'Cotoneasterfor' bumble bees and honey bees

Corbet, Sarah A and Westgarth-Smith, A (1992) 'Cotoneasterfor' bumble bees and honey bees. Journal of Apicultural Research, 31(1), pp. 9-14. ISSN (print) 0021-8839

Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/00218839.1992.11101254

Abstract

Regular monitoring between May and August 1988 of a collection of 22 taxa of Cotoneaster in the UK showed that the bumble bees Bombus pratorum and B. pascuorum preferentially visited species in the section Cotoneaster. The short-tongued bumble bees B. terrestris/lucorum and honey bees visited species in both sections of the genus, concentrating on the section Cotoneaster in the dearth period of early summer and on Chaeno-petalum after mid-June. The section Cotoneaster is recommended as particularly valuable for bee forage. This phenological survey should make it possible to select groups of species for amenity plantings to give a seasonal spread of flowering, enhancing the availability of nectar plants.

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