Pollen analysis of Yigilca region honey and melliferous plants

In this study, the flora of Yığılca (Düzce) Balköy Honey Production Forest was examined and pollen analyzes were carried out on honey produced around the honey forest. As a result of the study, the plants used by Yığılca bee in honey production were determined by comparing the flora of the area with the plant species detected in honey. The study area is located in the Western Black Sea Region and has a total size of 150 ha. The altitude of the area varies between 700-1100 meters. The region is located in A3 square according to the grid system of Davis (1965). A total of 159 plants were collected during the field studies between 2019-2020. As a result of the plant identification, a total of 137 taxa belonging to 46 families and 104 genera were determined. Only one endemic taxon was detected in the area. The distribution of plant taxa in the study area according to phytogeographical regions was determined as 41.61% in Euro-Siberian, 0.73% in Irano-Turanian, 3.65% in the Mediterranean, and 54.01% in those with a wide distribution or whose phytogeographical region is unknown. The family with the most genera is Asteraceae with 15 genera and the family with the most species is Asteraceae with 21 species. The largest genus is Cirsium with 5 taxa. In line with another purpose of the thesis; Pollen analyzes were carried out on 7 different honey samples from honey produced in the vicinity of Yığılca Balköy Honey Production Forest during the honey harvest periods in May-June-July and August. As a result of the pollen analysis in honey, Rhododendron ponticum, Fagus orientalis, Castanea sativa and Quercus sp. determined as dominant and secondary pollens. Pollen families identified as traces are; Adoxaceae, Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Betulaceae, Boraginaceae, Brassicaceae, Campanulaceae, Cupressaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Gentianaceae, Geraniaceae, Iridaceae, Lamiaceae, Pinaceae. As a result of the pollen analysis performed on honey samples, pollens were determined on the basis of 27 taxa and 15 on the basis of genera. When the pollens in the honey samples are compared with the plant species in the field, the pollen carried by the Yığılca bee coincides with the flora of the area.