One of the most useful plants Russia - the linden has already blossomed and gives us a wonderful honey smell. And health. Linden has a powerful "pharmacy arsenal", and it has long won fans traditional medicine. Lime blossom - the oldest folk medicine - is a diaphoretic, antipyretic, expectorant, diuretic, and bactericidal.

There is no better color...

When it blooms, a surprisingly subtle, delicate aroma flows in the air. At this time, the linden is covered from top to bottom with fragrant yellowish flowers, collected in half-umbrellas, with a bract large, like a dragonfly's wing. They have to be collected.

And as soon as possible. After all, the flowering period of linden is very short - only 10-15 days. Harvesting at a later date is useless as the flowers lose their medicinal properties, which the linden has a whole bunch. Framed by graceful wing-shaped bracts, small inflorescences are distinguished by a unique chemical composition: they contain the glycoside thialicin, essential oils, carotene and ascorbic acid, sugars and tannins, micro and macro elements.

And she is also a wonderful honey plant

In the form of a hot water decoction, lime blossom is used as a diaphoretic for colds, cough, neuralgia, for the preparation of emollient poultices for articular rheumatism, gout, for aromatizing baths. An infusion of linden flowers is used for headaches, fainting, as an anticonvulsant. A decoction of fresh flowers is drunk with pain in the urethra.

And linden is a wonderful honey plant. From one tree, one bee family harvests up to 10-15 kg (!) of honey. For its healing properties, linden honey has long been considered one of the best. Like lime blossom, it has a diaphoretic effect and is used in the treatment of a wide variety of diseases.

Time to collect!

The best time to collect lime blossom is when the bulk of the flowers have already blossomed, which is noticeable not only to the "naked eye", but also perfectly felt "by scent". At the same time, for harvesting flowers, you should choose a clear and hot day (rain and morning dew can significantly reduce the quality of harvested lime blossom).

And, of course, you should not collect linden flowers in the city, where they are saturated with exhaust gases and other muck that is harmful to health. It is best to do this in environmentally friendly areas - outside the city (at least 100 km), away from highways and industrial facilities.

Harvesting lime blossom is pretty. After sorting through the collected raw materials and removing from it the flowers eaten by insects or "touched by rust", it is dried in the shade in the air. Readiness is determined by the fragility of the peduncles. On average, about 300 g of medicinal raw materials are obtained from 1 kg of fresh flowers. This amount is quite enough to provide your family with protection from ailments for 1-2 years. Harvest lime blossom for future use in large quantities does not make sense: over time, dried raw materials may lose their healing properties.

The decoction will relieve the heat

With neuroses, frequent fainting and convulsions, it is useful to take an infusion of linden flowers. It is prepared as follows: 2 tablespoons of dry raw materials are infused for 20 minutes in 2 cups of boiling water, filtered and taken in ½ cups 3 times a day before meals. In a similar dosage, take an infusion for headaches. In the same cases, fresh linden leaves can be applied to the head in the form of a compress.

In hypertension, it is useful to drink tea with linden flowers 3 times a day for ½-1 glass. With stomach cramps and pain in the intestines, an infusion of linden flowers is drunk in ½ cups 3 times a day before meals. For bronchitis, flu, colds, acute respiratory diseases, infusion of flowers is taken 2 cups 3-4 times a day before meals. With pyelonephritis, cystitis and pain in the urethra, the infusion is taken in ½ cups 3 times a day before meals.

As a diaphoretic, tea with linden flowers is prepared at night: 1 tbsp. a spoonful of raw materials is brewed with 1 cup of boiling water, and after 15 minutes add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of honey Taken warm. For gargling with sore throat, inflammation of the gums and stomatitis, an infusion of linden flowers is prepared. For this purpose, 3 Art. spoons of dry raw materials insist 20 minutes in 2 cups of boiling water, filter, cool to room temperature and add 0.5 g of baking soda.

Interesting

The ancient Slavs had linden sacred tree and was identified with the goddess of love and beauty - Lada. In the old days, among our ancestors, not a single festival was complete without ritual scenes near lindens. In later times, the cult tree began to be treated with less reverence. For no reason at all they began to “apply” the poor little linden in offensive sayings and sayings to denote something of little value and unreal. The "fault" for this is its malleable, from which not only "fake" (read, fake) seals were made, but also musical instruments, furniture, drawing boards. (According to grandex.ru)

Linden blossoms begin when fruit trees for the most part it has already ended - in the middle or end of June. Many are looking forward to this event. The air during this period is filled with a unique delicate fragrance. Linden, whose flowering is so short, is valuable medicinal raw material. Its flowers can be stocked at this time for the whole year.

