuary to March. Nectar high, pollen high.Minor honey crop
• Mountain mintPycnanthemum speciesJuly to September. Nectar high, pollen moderate.Feeds the colony but rarely yields a surplus

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
• Leafcutter bees
• Anatolian honey bee
• Wool carder bee
• Mason bees
• Blue mason bee
• Sweat bees
• Sharp-collared furrow bee
• Patchwork leafcutter bee
• Digger bees
• Violet carpenter bee

Honeys from these plants

• Lavender honeyOvertly perfumed — lavender flower, warm hay and a soft fruity sweetness underneath. Aromatic in a way most honeys are not.
• Alcarria honeyDelicate and aromatic, with a clean herbal sweetness — the rosemary type is softer and more floral, the lavender type more perfumed and slightly camphoraceous.
• Rosmaninho honeyAromatic and resinous with a warm herbal sweetness and a faint eucalyptus lift — more robust and less perfumed than Provençal lavender honey.
• Thyme honeyWarm, herbal and savoury — thyme and dry stone, with a peppery lift and a very long finish.
• Alpine meadow honeyComplex and aromatic, with a herbal lift over warm caramel and a distinctly clean finish — the flavour of a great many plants rather than of any one.
• Hymettus honeyIntensely aromatic and herbal, with a warm thyme character, a resinous maquis edge and a long finish that carries a distinct savoury note.
• Savory honeyIntensely herbal with a distinct peppery, almost oregano-like bite over a warm sweetness — one of the more assertive Mediterranean aromatics.
• Narbonne rosemary honeyDelicate and clean with a soft herbal floral note and a texture that does much of the work — one of the classic pale European honeys.
• Dittany honeyIntensely aromatic and herbal with a distinct medicinal lift and a warm oregano character — closer to a herbal infusion than to a floral honey.
• Ak balMild, creamy and delicately floral with a faint herbal lift — the texture is much of the appeal, dense and smooth and dissolving rather than sticky.
• 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.
• Blue curls honeyExtremely delicate with a clean sweetness and a faint herbal lift — one of the mildest honeys there is, and prized for exactly that.