List of plants pollinated by bees

Pollination by insects is called entomophily. Entomophily is a form of pollination whereby pollen is distributed by insects, particularly bees, Lepidoptera (e.g. butterflies and moths), flies and beetles. Note that honey bees will pollinate many plant species that are not native to areas where honey bees occur, and are often inefficient pollinators of such plants.

Common name	Latin name	Pollinator	Commercial product of pollination	Pollinator impact	Geography of cultivation
Okra	Abelmoschus esculentus	Honey bees (incl. Apis cerana), Solitary bees (Halictus spp.)	fruit	2-modest
Kiwifruit	Actinidia deliciosa	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	fruit	4-essential
Bucket orchid	Coryanthes	Male Euglossini bees (Orchid bees)
Onion	Allium cepa	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed
Cashew	Anacardium occidentale	Honey bees, Stingless bees, bumblebees, Solitary bees (Centris tarsata), Butterflies, flies, hummingbirds	nut	3-great
Atemoya, Cherimoya, Custard apple	Annona squamosa	Nitidulid beetles	fruit	4-essential	tropical
Celery	Apium graveolens	Honey bees, Solitary bees, flies	seed
Strawberry tree	Arbutus unedo	Honey bees, bumblebees	fruit	2-modest
Pawpaw	Asimina triloba	Carrion flies, Dung flies	fruit	4-essential
Carambola, Starfruit	Averrhoa carambola	Honey bees, Stingless bees	fruit	3-great	tropical
Brazil nut	Bertholletia excelsa	Bumblebees, Orchid bees (Euglossini), Carpenter bees	nut	4-essential
Beet	Beta vulgaris	Hover flies, Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed	1-little
Mustard	Brassica alba, Brassica hirta, Brassica nigra	Honey bees, Solitary bees (Osmia cornifrons, Osmia lignaria)	seed	2-modest
Rapeseed	Brassica napus	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed	2-modest
Broccoli	Brassica oleracea cultivar	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed
Cauliflower	Brassica oleracea Botrytis Group	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed
Cabbage	Brassica oleracea Capitata Group	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed
Brussels sprouts	Brassica oleracea Gemmifera Group	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed
Chinese cabbage	Brassica rapa	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed
Turnip, Canola	Brassica rapa	Honey bees, Solitary bees (Andrena ilerda, Osmia cornifrons, Osmia lignaria, Halictus spp.), flies	seed	3-great
Pigeon pea, Cajan pea, Congo bean	Cajanus cajan	Honey bees, solitary bees (Megachile spp.), Carpenter bees	seed	1-little
Jack bean, Horse bean, Sword bean	Canavalia spp.	Solitary bees, Carpenter bees (Xylocopa confusa)	seed	2-modest
Chile pepper, Red pepper, Bell pepper, Green pepper	Capsicum annuum, Capsicum frutescens	Honey bees, stingless bees (Melipona spp.), bumblebees, solitary bees, hover flies	fruit	1-little (pollinators important in green houses to increase fruit weight, but less in open fields)
Papaya	Carica papaya	Honey bees, thrips, large sphinx moths, Moths, Butterflies	fruit	1-little
Safflower	Carthamus tinctorius	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed	1-little
Caraway	Carum carvi	Honey bees, Solitary bees, flies	seed	2-modest
Chestnut	Castanea sativa	Honey bees, Solitary bees	nut	2-modest
Star apple, Cainito	Chrysophyllum cainito	Insects, bats	fruit	1-little	tropical
Watermelon	Citrullus lanatus	Honey bees, bumblebees, solitary bees	fruit	4-essential
Tangerine	Citrus reticulata	Honey bees, bumblebees	fruit	1-little
Tangelo	Citrus spp.	Honey bees, Bumblebees	fruit	1-little
Coconut	Cocos nucifera	Honey bees, Stingless bees	nut	2-modest
Coffea spp. Coffea arabica, Coffea canephora	Coffea spp.	Honey bees, Stingless bees, Solitary bees	fruit	2-modest
Cola nut	Cola nitida, Cola vera, Cola acuminata	flies	nut	3-great
Coriander	Coriandrum sativum	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed	3-great
Crownvetch	Coronilla varia L.	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed (increased yield from pollinators)
Hazelnut	Corylus cornuta var. californica	Honey bees, Solitary bees	nut
Azarole	Crataegus azarolus	Honey bees, Solitary bees	fruit	1-little
Cantaloupe, Melon	Cucumis melo L.	Honey bees, Squash bees, bumblebees, Solitary bees (Ceratina spp.)	fruit	4-essential
Cucumber	Cucumis sativus	Honey bees, Squash bees, Bumblebees, Leafcutter bee (in greenhouse pollination), Solitary bees (for some parthenocarpic gynoecious green house varieties pollination is detrimental to fruit quality)	fruit	3-great