Linden: flowering and features of the tree

The crown of the tree becomes a solid golden ball exuding a honey aroma. Each inflorescence consists of 10-15 flowers. They have five petals and many stamens. Flowering is so abundant that the branches bend under their weight. growing in most regions of Russia, has a spreading wide crown. Sometimes these stand alone, but more often - together with maple, oak and ash, as well as other tree species. At first, the linden, which begins to bloom only between ten and twenty years, grows very slowly. The process is slightly accelerated if the tree is in an open area.

Linden: flowering and value as a honey plant

It is estimated that a hectare of forest, consisting entirely of these middle-aged trees, can release about a ton of sweet nectar in two weeks. For bees, this is a real paradise. has a number healing properties for which it is highly valued. Scientists have noticed that linden trees in last years reduced nectar production. You can fight this by planting different varieties at a short distance from each other. Small-leaved and large-leaved (European, Manchurian and others) lindens have different time flowering. By simultaneously growing trees of different varieties in the same area, you can increase the amount of nectar that the bees will collect. The flowering time of large-leaved linden begins five or eight days earlier than the Amur and Manchurian ones. Having collected different varieties of these trees in one area, it is possible to increase the period during which the bees have the opportunity to collect nectar from them, from two weeks to four. Thus, apiaries located near linden plantations can be guaranteed to be provided with honey every year, even if one particular variety cannot bloom and provide nectar production due to temperature fluctuations in one year.

Linden in cities and towns

Previously, this tree was loved for its flowering, aroma, frost resistance and beauty. Nowadays, linden, planted in cities, helps fight gas pollution. Lush foliage absorbs dust and carbon dioxide. Hundreds of cubic meters of oxygen that is released linden trees, enliven the urban atmosphere. If planted in parks and gardens different types lindens, varying growing seasons will provide vibrant greens for most of the year. After all, some of them begin to shed their leaves only at the end of October. Widely known medicinal properties But they will appear only if the raw materials are harvested in an ecologically clean area. Therefore, it is not recommended to collect lime blossom in cities and along highways.

Linden is a tree that finds its application in the most various fields human life. First of all, it is an excellent honey plant during its flowering. Whatever plant the beekeeper uses, the linden tree (Tilia cordata) will give him a head start in terms of the amount of nectar produced for the bees. Another use of the linden tree is the well-known bast used to make washcloths, paint brushes, bast shoes and much more. No other plant, except for small-leaved linden, is capable of producing this natural material from the subcortical space. The prevalence of the linden tree is extensive: the culture is found in almost all regions of our country.

This article offers a photo and description of the linden tree, information about its structure will help to get a complete picture of the culture and learn how to use all of it correctly. beneficial features.

Botanical description of the linden tree: how the plant blooms

Starting the description of the small-leaved linden tree, it is worth saying that this is one of the most common trees in ancient parks. This tree is loved for a reason. In the summer, in the heat, there is a lot of shade in the linden park, and fertile coolness reigns. In early autumn, on warm sunny September days, linden pleases with elegant golden-yellow foliage. Even late autumn in the linden park is very beautiful. The whole earth turns yellow from fallen leaves, and against this background, black columns of trunks stand out especially sharply. In a word, the linden park has its own special charm.

Continuing the description of the linden plant, let's say that a tree grows up to 30 meters in height. The linden has a straight trunk, a compact oval crown. Thin young linden branches are easy to recognize even in winter, when there are no leaves on them. On the shoot alternately are oval buds, rounded at the top. They are perfectly smooth and shiny, but they have one specific feature - each kidney is covered with only two scales. You will not find such buds in our other trees.

Continuing botanical description linden tree, it is worth saying a few words about the flowering of culture. The way the linden blossoms is simply impossible to describe in words - this magnificent sight is worth seeing.

Linden blooms much later than all our other trees, already in the middle of summer. Its small pale yellow inconspicuous flowers have a wonderful aroma and are rich in nectar. Linden is one of the best honey plants.

It is not difficult to understand the structure of a linden flower. Although the flower is small, on closer examination one can distinguish five smaller sepals, five larger petals, many stamens and one pistil.

