Evaluation of the Flora of the Muş Alparslan University Campus with Regard to Beekeeping

Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) are the most common and active pollinator insects on earth. Bees are needed to pollinate flowers, and bees need the flowers as food. Bees obtain nectar and pollen, the most important food sources, from flowers. Bees visit different flowers to collect these nutrients. Factors that influence the bees' visits include the plant species, the proximity and density of the plant, the flower structure, the quality of nectar and pollen and the bees' needs. When bees visit flowering plants, the quality of the pollen and nectar they receive from the flower and the structure of the flower are important. Some flowers may be pleasant to humans but are not at all preferred by bees. In this study, an attempt was made to determine which flower species, belonging to which family, are intensively visited by bees. As a result of the study, 263 plant taxa belonging to 47 families were identified. Asteraceae (47), Fabaceae (32), Poaceae (30), Lamiaceae (24) and Apiaceae (12) are the most densely populated families. During field studies, it was observed that bee density was high in yellow sweet clover, white sweet clover, false acacia, purple clover, and small burnet flowers. It is expected that this research will contribute to future studies and beekeeping activities.