<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Pollen is very important for honey bee colony development and nutrition. It is also a valuable product for human consumption, considered to have high nutritional value. In this study, we performed melissopalynological analysis of 285 pollen load samples collected from 44 apiaries throughout Greece. The analysis revealed 229 plant taxa represented in total. The abundance of each pollen type varied among the geographical areas from which the samples were collected. We also observed variation among samples collected from the same geographical region. The most frequently found families were Fabaceae, Asteraceae and Rosaceae. The most frequently observed taxa were Brassicaceae, Carduus type, Cistus and Papaver rhoeas. Statistical analysis showed that the geographical classification of pollen samples among northern, central and southern Greece is possible.</p></abstract>

Pollen is very important for honey bee colony development and nutrition. It is also a valuable product for human consumption, considered to have high nutritional value. In this study, we performed melissopalynological analysis of 285 pollen load samples collected from 44 apiaries throughout Greece. The analysis revealed 229 plant taxa represented in total. The abundance of each pollen type varied among the geographical areas from which the samples were collected. We also observed variation among samples collected from the same geographical region. The most frequently found families were Fabaceae, Asteraceae and Rosaceae. The most frequently observed taxa were Brassicaceae, Carduus type, Cistus and Papaver rhoeas. Statistical analysis showed that the geographical classification of pollen samples among northern, central and southern Greece is possible.

Pollen Foraging by Honey Bees (Apis Mellifera L.) in Greece: Botanical and Geographical Origin

Laboratory of Apiculture and Sericulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Journal of Apicultural Science

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Pollen is very important for honey bee colony development and nutrition. It is also a valuable product for human consumption, considered to have high...

Pollen Foraging by Honey Bees (Apis Mellifera L.) in Greece: Botanical and Geographical Origin

Published Online: Dec 11, 2014

Page range: 11 - 23

Received: Sep 25, 2013

Accepted: Jul 25, 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jas-2014-0018

Keywords
Apis mellifera, botanical origin, geographical origin, Greece, melissopalynology, pollen

© by Maria Dimou

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Pollen Foraging by Honey Bees (Apis Mellifera L.) in Greece: Botanical and Geographical Origin

Published Online: Dec 11, 2014

Page range: 11 - 23

Received: Sep 25, 2013

Accepted: Jul 25, 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jas-2014-0018

KeywordsApis mellifera, botanical origin, geographical origin, Greece, melissopalynology, pollen

© by Maria Dimou

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Apis mellifera, botanical origin, geographical origin, Greece, melissopalynology, pollen