What does a linden tree and its leaf look like (with photo)

A lot of interesting things can be said about the leaves. To find out what a linden leaf looks like, you need to imagine that it is of medium size, 6 cm. From above, the leaves are bare, dark green in color, their lower side is bluish. The leaf blades of this tree have a characteristic, so-called heart-shaped shape, and are noticeably asymmetrical: one half of the leaf is somewhat smaller than the other. The edge of the leaf is finely serrated, as botanists say, "serrated".

Let's continue the story of what a linden tree looks like with this fact: in spring, when buds open, along with young light green leaves, oval pinkish scales appear. Upon closer examination, it turns out that these are stipules. Each leaf has a pair of such beautiful scales (often they are dark pink).

See what the linden looks like in the photo captured this very moment spring bloom buds and the appearance of leaves:

Young shoots of linden at this time look very elegant: green color contrasts beautifully with pink. But this does not last long. Beautiful stipules stay on the branches for only a few days and then fall off. And then under the linden trees on the ground you can see a whole scattering of scales. This is especially noticeable somewhere on the alley in the old linden park. Linden seems to be in a hurry to get rid of its stipules as soon as possible, to throw them off. In the spring, the tree really no longer needs them.

But in winter, the stipules inside the buds have for the plant importance: along with the outer scales of the buds, they serve as protection for the delicate primordia of the leaves during their overwintering. If you open the kidney of a linden and examine the details of its structure under a magnifying glass, it is easy to see that its main contents are precisely the stipules, and tiny leaf rudiments are located between them.

What is the fruit of a linden tree: photo of leaves and nuts

A few words about linden fruits. Many do not know what kind of fruit is formed in the linden after the end of the flowering period. This knowledge gap needs to be filled. The fruits of linden trees are small, almost black nuts the size of a pea. They fall from the tree not one by one, but in a whole bunch. Each bunch is equipped with a wide thin wing. Thanks to this device, a group of fruits, breaking away from the tree, spins in the air, which slows down its fall to the ground. As a result, the seeds spread farther away from the mother tree.

In late autumn, when the linden has already shed its leaves, its fruits are still hanging on the trees. They fall off all winter - from late autumn to spring. Sometimes in winter, in a snowstorm, passing by linden trees, you see how the wind turns the winged clusters of linden nuts along with the snow. They just fell off the tree.

Small-leaved linden has a powerful root system. The tree is shade-tolerant and winter-hardy.

Look at the linden in the photo, which shows trees, leaves and fruits in different periods vegetation in spring, autumn and summer:

Reproduction of linden seeds (with photo)

Linden seeds, once on the ground, never germinate in the first spring. Before they sprout, they lie not less than a year. Why such slowness? What is stopping them from growing? The point here is the following. For normal germination and propagation of linden seeds, they must undergo a fairly long cooling at a temperature of about zero, and, moreover, in a moist state. This process is called stratification. In winter, the seeds fall dry and do not have time to go through stratification until spring. We have to wait for the next winter, after which they already acquire the ability to germinate.

The structure of linden seeds also deserves attention. In this respect the linden is very different from the oak and some of our other trees. In the linden seed there is the germ of the future plant - the embryo, but it is extremely small and does not contain a reserve at all. nutrients. All nutrient material is outside the embryo, surrounds it from all sides. This part of the seed, the so-called endosperm, occupies a much larger volume than the embryo itself. Linden is an example of a tree whose seeds have an endosperm. This is what distinguishes it from oak and a number of our other trees.

Linden seedlings have a thin stalk no longer than a pin. At the end of it are two small green leaves of the original form. They are deeply incised and somewhat resemble the front paw of a mole. These are cotyledons. In such strange plant few people know the future of the linden tree. After some time, the first true leaves appear at the end of the stem of the outcome. But they still bear little resemblance in shape to the leaves of an adult tree. The first and all subsequent leaves of linden, unlike the cotyledons, already have a whole, not cut into blades plate. Such a phenomenon, when the cotyledons are strongly dissected, and the real leaves are whole, in flora happens rarely. In almost all plants, we observe the opposite: the cotyledons have more simple form, and the leaves are more complex.

Look at the linden seeds in the photo, where you can see the structure and biological features planting material:

Where does linden grow in Russia: the main places of growth

Linden grows in Western Europe, in the Caucasus, in Western Siberia, in Crimea.

