Language: Bilingual in English and Slovene
This book gives an overview of bees and honey-producing plants in Slovenia. The first part of the book examines nectar production and melliferous plants in Slovenia, and the interdependence of plants and pollinators. Among the insects, the key pollinators are the wild bee and the honeybee, which in Slovenia is the autochthonous Carniolan honeybee (Apis mellifera carnica). The authors pay special attention to the importance of nectar and pollen, which is a plant product for pollinators and for bee products. The territory of Slovenia is characterised by high diversity of melliferous plants. Qualitative description of many melliferous plant species, which are classified according to the seasons of bloom (winter, spring, summer and autumn), represents the majority of the book. This is followed by a description of shrubs and trees that provide nectar, honeydew and pollen for bees.
In the second part, the authors apply these insights to practical examples, such as exploitation of bee forage, possibilities of monitoring the environment with the help of bees, and planning a bee-friendly garden. In the last part, they list several examples of gardens planted with autochthonous melliferous plants. At the end of the book, there is a list of autochthonous melliferous species and references.