How Much Nectar Will Buckwheat Flowers Yield?

Quantity of Nectar

• Nectar production from a single flower or a multitude of flowers generally varies. On average, an acre of buckwheat flowers can produce between 90 and 290 lbs. of nectar per day for bees to make honey with. This amount of nectar will make between 10 and 15 lbs. of honey per day. Honey made from buckwheat nectar is generally dark and has a flavor which is very strong. There is high demand for the honey, but low supply.

Finding Nectar

• Bees are usually attracted to flowers based on their inflorescence. Inflorescence refers to the flower or flower parts arrangement on a plant, and there are many different kinds of symmetrical arrangements that a buckwheat flower can take. One arrangement it could have is the "thrum" type, where long filaments extend above their shorter style counterparts. There are other inflorescence forms the plant can take, but either way the flower attracts bees, as well as other insects, to collect its nectar.

Pollinating Flowers

• Pollination occurs as a result of insects, like bees, collecting nectar from the flower and inadvertently carrying off pollen to other flowers. Knowing how to pollinate the buckwheat flower will often be an important process for a florist, or anyone interested in this honey, to know. Buckwheat flowers do not self-pollinate because most of the time, they cannot because of the build of the flower which prevents the stamen from touching the pistil. It relies on insects, such as the nectar-collecting bees, to spread its pollen around as well as collect pollen from other flowers.

Producing Flowers

• Though nectar production is not affected by pollination, knowing how to obtain more seeds for turnovers of generations is essential to keeping a steady flow of buckwheat flowers growing. There should be an average of one honey bee colony per acre of buckwheat flowers grown. This will help with varying the diversity of pollinating flowers. This number of bee colonies is sufficient for each flower to get between five and six visits, ensuring that the flowers pollinate and produce more seeds. This will also ensure that the bees are producing honey made from the buckwheat nectar.