Goat willow – a springtime boon

For honey bees, willow is one of the first food sources at the end of winter. Beekeepers time their spring inspection according to the flowering of the catkins of the male plant.

The goat willow is a tree that provides honey bees with some of the first nectar and pollen resources of the season. It is widely distributed and belongs to the family Salicaceae. According to its Latin name, Salix caprea, the goat willow is also known as goat willow. While the vast majority of willows prefer moist and cool conditions, the goat willow can tolerate drier soils. This favors its natural distribution. It readily colonizes sparsely wooded areas, as it has a strong preference for light. Its height ranges from 6 to 14 meters. Like all willows, it is a dioecious species, meaning that male and female plants occur separately.

Its flowering begins in February and reaches full intensity in March. This early and abundant bloom makes the goat willow particularly valuable for bees and for beekeepers, who schedule their spring inspection around mid-March, as soon as the catkins open. The lifespan of the goat willow is relatively short and does not exceed 60 years. In addition to the goat willow, there is a wide diversity of willows (approximately 350 species) that produce nectar and pollen, notably the weeping willow and the white willow.

The flowers of willow consist of a bright yellow, highly characteristic catkin that appears before the leaves. These flowers are very rich in nectar, and only the male willow flowers produce pollen. This input is essential at a time when the colony is developing its brood. Fresh pollen is particularly useful for combating nosema disease and for feeding young larvae.

In the event of frequent heavy rainfall at this time of year, pollen and nectar intake from goat willow is reduced, as the flowers are unprotected and rain washes away the nectar.

Propagation: Unlike other willow species, the goat willow is relatively poorly suited to propagation by cuttings. The simplest approach is to collect one or two young plants in the wild and replant them near the apiary. Once established, however, the goat willow tends to produce root suckers.

Willow honey: This honey has a golden-yellow color with greenish hues and pronounced floral notes. During the flowering period of the goat willow, adding a honey super would cool the hive excessively and impair brood development. As a result, harvesting willow honey is difficult.