Chrysanthemums, often called mums, are popular flowers for adding color to gardens as summer ends. Whether bees utilize these plants does not have a simple affirmative or negative answer. Bee attraction depends almost entirely on the specific cultivar’s physical structure, a result of extensive breeding for ornamental appeal. While the wild forms of the Chrysanthemum genus are excellent for pollinators, many modern varieties have been altered in ways that make them completely inaccessible. Understanding this difference is necessary to determine if a mum in your garden is serving the local pollinator population.
Nectar and Pollen Availability
All chrysanthemums belong to the plant family Asteraceae, meaning their “flowers” are composite heads made of many tiny individual flowers, called florets. Mums produce both nectar and pollen, the two primary resources sought by bees. Nectar is a sugary solution providing carbohydrates for flight and conversion into honey for winter storage. Pollen is rich in proteins, fats, and micronutrients, serving as the necessary food source for developing bee larvae. However, the value of these resources is contingent on whether the insect can physically reach them.
The Impact of Flower Structure
The ability of a bee to access resources is dictated by the flower’s structure, classified by the arrangement of its petals. The natural, original form is the single-petaled variety, which resembles a daisy with a clearly visible yellow center. This central area is composed of disk florets, which hold the anthers (pollen) and pistils (nectar) and are fully open to foraging insects.
Horticultural breeding has developed “double” or “pom-pom” varieties. In these types, the reproductive disk florets have been converted into extra, showy ray florets (petals). This “doubling” results in a dense, globe-shaped flower head with thick layers of petals. These dense petals physically obstruct the reproductive parts, making the nectar and pollen virtually impossible to reach for bees. Most potted florist-style mums sold in the autumn are heavily hybridized double-flowered types that offer little nutritional benefit. Bees prefer varieties where the yellow center is distinctively open, allowing easy access to the food source.
Importance as a Late-Season Food Source
Chrysanthemums are valuable to pollinators because they bloom late in the season, typically from late summer through autumn. This period often represents a time of “nectar dearth,” as the abundance of mid-summer forage plants has diminished. Food availability during this time is significant for bees preparing their colonies for winter.
The colony requires a substantial stockpile of honey to survive the cold months when foraging is impossible. Late-blooming flowers like accessible mums provide a necessary surge of carbohydrates and proteins to feed the last generation of workers and build up these stores. If a cultivar is structurally accessible, its bloom time increases its ecological value by filling a critical seasonal gap in the food supply.
Identifying Bee-Preferred Chrysanthemums
Gardeners looking to support pollinators should seek out specific types of mums that retain the natural, open flower structure. The categories most likely utilized by bees feature the characteristic daisy-like form where the yellow disk florets are clearly exposed.
Preferred Varieties
- Single Chrysanthemums
- Semi-Double Chrysanthemums
- Open types
- Old-fashioned garden mums
When purchasing plants, look for varieties with a visible, flat center rather than a flower that appears tightly packed or spherical like a button or pom-pom. A practical way to select a bee-friendly mum is to visually inspect the flower head to ensure the yellow reproductive parts are distinct and easy to land on. Avoiding heavily hybridized, multi-layered florist mums ensures you are adding a functional food source, rather than a purely ornamental one, to the late-season garden.