Plants provide the nectar for honey production and pollen for brood production. Coincidently, the bees pollinate the plants allowing seed and fruit to develop. The type and availability of nectar sources in an area determines not only the potential honey production for that locality, but also the flavor, color and quality of the honey crop.
Pollen is collected by bees and provides the essential protein for brood development.
For these reasons, a beekeeper who knows his local flora will be better able to develop a management system which fully utilizes those potential honey and pollen plants. North Carolina is a large state and exhibits considerable variety in honey plants as one travels from the sea to the mountains. This note lists the average blooming dates of some of the important nectar sources in the state's three main geographical areas. The figure in parenthesis following each blooming date indicates the average number of days flowering may be expected. There are others which you should learn.