Bees need nectar throughout the year to thrive and, most importantly, to survive. In the grander scene of things Mother Nature is taking care of feeding her bees because a variety of flowers provide pollen from season to season.

The North Carolina State Beekeepers Association (NCSBA) publishes a list of these plants of their for your convenience. Check out their website “What’s Blooming” page.

I’ve made a bar chart, of sorts, to further explain the blooming season. I like it because I can tell at a glance which plants will be blooming when. I can also tell when bees will need feeding because nothing is in bloom.  honeybee-blooming-plants-in-nc-piedmont

As we identify books or references that offer plant information, we’ll add them to this page. OR, if you know of a resource that you like, please send it to me in a comment and I’ll upload it here.

Wikipedia has a page on Northern American nectar sources for honey bees that is worth reading. It’s comprehensive so I’ve had to read it several times. Check it out.

For a list of year-round honey producing plants for bees, select the following link:  yearroundpollinationplants-22

Debbie Roos, the Extension Agent of Chatham County, maintains a website devoted to Small Farms. This includes bees and pollinator gardens. Here is her website:

http://growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu/