A Research on Bee Plants of Mersin Central Districts (Mediterranean, Taurus, Yenişehir, Mezitli)

Abstract

Mersin province is a coastal city built on the Çukurova delta, on the southern foothills of the Taurus Mountains along the Mediterranean Region. The city, which stretches from the foothills of the Taurus Mountains to the Mediterranean coast, is an important beekeeping center whose climate allows for long-term beekeeping activities. In the area where beekeeping can be done in summer and winter, fixed and mobile beekeepers continue their beekeeping activities. This study was carried out to determine the bee plants in the central districts of Mersin (Akdeniz, Toroslar, Yenişehir and Mezitli). The beekeepers selected according to the data obtained from Mersin Beekeepers Association and determined criteria were interviewed, and visits were made to the areas where the beekeepers regularly put their hives. The plants most visited by bees to collect nectar were determined by information provided by beekeepers and flora studies conducted in apiary areas. As a result, 33 plant taxa were determined where bees received the most nectar; It has been observed that the most visited plants by honey bees are taxa belonging to Fabaceae, Lamiaceae and Rosaceae families. It is also realized that among these families, honey bees go mostly to the species of Marrubium L., Ceratonia siliqua L., Arbutus andrachne L., Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh., Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck, Thymus brachychilus Jalas, Astragalus angustiflorus K. Koch and Rosmarinus officinalis L.