Linden we often meet not only in parks, but also on city streets. It tolerates urban conditions better than many other trees.

In the wild, linden can grow in forests, and over a very large area. It can be found in many areas of the European part of the country, except for the Far North and the Far South and Southeast. There is even somewhere beyond the Urals. The area of ​​natural distribution of linden is somewhat similar to the corresponding territory for oak - the same wedge, very wide in the west and gradually narrowing in the east. However, the linden is much further than the oak, it goes to the north and especially to the east, i.e. to areas with a more severe climate: it is less demanding on climatic conditions. There are more than a hundred places where linden grows in Russia, these are almost all regions of the country with different climates.

Within the territory that the linden occupies, it is found in various types the woods. Often we find it in oak forests surrounded by oak, maple and other broad-leaved trees. Pure linden forests are comparatively rare. In more northern regions linden often grows together with spruce and sometimes even under the canopy of spruce, where it looks like a shrub and forms dense thickets. In contrast to oak, linden has great shade tolerance. This can be judged even by one appearance tree. The main sign of shade tolerance is a dense, dense crown, strongly shading the soil. Depending on where the linden grows, the tree may have a variety of characteristics. appearance and growth.

Application.

Small-leaved linden is the most valuable honey plant, a common species in the European part of Russia. Continuous arrays in Tatarstan and Bashkortostan. Blooms from 20 years of age middle lane- in July, in the south - in the second half of June. Flowering lasts 12-14 days. The honey productivity of a pure forest stand of linden 30-40 years old is up to 1000 kg/ha. AT auspicious year the daily weight gain of the control hive when collecting honey from linden is 8-10 kg. However, there are years when linden practically does not produce honey, this is especially often observed in single trees.

Small-leaved linden gives light (almost white) honey with a pleasant taste and aroma, crystallizing into a solid homogeneous mass. Linden honey, or limes, is considered the best and most healing of all types of honey all over the world.

Linden flowers are used in medicine as an anti-cold, diaphoretic and sedative. In its mild soothing effect, linden approaches and even surpasses valerian. Flowers are harvested at the very beginning of flowering. Collected later, they crumble, and instead of flowers, you will have only nuts with leaves in your raw materials. Lipa has been included in all editions of the Russian Pharmacopoeia - the most important list of medicines in any state.

Linden nuts can be used as food raw materials. Their kernels contain high-quality fatty oil, which tastes close to almond.

Linden leaves, when they are just emerging on young shoots, can be harvested almost before flowering and used as a spinach vegetable. They do not even have to be boiled - the leaves have a pleasant, slightly slimy taste. They are good to mix in a salad with more spicy plants- dill, onion. According to the recipes from the first and second chapters, you can cook salad, caviar, mashed potatoes, soup, okroshka.

Many paid attention to the fact that in the summer in the linden forest there are few dry leaves on the soil. The fact is that, unlike oak leaves, they quickly rot on the ground. Fallen linden leaves contain a lot of needed by plants calcium, they improve the nutritional properties of the soil in the forest. It's like a kind of forest fertilizer. If the linden grows with coniferous trees, they develop better than in its absence.

Interesting Facts.

Ancient writers called linden the golden tree. In Europe, linden was considered sacred. She decorated the courtyards of castles and city squares. The dense shade of the linden tree contributed to wise unhurried conversations. That is why courts were held under the lime trees, holidays and meetings of residents were held, important matters were decided. In the Caucasus, this tree was also considered sacred. Among the southern Slavs, lindens were planted around the church, and still some old churches are surrounded by spreading trees.

The sacred nature of the linden tree determined the use of its wood for carving a "living" fire, with the help of which the fire was renewed annually in the hearths of the home. In this regard, it was natural to prohibit chopping lindens, breaking branches, defecate under them, etc. It was known that a horse who plucked a linden branch would certainly fall, but if a person returns the branch to its place, the horse will recover. The Poles were also wary of cutting down lindens, believing that otherwise either the person who cut down the tree, or someone from his family, would die.

Among the Eastern and Western Slavs, linden was closely associated with the Orthodox cult and Christian legends. It was she who was considered the tree of the Virgin: they said that the Virgin rests on it, descending from heaven to earth. According to the legends, the linden covered with its branches the Mother of God with the little Christ during their flight to Egypt.