Squash (plant), Pumpkin, Gourd, Marrow, Zuchini	Cucurbita spp.	Honey bees, Squash bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	fruit	4-essential
Guar bean, Goa bean	Cyamopsis tetragonoloba	Honey bees	seed	1-little
Quince	Cydonia oblonga Mill.	Honey bees	fruit
Carrot	Daucus carota	Flies, Solitary bees	seed
Hyacinth bean	Dolichos spp.	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed	2-modest
Longan	Dimocarpus longan	Honey bees, Stingless bees		1-little
Persimmon	Diospyros kaki, Diospyros virginiana	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	fruit	1-little
Durian	Durio zibethinus	Bats, birds		3-great	tropical
Oil palm	Elaeis guineensis	Weevils, thrips	seed	1-little
Cardamom	Elettaria cardamomum	Honey bees, Solitary bees		3-great
Loquat	Eriobotrya japonica	Honey bees, Bumblebees	fruit	3-great
Buckwheat	Fagopyrum esculentum	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed	3-great
Feijoa	Feijoa sellowiana	Honey bees, Solitary bees	fruit	3-great	tropical
Fig	Ficus spp.	Fig wasps (incl. Blastophaga psenes)[1] [2]	fruit (syconium)	2-modest
Fennel	Foeniculum vulgare	Honey bees, Solitary bees, flies	seed	3-great
Strawberry	Fragaria spp.	Honey bees, Stingless bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees (Halictus spp.), Hover flies	fruit	2-modest
Soybean	Glycine max, Glycine soja	Honey bees, bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed	2-modest
Stanhopea	Stanhopea	Male Euglossini bees (Orchid bees)
Cotton	Gossypium spp.	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed, fiber	2-modest
Sunflower	Helianthus annuus	Honey bees, bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed	2-modest
Walnut	Juglans spp.	Honey bees, Solitary bees	nut
Flax	Linum usitatissimum	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed	1-little
Lychee	Litchi chinensis	Honey bees, flies	fruit	1-little
Lupine	Lupinus angustifolius L.	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed
Macadamia	Macadamia ternifolia	Honey bees, Stingless bees (Trigona carbonaria), Solitary bees (Homalictus spp.), Wasps, Butterflies	nut	4-essential
Acerola	Malpighia glabra	Honey bees, Solitary bees	fruit (minor commercial value)
Apple	Malus domestica, or Malus sylvestris	Honey bees, orchard mason bee, Bumblebees, Solitary bees (Andrena spp., Halictus spp., Osmia spp., Anthophora spp.), Hover flies (Eristalis cerealis, Eristalis tenax)	fruit	3-great
Mammee	Mammea americana	Bees	fruit	2-modest	tropical
Mango	Mangifera indica	Honey bees, Stingless bees, flies, ants, wasps	fruit	3-great
Sapodilla	Manikara zapotilla	thrips	fruit	4-essential	tropical
Alfalfa	Medicago sativa	Alfalfa leafcutter bee, Alkali bee, Honey bees	seed
Rambutan	Nephelium lappaceum	Honey bees, Stingless bees, flies	fruit Additional recommended knowledge Daily Sensitivity Test How to ensure accurate weighing results every day? How to quickly check pipettes? 1-little	tropical
Cactus, Prickly pear	Opuntia spp.	Bumblebees, Solitary bees	fruit	2-modest
Sainfoin	Onobrychis spp.	Honey bees, Solitary bees	seed
Passion fruit. Maracuja	Passiflora edulis	Carpenter bees, Solitary bees, bumblebees, humming birds	fruit	4-essential	tropical
Avocado	Persea americana	Honey bees, Stingless bees, Solitary bees	fruit	3-great
Lima bean, Kidney bean, Haricot bean, Adzuki bean, Mungo bean, String bean	Phaseolus spp.	Honey bees, Solitary bees	fruit, seed	1-little
Scarlet runner bean	Phaseolus coccineus L.	Bumblebees, Honey bees, Solitary bees, Thrips	seed
Allspice	Pimenta dioica	Honey bees, Solitary bees (Halictus spp., Exomalopsis spp., Ceratina spp.)		3-great
Apricot	Prunus armeniaca	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees, flies	fruit	3-great
Sweet Cherry	Prunus avium spp.	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees, flies	fruit	3-great
Sour cherry	Prunus cerasus	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees, flies	fruit	3-great
Plum, Greengage, Mirabelle, Sloe	Prunus domestica, Prunus spinosa	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees, flies	fruit	3-great
Almond	Prunus dulcis, Prunus amygdalus, or Amygdalus communis	Honey bees, bumblebees, Solitary bees (Osmia cornuta), flies	nut	3-great
Peach, Nectarine	Prunus persica	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees, flies	fruit	3-great
