Cities and generally urbanized environments are precious sources of resources for bees. A number of trees, shrubs, and herbs used in streets, gardens, and parks are in bloom year round, and are therefore able to provide a continuous source of nectar and pollen to bees and wild pollinators present in urban environments. The recent trend to exploit urban beekeeping makes flowers fundamental, in addition to their role in enhancing the beauty of the urban landscape. The potential melliferous yield of the city of Turin, rich in public and private green areas, was analyzed considering the data collected by Crane and Walker (1984), Ferrazzi and Marletto (1984), Ferrazzi et al. (2000), and Maurizio and Grafl (1982), along with personal investigations. The public green area is 21,376,000 m² (per capita 23.62 m²), with 110,000 trees and 2,500 m2 flower beds. Among melliferous plants, the trees Tilia spp. and Aesculus hippocastanum are very common and represent a significant melliferous source. In addition, Ailanthus altissima and other invasive species are widely present in cities and are visited by bees. The contribution of shrubs and herbs is very important but variable, and depends largely on private areas. The overall melliferous potential was estimated. Furthermore, the contribution of winter flowerings must be considered (e.g. in the case of Eryobotria japonica), which helps in maintaining the survival of the colonies. In addition, honeydew is collected on conifers, linden, and maple. Another essential support for bees is the pollen, supplied also from anemophilous plants not involved in honey production such as Ulmus, Populus, and Quercus. Moreover, wild flora, including Taraxacum officinale, Trifolium repens, and Salvia pratensis represent important melliferous sources for bees. These plants are difficult to quantify due to the wide variety of approaches used in landscape management. This work highlighted the high amount of bee flora in Turin. The possibilities for beekeeping in combination with the attractiveness of flowers highlight the importance of utilizing melliferous flora when designing urban areas.
Melliferous potential yield of Torino city (Piedmont, northwestern Italy)
VERCELLI, MONICA;FERRAZZI, Paola
2014-01-01
Abstract
Cities and generally urbanized environments are precious sources of resources for bees. A number of trees, shrubs, and herbs used in streets, gardens, and parks are in bloom year round, and are therefore able to provide a continuous source of nectar and pollen to bees and wild pollinators present in urban environments. The recent trend to exploit urban beekeeping makes flowers fundamental, in addition to their role in enhancing the beauty of the urban landscape. The potential melliferous yield of the city of Turin, rich in public and private green areas, was analyzed considering the data collected by Crane and Walker (1984), Ferrazzi and Marletto (1984), Ferrazzi et al. (2000), and Maurizio and Grafl (1982), along with personal investigations. The public green area is 21,376,000 m² (per capita 23.62 m²), with 110,000 trees and 2,500 m2 flower beds. Among melliferous plants, the trees Tilia spp. and Aesculus hippocastanum are very common and represent a significant melliferous source. In addition, Ailanthus altissima and other invasive species are widely present in cities and are visited by bees. The contribution of shrubs and herbs is very important but variable, and depends largely on private areas. The overall melliferous potential was estimated. Furthermore, the contribution of winter flowerings must be considered (e.g. in the case of Eryobotria japonica), which helps in maintaining the survival of the colonies. In addition, honeydew is collected on conifers, linden, and maple. Another essential support for bees is the pollen, supplied also from anemophilous plants not involved in honey production such as Ulmus, Populus, and Quercus. Moreover, wild flora, including Taraxacum officinale, Trifolium repens, and Salvia pratensis represent important melliferous sources for bees. These plants are difficult to quantify due to the wide variety of approaches used in landscape management. This work highlighted the high amount of bee flora in Turin. The possibilities for beekeeping in combination with the attractiveness of flowers highlight the importance of utilizing melliferous flora when designing urban areas.
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