Determination of Plant Species Important to Honey Bees and Their Vegetation Characteristics in the Tekirdağ Region

This study aimed to identify the plant species important for honey bees in the Tekirdağ region, along with their habitats and flowering periods. Field surveys recorded 573 plant taxa from 82 families, all evaluated as major nectar and pollen sources. Among these families, Asteraceae ranked first with 72 taxa, followed by Fabaceae with 56 taxa and Lamiaceae with 53 taxa. Rosaceae (40 taxa), Brassicaceae (25 taxa), Polygonaceae (22 taxa), Boraginaceae (20 taxa), Plantaginaceae (19 taxa), Apiaceae (15 taxa), and Geraniceae (12 taxa) followed, while other families contained fewer species. The flowering period from March to July was defined as the natural nectar and pollen flow period, whereas the period from mid-August to early November was considered the “scarcity period,” and the period from November to February represented the “dearth period” for beekeeping in the Tekirdağ region. Overall, the results indicate that the melliferous plant composition of the region is highly diverse and that bees utilize botanical resources spread across a wide range of ecosystems. This diversity highlights the ecological richness of the region and the importance of its varied plant communities for sustainable apiculture.