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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
River mangrove | Aegiceras corniculatum | light amber | minor | minor | strong | light | Useful supporting species. | Useful support species, but good yields have not been reported. |
White mahogany (white stringybark) | Eucalyptus acmenoides | medium amber | minor | major | strong | light | A supporting species on the Atherton Tableland. | |
Pink bloodwood | Corymbiaintermedia | medium amber | minor | minor | strong | light | Flowering affected adversely by wet season. Restricted value. | Bees build well and will store honey after storms in November. Flowering affected by wet season. |
Mountain coolibah | Eucalyptus orgadophila | extra light amber | major | medium | good | moderate | Produces heavily about one year in four in the drier basaltic areas of the Cairns hinterland | |
Rusty jacket | Corymbiapeltata | minor | Found scattered in the Herbert-Irvinebank area. The bee forage value of this tree is not well known. | Flower cups show plenty of nectar. | ||||
Red stringybark | Eucalyptus resinifera | medium amber | minor | major | strong | light | On Atherton Tableland in major flowering year a good support species. | |
Morton Bay ash (Carben, Stocking gum) | Corymbia tessellaris | minor | major | In Townsville district during the dry period this pollen tree is valuable. | Honey is the most stringy of northern types. | |||
Northern swamp box | Lophostemon grandiflorus | white | minor | minor | good | moderate | Produces heavily about one in ten years, particularly in a dry summer on the Atherton Tableland. Important in coastal districts and on the Atherton Tableland. | Produces heavily about one year in ten, particularly during dry summer. Needs creek to run before it quickly buds and flowers. |
Maize (corn) | Zea mays | major | Excellent source of pollen. | Excellent source of pollen which beekeepers are making better use of. | ||||
Chinee apple | Ziziphus mauritiana | extra white | minor | minor | fair | light | Flowers annually and lightly stimulates colonies during dry period in Townsville district. | Flavour unpleasant. Nil value for pollen. Flowers annually and can lightly stimulate bees during dry summers in the Townsville district. Honey can froth. |
By Mike James
Common name | Scientific name | Colour of honey | Importance as honey source | Importance as pollen source | Honey flavour | Honey density | Members comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wattles | Acacia sp. | nil | minor | Bees can collect pollen, but it is considered to have poor protein content. | |||
Casuarinas | Casuarina sp.; Allocasuarina sp. | minor | minor | Bees collect copious quantities of pollen in some seasons. Pollen is cream coloured and the rust like material at the hive entrances are husks which are discarded. | |||
Coconut palm | Cocos nucifera | ||||||
Pumpkins | Cucurbita maxima | medium amber | 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. | |||||
White stringybark | Eucalyptus acmenoides | medium amber | minor | major | strong | light | A strong support species north of Hervey's Range. |
River red gum (River gum) | Eucalyptus camaldulensis | White to light amber | major | major | mild | dense | Most widely distributed tree in inland Australia. Honey candies readily, and needs to be carefully heated to render it. |
Lemon-scented gum | Lophostemon citriodora | minor | medium | Close cousin to southern Spotted gum. It has a long bud growing period and can flower any month of the year. | |||
Silver-leaf (broad-leaf) ironbark | Eucalyptus melanophloia | white to light amber | major | minor | good | heavy | |
Normanton box | Eucalyptus normantonensis | Light amber | medium | minor | Most responsive to ground moisture. Bees can build to swarming strength when pollen is collected from another source. | ||
Ghost gum | Eucalyptus platyphylla | dark amber | minor | major | pleasant | moderate | In a good flowering year it is a good support species. It will not bud with insufficient ground moisture. |
Hairy bloodwood | Eucalyptus setosa | dark to black | Common west of Charters Towers (occurs with E. papuana). Value to bees unknown. | ||||
Silver-leaf ironbark | Eucalyptus shirleyi | extra light amber | medium | minor | good | heavy | In major flowering year this is a good support species. |
Grevillea | Grevillea sp.; hybrids esp. \'93Robyn Gordon\'94 | amber | minor | nil | Grevilleas are often planted to attract nectar eating birds but of no major benefit to bees. | ||
Brush box | Lophostemon confertus | extra white to light amber | minor | minor | choice | moderate | Other scrub trees flower at the same time, often spoiling this choice honey. |
Swamp mahogany | Lophostemon suaveolens | extra white | medium | nil to minor | good | moderate | Produces heavily about one year in five, particularly in dry summer. Thin nectar is washed out by rain. |
Soapy tea-tree | Melaleuca dealbata | medium amber | minor | minor | poor | light | Support species only. |
Red bottle brush | Melaleuca viminglis | medium amber | minor to major in town | medium to major | fair | light | Small stands along most creeks, but street planting is a help. |
Peltophorum | Peltophorum pterocarpum | amber to yellow | medium | major | fair | light | Useful source of pollen in town, bees build strongly and wax produced is orange. |
Cockie apple | Planchonia careya | amber | minor | nil | very unpleasant | light | Honey is of strong and unpleasant character downgrading the flavour of any honey blended with it. |
Pigweed | Portulaca bicolor | major | Occurs mainly in headland areas cultivated for irrigated crops. | ||||
Pigweed | Portulaca oleracea; P. pilosa | 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. | |||||
Rain tree | Samanea saman | light amber | medium | major | fair | light | Regular honey producer in town. |
Umbrella tree | Schefflera (ex Brassaia) actinophylla | dark amber | minor | nil | fair | light | Bees can collect small quantities of this nectar which is nearly black. Bees work these flowers during rain. |
African tulip | Spathodea campanulata | minor | Bees collect and are stimulated by the red stringy pollen. | ||||
Yellow bells | Tecoma stans | amber to yellow | minor | minor to medium | Bees are attracted to nectar of this support species. | ||
Caltrop | Tribulus terrestris | minor | medium | Bees are often seen beside roads collecting lemon yellow pollen. The pollen is of high quality and accelerates brood rearing, soon after drought breaking rains. | |||
Grasstree | Xanthorrhoea sp. | minor | minor | ||||
Yellow penda | Xanthostemon chrysanthus | extra light amber | major | medium | good | light | Flowers regularly around Cardwell.Major flowering in Townsville suburbs after big rain. |