Guava	Psidium guajava	Honey bees, Stingless bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees (Lasioglossum spp.)	fruit	2-modest	tropical
Pomegranate	Punica granatum	Honey bees, Solitary bees, beetles	fruit	2-modest
Pear	Pyrus communis	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees, Hover flies (Eristalis spp.)	fruit	3-great
Black currant, Red currant	Ribes nigrum, Ribes rubrum	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	fruit	2-modest
Rose hips, Dogroses	Rosa spp.	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Carpenter bees, Solitary bees, Hover flies		3-great
Boysenberry	Rubus spp.	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	fruit
Raspberry	Rubus idaeus	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees, Hover flies (Eristalis spp.)	fruit	3-great
Blackberry	Rubus fruticosus	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees, Hover flies (Eristalis spp.)	fruit	3-great
Elderberry	Sambucus nigra	Honey bees, Solitary bees, flies, Longhorn beetles	fruit	2-modest
Sesame	Sesamum indicum	Honey bees, Solitary bees, wasps, flies	seed	2-modest
Eggplant	Solanum melongena	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	fruit	2-modest (pollinators important in green houses, but less in open fields)
Naranjillo	Solanum quitoense	Bumblebees, Solitary bees	fruit	3-great	tropical
Rowanberry	Sorbus aucuparia	Honey bees, Solitary bees, Bumblebees, Hover flies	fruit	4-essential
Service Tree	Sorbus domestica	bees, flies	fruit	2-modest
Hog plum	Spondias spp.	Honey bees, Stingless bees (Melipona spp.)	fruit	1-little
Tamarind	Tamarindus indica	Honey bees (incl. Apis dorsata)	fruit	1-little
Cocoa	Theobroma cacao	Midges		4-essential
Clover (not all species)	Trifolium spp.	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed
White clover	Trifolium alba	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed
Alsike clover	Trifolium hybridum L.	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed
Crimson clover	Trifolium incarnatum	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed
Red clover	Trifolium pratense	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed
Arrowleaf clover	Trifolium vesiculosum Savi	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed
Blueberry	Vaccinium spp.	Honey bees, Alfalfa leafcutter bees, Southeastern blueberry bee, Bumblebees (Bombus impatiens), Solitary bees (Anthophora pilipes, Colletes spp., Osmia ribifloris, Osmia lignaria)	fruit	3-great
Cranberry	Vaccinium oxycoccus, Vaccinium macrocarpon	Honey bees, Bumblebees (Bombus affinis), Solitary bees (Megachile addenda, Alfalfa leafcutter bees)	fruit
Vanilla	Vanilla planifolia, Vanilla pompona	Solitary bees	fruit	4-essential	tropical
Tung tree	Vernicia fordii	Honey bees	seed
Broad bean	Vicia faba	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed	2-modest
Vetch	Vicia spp.	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed
Cowpea, Black-eyed pea, Blackeye bean	Vigna unguiculata	Honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees	seed	1-little
Karite	Vitellaria paradoxa	Honey bees	nut	2-modest	tropical
Grape	Vitis spp.	Honey bees, Solitary bees, flies	fruit	0-no increase
Jujube	Zizyphus jujuba	Honey bees, Solitary bees, flies, beetles, wasps	fruit	2-modest

Notes and Sources

1. ^ Kislev, Mordechai E.; Hartmann, Anat; Bar-Yosef, Ofer Early Domesticated Fig in the Jordan Valley Science (journal) 2 June 2006: Vol. 312. no. 5778, pp. 1372 - 1374
2. ^ The Calimyrna Fig & Its Pollinator Wasp Wayne's word on-line text book of Natural history

• POLLINATION Mid-Atlantic Apicultural Research and Extension Consortium, MAAREC Publication 5.2; February 2000
• Pollination and Bee Plants, Excerpted from Beekeeper's Handbook, Sammataro/Avitabile ©1998.
• Krombein KV, Hurd PD Jr., Smith DR (eds.). Catalog of Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico, Volume 3, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1979
• McGregor, S.E. Insect Pollination Of Cultivated Crop Plants USDA, 1976
• Mussen, Eric Impact of Honey Bees on the California Environment University of California Davis , 2002
• Pollinators’ impact on crop production Research study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences of 25 October 2006.

See also

• Pollination
• Pollinator
• Pollen source
• Northern Nectar Sources for Honey Bees
• Forage (honey bee)
• List of honey plants