Reproduced from Blake ST and Roff C. 1987. Honey Flora of Queensland 3rd Edition, Department of Primary Industries Queensland, Brisbane.
See also additional species of interest below. Additional information provided by Mike James.
Common name | Scientific name | Colour of honey | Importance as honey source | Importance as pollen source | Honey flavour | Honey density | Blake & Roff comments | Members comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Joyweed | Alternanthera sp. | minor | major | Bees build to swarming strength. This plant together with other weeds flower profusely after the wet season. | Honey has strong unpleasant flavour. In irrigated areas it flowers over a longer period. | |||
Rose sheoak | Allocasuarina torulosa | medium | As for black sheoak. | |||||
Streaked rattlepod | Crotalaria mucronata | minor | major | Bees build to swarming strength. | ||||
Cullen's ironbark | Eucalyptus cullenii | extra light amber | major | medium | choice | heavy | This ironbark is not well known by beekeepers but is reported to have the same value as the narrow-leafed ironbark. Further investigation is required. | |
Molloy red box | Eucalyptus leptophleba | minor | minor | good | Honey is reported to have reddish tint. Requires investigation and is probably more important than at present estimated. Plentiful Mount Garnet district. | |||
Red stringybark | Eucalyptus pellita | medium amber | minor | major | strong | light | On lower coastal slopes a good support species | |
Phasey bean | Macroptilium lathyroides | medium amber | moderate | strong | moderate | Honey froths when heated. Due to insufficient pollen, colonies sometimes dwindle alarmingly. | ||
Long-fruited bloodwood | Corymbia polycarpa | medium amber | minor | minor | strong | light | Bees build well and will store honey after storms in November. Flowering affected by wet season. | |
Phasey bean | Macroptilium lathyroides | minor | major | Bees build to swarming strength. | ||||
Weeping tea tree | Melaleuca leucadendra | light amber | medium | medium | strong | light | Flowers regularly. | |
Broad-leafed tea tree | Melaleuca viridiflora | light amber | medium | major | poor | light | A good source of pollen. | Honey flavour is choice. A good pollen source but needs water to pond over roots on summer days to yield nectar. |
By Mike James
Common name | Scientific name | Importance as honey source | Importance as pollen source | Honey flavour | Honey density | Members comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lemon-scented gum | Corymbia citriodora | nil | minor | Bees can collect pollen, but it is considered to have poor protein content. | ||
Coconut palm | Cocos nucifera | |||||
Pumpkins | Cucurbita maxima | nil to minor | major | light | Bees obtain good supplies of pollen (highest protein levels available to bees) from most pumpkins. | |
Other cucurbits | Cucurbita sp. | With the exception of pumpkins, cucurbits seem of little benefit to bees, but cucumbers can be useful. | ||||
Narrow-leaf ironbark | Eucalyptus crebra | minor to major | Medium to major | choice | heavy | Heavy but erratic producer, about one year in five. |
Gum-topped bloodwood | Corymbia dichromophloia | minor to medium | major | |||
Narrow-leaf (grey) ironbark | Eucalyptus drepanophylla (crebra) | medium | medium | good | moderate | Erratic producer in the Townsville district. |
Coolibah | Eucalyptus microtheca | major | medium | good | Very heavy | Regular producer around waterways away from the coast, but a poor producer in coastal areas. |
Gum-topped box | Eucalyptus moluccana | major | medium | pleasant, unusual flavour | moderate | Honey ferments and froths unless well ripened. Candies rapidly. Produces heavily about one in three years. |
Grevillea | Grevillea sp.; hybrids esp. \'93Robyn Gordon\'94 | minor | nil | Grevilleas are often planted to attract nectar eating birds but of no major benefit to bees. | ||
Soapy tea-tree | Melaleuca dealbata | minor | minor | poor | light | Support species only. |
Paper-bark tea-tree | Melaleuca quinquenervia | major | major | poor | light | High yielding tree in southern Queensland but production is unreliable north of Rockhampton. Candies readily. |
Pigweed | Portulaca bicolor | major | Occurs mainly in headland areas cultivated for irrigated crops. | |||
Mintweed | Salvia reflexa | Mintweed grows quickly after early rainfall and produces sufficient pollen and nectar for building bees. | ||||
Yellow penda | Xanthostemon chrysanthus | major | medium | good | light | Flowers regularly around Cardwell.Major flowering in Townsville suburbs after big rain. |