Honey-bearing potential of dendroflora in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The floristic composition and ecological characteristics of the area where honey grazing is carried out directly define the botanical origin as well as the physical and chemical properties of honey. The goal of this research was to determine the potential of woody and shrubby plant species in the apiflora from Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) based on the qualitative-quantitative palynological analysis of honey samples. In the research, 100 different types of honey samples from B&H were collected and analyzed. The melissopalinological preparations were prepared and analyzed in accordance with the Rulebook on methods for the control of honey and other bee products of B&H, as well as the methods proposed by ICBB. After the melissopalinological analysis, 25 plant families with a total of 30,000 pollen grains were identified, of which 16 were woody or shrubby plants with 18,126 pollen grains in the preparations. In the research, the most presented honey-bearing woody plants were: black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), chestnut (Castanea sativa) and linden (Tilia sp.). Each analyzed palynological profile represented a unique combination of pollen from honey-bearing plants, as a specific biological imprint of the place of honey grazing.