It was widely believed that lightning did not strike the linden, so they planted it near houses and were not afraid to hide under it during a thunderstorm. The Russians hung linden crosses around the neck of a person tormented by obsessions. They also stuck a linden branch in the middle of the pasture during grazing so that the cows would not wander far and could not be touched by animals in the forest.

In the Slavic lands, the names of settlements, forests, mountains, and even female names often produced from linden, which gave its name to the month of July - "linden" (as it is now called in Belarus and Ukraine).

Linden was also recognized as a sacred tree in Estonia, where it was forbidden to remove the bark from young trees. The coat of arms of the Latvian city of Liepaja depicts a linden. According to experts, the linden in Russian cities in the old days occupied the first place and was revered no less than the palm among the Arabs, the olive among the Greeks and the fig tree among the Hindus. In Ukraine, they say about linden that God gave it a special power - to save husbands from the curses that their wives "reward" them with. Linden takes over everything, that's why her trunk is covered in growths. And one more thing: cattle cannot be beaten with linden - they will die. In the Czech Republic, Poland, the Baltic countries and the Balkans, the linden was combined with the cult of the Mother of God.

The genealogy of the tree has its roots in the distant geological past. Fossil remains of linden leaves have been found in the form of imprints on stones that are 55 million years old. This tree in all Slavic languages bears the same name: Russian - linden, Ukrainian - linden, Belarusian - lipa, Bulgarian - linden, Slovenian, Czech, Polish and other Slavic languages ​​- lipa. By the way, similar names are available in the Latvian, Lithuanian and Old Prussian languages. This rare uniformity is a sure sign of a very ancient origin the words. It is believed that the tree got its name because of its sticky, sticky sap.

The extensive Linden family still thrives in the tropics. There are up to 700 species of various lindens. But ... another amazing mystery: the linden has no "relatives" among our trees. It grows with us alone, and in the tropics, its distant relatives include such exotic plants like baobab, chocolate tree, cotton plant.

Like many trees, linden lives twice: first in forests and gardens, and then in various crafts and materials. From soft linden wood they made spoons, dishes, tubs, furniture, toys - you can’t count everything. Linden wood was carved according to the designs of the famous V. Rastrelli for the interiors of the Catherine Palace in the city of Pushkin.

Even shavings linden goes into action. It is a good packaging material for storing fruits, eggs, vegetables, making matting.

Many are familiar with the word "bast shoes". But few have seen real bast shoes, which earlier, until the beginning of the 20th century, served as the main footwear for most peasants. Every peasant in pre-revolutionary Russia wore out from 16 to 40 pairs of bast shoes a year (women are half as much). per year in old Russia woven about 50 million pairs of bast shoes, which took 1.5 billion young trees. Therefore, they began to call people bastards, and Russia bastards, that is, a beggar.

For a couple of bast shoes, 2-3 young limes were peeled off. Since that time, the expression "to peel like sticky" has gone - it means to clean it clean. In the spring, whole villages and villages gathered peasants for bast. He was tied up in bundles and stacked in the hallway until late autumn. And in October, with the Feast of the Intercession, weaving began. The bast was cut into narrow strips, crushed and equalized. For winter bast shoes, 8 strips 3 arshins long were required (1 arshin was equal to about 70 cm), 7 such strips went for summer.

Peeled wide strips of linden bark used to be (and still are) called linden bast. They were used for writing, various pictures from folk life were drawn on them. That's what they were called - popular prints.

Made from linden and bast. For its manufacture, the bark of trees aged 20–40 years is required. It was removed in the form of tubes, dried, and then the bast (bast) was soaked. Mats were woven from it.

The first printers used linden wood to make cliché drawings. In the old days, such a property of linden wood as softness was used to forge seals. Instead of state-owned copper ones, they cut out fake ones - fake ones. Since then, the word "linden" has come into use in the meaning of "fake".

As you can see, linden played an exceptional role in human life. And now we are widely using the beneficial properties of this tree. We can safely say that in the future the linden will have more greater value in everyday life.

Linden nectar study

In Russia, in the middle lane, small-leaved linden is the main supplier of nectar for bees. It accounts for 65-70% of the honey collection in the years favorable for nectar production in the total honey reserve.

Linden among nectarifers is in the first position, having no equal. One hectare of old-aged lindens can produce one ton of nectar in a relatively short period of about two weeks. There are plants that can produce more nectar. But there are no plants that can produce so much nectar for such short term. Linden cannot produce so much nectar every year. She gives such a large amount of nectar once in three to five years.

