Geographic Origin: Hybrid cultivated in Germany. The study surveyed local beekeepers with questionnaires and found that honey yields in 2005 were extremely high: a typical 1000 hectares of spotted gum forest flowering from April-August yielded five tonnes of honey. Scientific Name: Bergenia ‘Abendglocken’. Most importantly, nectar was not a limited resource in 2005, when the research was undertaken, as extensive flowering was recorded across the south coast.

However, because current logging practices result in a mosaic landscape, where some areas are logged and others are left untouched, the impact is far less.Īn estimate of nectar production at a ‘compartment’ scale found a recently logged compartment produced half the amount of nectar as a compartment of mature forest. A single-flower sample The nectar sugar concentration of nongir- 1952), thereby. How plants shape the ant community in the Amazonian rainforest canopy: The key role of extrafloral. A few woodpecker species are recorded as flower visitors for nectar. When the amount of nectar produced by whole forest stands is estimated on the basis of individual flower measurements and counts of flowers and trees, the study found that mature forest produced almost 10 times as much sugar per hectare as recently logged forest. hydrate availability within the canopy (Wykes, by capillary action. nectar consumption and the length of flower. Insects are the staple diet of woodpeckers, but some species also habitually feed on fruits. Nectar in flowers bagged overnight was measured to determine how much nectar they produce.īoth large and small trees were measured in forest with different logging histories: recently logged, regrowth and mature (more than 50 years since logging).Īfter measuring thousands of flowers, the study concluded that nectar production in Spotted Gum on a per flower basis was not affected by logging history nor tree size. Using cranes and cherry-pickers, flowers in forest canopies over 30 metres high on the NSW south coast were accessed. The two eucalypt species chosen for research, Spotted Gum Corymbia maculata and Grey Ironbark Eucalyptus paniculata, are of prime importance to nectarfeeding wildlife, the timber industry and beekeepers. Indeed, beekeepers have expressed concern about the effects of logging on nectar production, especially the perception that young trees do not produce as much nectar as mature trees. As songbirds, goldfinches, bees, and butterflies move from flower to flower collecting nectar.

While Forests NSW has a number of management practices in place to retain nectar-producing trees during logging operations, there has been no information on how much nectar is produced by retained trees or young trees regrowing after logging. Pollinators come for the colors but stay for the nectar. The nest, built by the female, is a rough bulky structure of twigs and sticks, lined with fine grasses, high in the canopy or subcanopy. State forests provide the major honey resource for the beekeeping industry in NSW.

Canopy nectar flower