A nectar source is a flowering plant that produces nectar

Nectar (plant)

Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants. It is produced in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers, in which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists, which in turn provide anti-herbivore protection...

 as part of its reproductive strategy. These plants create nectar, which attract pollinating insects and sometimes other animals such as birds.

Nectar source plants are important for beekeeping

Beekeeping

Beekeeping is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. A beekeeper keeps bees in order to collect honey and other products of the hive , to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers...

, as well as in agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

 and horticulture

Horticulture

Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...

. Their use is particularly important for organic agriculture and organic horticulture

Organic horticulture

Organic horticulture is the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants by following the essential principles of organic agriculture in soil building and conservation, pest management, and heirloom variety preservation....

, where they serve not only to attract pollinators for crops, but also provide habitat for beneficial insects

Beneficial insects

Beneficial insects are any of a number of species of insects that perform valued services like pollination and pest control. The concept of beneficial is subjective and only arises in light of desired outcomes from a human perspective...

 and other animals that provide pest control.

In gardens, nectar sources are often provided to attract butterflies and hummingbirds as well.

Nectar sources for honey bees

While many plants produce nectar, beekeepers prefer to place their hives near certain plants, rather than others, for the qualities of the honey

Honey

Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...

 produced. Certain agricultural crops, such as clover and buckwheat, are used to make specific honeys.

Some plants are avoided by beekeepers due to toxins found in the nectar. For example, honey made from the nectar of Rhododendron

Rhododendron

Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...

s ("mad honey") contains neurotoxic chemicals.

See also: Northern Nectar Sources for Honey Bees

Nectar sources for pollinators

Pollinating insects, including honey bees and many other insects, are a necessary element when growing most crops (though cereal grain crops are wind-pollinated). By maintaining a constant supply of nectar in areas adjacent to a field or vegetable garden throughout the growing season, farmers and gardeners ensure that their crops can be pollinated when they flower.

Nectar sources for beneficial insects

Particularly organic horticulture

Organic horticulture

Organic horticulture is the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants by following the essential principles of organic agriculture in soil building and conservation, pest management, and heirloom variety preservation....

 and organic farming

Organic farming

Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...

, nectar sources are maintained to attract and maintain a population of beneficial insects

Beneficial insects

Beneficial insects are any of a number of species of insects that perform valued services like pollination and pest control. The concept of beneficial is subjective and only arises in light of desired outcomes from a human perspective...

. Insects such as predatory wasps, hoverflies and lacewings

Chrysopidae

Green lacewings are insects in the large family Chrysopidae of the order Neuroptera. There are about 85 genera and 1,300–2,000 species in this widespread group...

 feed on nectar as adults, while their larval forms are predatory and feed on garden pests.

Nectar sources for butterflies and hummingbirds

In gardens, the presence of butterflies and hummingbirds is often encouraged. Butterflies are attracted by most good nectar sources, though there are particular plants they seem to prefer. Certain plants are also grown as a food source for their caterpillars.

Hummingbirds feed on tubular flowers, using their long, siphoning beaks. Many plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae

Lamiaceae

The mints, taxonomically known as Lamiaceae or Labiatae, are a family of flowering plants. They have traditionally been considered closely related to Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae...

, are used to attract hummingbirds.

See also

• Forage (honeybee)
  Forage (honeybee)
  For bees, their forage or food supply consists of nectar and pollen from blooming plants within flight range. The forage sources for honey bees are an important consideration for beekeepers. In order to determine where to locate hives for maximum honey production and brood one must consider the...
  
  
• Honeydew source
  Honeydew source
  This is a list of honeydew sources. Honeydew is a sugary excretion from plant sap sucking insects such as aphids or scales. There are many trees that are hosts to aphids and scale insects that produce honeydew-Honeydew sources:-References:...
  
  
• List of honey plants
• Pollen source
  Pollen source
  The term pollen source is often used in the context of beekeeping and refers to flowering plants as a source of pollen for bees or other insects. Bees collect pollen as a protein source to raise their brood. For the plant, the pollinizer, this can be an important mechanism for sexual reproduction,...
  
  
• Melliferous flower
  Melliferous flower
  A melliferous flower is a plant which produces substances that can be collected by insects and turned into honey. Many plants are melliferous, but only certain examples can be harvested by honey bees, because of their physiognomy Apiculture classifies a plant as melliferous if it can be harvested...
  
  
• Regional honeys
  Regional honeys
  Honey comes in various types based on the region its grown and the types of flower that provide the nectar.-European honeys:There are several European honey types with PDO/PGI that are protected under EU law with PDO status...