What does the nectar secretion of linden depend on?

Near the village of Novaya Yekaterinovka, Yadrenovsky district, lindens of coppice origin grow. Age 21 years. Lindens grew on rough terrain, the area of ​​​​which is 30.5 hectares. Scientists established the beginning of flowering of linden, the duration of this flowering. Determined what is the intensity of honey collection at different temperature air, under different solar illumination, the flight activity of bees was evaluated. They kept a record of the amount of honey that bees collected during the flowering period of lindens.

To determine the intensity of the honey flow, families of different strengths: strong, medium and weak were placed on the scales. At the end of the day, the readings of the control hives were recorded daily in the bee log. As a result of forty years of work, it was found that many indicators are not the same and can change in different years.

On average, linden begins to bloom on July 1. But, if the spring is very early, then the linden blooms early. In 1995, she began to bloom on June 13th. The latest flowering was on July 17, 1978 due to late spring. Based on these observations, it was established that the beginning of flowering of linden, the duration of this flowering, as well as the number of sunny days during this period, have little effect on the amount of honey collected by bees from this plant.

It turns out that the honey flow depends on the flight activity of bees and is affected by the average daily air temperature. In the years of maximum honey yield - 50 kg or more, the average air temperature was 17.1 - 24.5 degrees. In those years when the honey flow was minimal, the air temperature dropped to 14.5 degrees. The amount of honey collection is affected by the flight activity of bees. During the years of maximum honey yield, the duration of the flight activity of bees was 11-15.5 days. And in the years of poor honey flow, it was equal to 6-9 days.

Linden age is one of the main factors that influences the maximum weight gain of the control hive. Young limes have low nectar productivity. The collection of honey increases if the age of the linden becomes 45-50 years. After 50 years, the nectar capacity of lindens increases even more. Annually at favorable conditions bees from old-aged lindens at the age of 55-60 years old collect a lot of honey. In the Volga region, the nectar age of linden begins at 60-70 years.

Linden plantations, if the terrain is rugged, are located on different height. Lime plantations were conditionally divided into three tiers with a difference between the upper and lower tiers of 75 meters. In some years, nectar is well isolated by lindens of the third tier. The next year - lindens of the first and second tiers. That is, the place where the linden grows also does not affect the amount of nectar that it can give.

The nectar capacity of lindens is influenced by weather. If a cold strong north or northeast wind blew during flowering, the flowers immediately fell off. The hot summer of 1991 and warm winter contributed to the spread of hawthorn and green oak foxrolls. They struck not only oak forests, but also completely destroyed the foliage of linden trees in the forests of Chuvashia, Mari El and Tatarstan. Because of this, in 1992-1993, lindens did not produce any nectar at all.

Scientists have determined that excretion maximum number nectar depends on the temperature difference between day, evening and night. The difference between the average optimum air temperature and the maximum daily temperature should not exceed 5 degrees. This refers to the difference between the night temperature and the daily average. Such a temperature difference has a good effect on the best release of nectar. A gap of 8 or 10 degrees or a small one of 1.4 degrees is undesirable.

If the air temperature during the flowering period of lindens decreased by 1 degree per day, then this caused a decrease in the honey productivity of bees by one and a half or 2 kg. If cool nights are replaced by warm days, then this will contribute to a better release of nectar. And, conversely, if the temperature is almost constant day and night, there will be a decrease in the amount of nectar secreted by the linden.

Studies have once again confirmed that the nectar capacity of plants depends on air temperature, lighting level, air and soil humidity. It is affected by the age of the trees and temperature changes during the day.

Dec, 2012
07

In central Russia, in many regions, small-leaved linden provides bees. In the total honey reserve of forest and forest-steppe regions in years favorable for nectar production, it accounts for 65-70% of the honey flow. Indeed, among the nectariferous linden has no equal. It has long been established that one hectare of old-growth lindens can release one ton of nectar. And this happens quite quickly - in 12-14 days. There are plants that produce more nectar, but none that produce such a large amount in such a short time. However, not every year the linden can produce a lot of nectar, in many regions it abundantly releases nectar once every 3-5 years.

Based on this, we set ourselves the task of finding out what factors affect the nectar secretion of linden.

Near the village of Novaya Ekaterinovka, Yadrinsky District, on a rugged terrain of 30.5 hectares, linden plantations of coppice origin grow, the age of which at the beginning of work (1972) was 21 years. The beginning and duration of linden flowering, the intensity of honey collection depending on air temperature, solar illumination, flight activity of bees were determined, and the amount of honey collected by bee colonies during the linden flowering period was also taken into account.

To determine the intensity of the honey flow, families of different strengths: weak, medium and strong were placed on the scales. Every day at the end of the day, the readings of the control hives were recorded in the bee log.

As a result of forty years of work, we have seen that many indicators are far from the same and they vary greatly depending on the year. On average, linden blooms on July 1. However, in the years from in early spring it can bloom very early (June 13, 1995). Most late deadline the beginning of its flowering (July 17) fell on 1978. Our observations have shown that the timing and duration of linden flowering, as well as the number of sunny days during its flowering period, have an insignificant effect on the collection of honey by bees from this plant. At the same time, honey collection is highly dependent on average daily temperature air and flight activity of bees. In the years with the maximum honey yield (50 kg or more), the average daily air temperature was maintained at the level of 17.1...24.5°C. In the years since low level bribe the value of this indicator fell to 14.9°C.

The amount of honey collection is greatly influenced by the flight activity of bees. In the years with the maximum honey yield, the duration of the summer of bees was 11-15.5 days, and in bad years it often decreased to 6-9 days.

The maximum weight gain depends on the age of the linden. Thus, young lime stands are characterized by low nectar productivity. The collection of honey from linden increases markedly at the age of 45-50 years, and after 50 years this figure increases significantly with a correlation coefficient of 0.7-0.8. Linden plantations in rough terrain are located at different heights. They were conditionally divided into three tiers, the difference between the upper and lower reaches 75 m. In some years, linden nectar is well isolated upper tier, and in others - the second and lower. Therefore, almost every year, with favorable weather, they can collect a lot of honey from 55-60-year-old lindens.

We believe that in the Volga region, the age of nectar ripeness of the small-leaved linden occurs at the age of 60, and not at the age of 70-80, as E.S. Murakhtanov wrote about in his writings. However, the final answer to this question can be given only when our lindens reach 70-80 years of age.

With our work, we only confirmed the long-established fact that the nectar productivity of plants is closely related to air temperature, lighting level, air and soil humidity, its fertility, age and density of the stand. If, during the flowering of the linden, a dry wind or a cold north or northeast wind blew, or there was heavy rain, in most cases the bribes immediately broke off, and a heavy downpour with hail in 2011 completely destroyed the linden flowers.

In 1992-1993 the linden produced no nectar at all. The reason for this was the rapid reproduction of leaf-eating pests. The dry hot summer of 1991 and the warm winter contributed to the mass distribution of hawthorn and green oak leafrollers. They struck not only oak forests, but also almost completely destroyed the flowers and leaves of the linden in the forests of Chuvashia, Mari El and Tatarstan.

According to many scientists, the optimum temperature for extracting the maximum amount of nectar from linden fluctuates on average between 24 ... 26 ° C. In our experiments, during the flowering period of linden, the average daily air temperature was maintained at 20°C. As already mentioned, high honey yields were obtained in the presence of an average daily air temperature above 17°C. Obviously, the range of fluctuations in the optimum air temperature for linden is large - 17 ... 25 ° С. main reason here is not included in optimum temperature in general, but in the difference between the maximum daytime and evening or nighttime temperatures, which can be seen in a detailed analysis of the observations of 1976, 1988 and 1997. The gap between the average optimum and maximum daily air temperatures, as well as between the night and average daily temperatures within 5 ° C contributes to a better release of nectar than with a difference of only 1.4 ... 1.5 ° C. But too large a gap, 8...10°C, is also undesirable.

Our calculations show that during the flowering period of linden, a decrease in the average daily air temperature by 1°C can reduce the honey productivity of families by 1.5-2 kg. At the same time, a change in warm days contributes to a better release of nectar than a constant temperature.

I.N.MADEBEYKIN,
doctor of agricultural sciences,
I.I.MADEBEIKIN,
candidate of biological sciences
FGBOU VPO "Chuvash State
Agricultural Academy, Cheboksary
j-l "Beekeeping" No. 7, 2012

Literature

1. Murakhtanov E.S. Nectar productivity and felling age in lime forests of the Middle Volga // Forestry. - 1972. - No. 8.
2. Murakhtanov E.S. Beekeeping in linden forests. - M.: Timber industry, 1977.