Chapter D: DAHOON, see Holly (1)

DANDELION (Taraxacum officinale).

The dandelion is one of the most widely distributed plants in America. Originally introduced from Europe, it has been naturalized over practically the entire continent. As each plant will produce hundreds of seeds, which are borne for long distances on the wind, its wide distribution is not surprising. The plant is sometimes used for medicinal purposes, serving as a mild laxative and tonic. The tender shoots are very popular as a table delicacy in early spring, with those who are fond of greens. The bright yellow flowers are very showy, and if the plant was not so abundant, would be considered attractive. The warfare against the dandelion is as relentless and as continuous as the campaign against the house fly. Little is to be accomplished by digging the plants from one’s own lawn, when a whole pastureful are going to seed a mile or two away.

The beekeeper has little to complain of from these weeds, as there is nothing of greater value during the short period of bloom. While the honey gathered from dandelions is dark and strong, most of it will be consumed for brood rearing. Occasionally a small surplus will be secured from this source, but it blooms so early that surplus is unusual. Large quantities of pollen as well as nectar are produced, so that a large acreage of dandelions within reach of the apiary is much to be desired. Fig. 50 shows the plant as it appears during the period of bloom, with blossoms and unopened buds.

Hon. Eugene Secor, the beekeeper’s poet, has written a number of things regarding the intimate relation existing between bees and flowers, and for one of these, the dandelion furnished the inspiration:

“Here’s a bee, my children see!
Gathering sweets for you and me,
On Sir Dandy Lion’s crown;
She is yellow that was brown,
Yellow with the golden dust
Lent to her in solemn trust;
Blossoms bart’ring gold for gold.
Through this dusty trader bold,
Dandy Lion seeks a bride,
Sends his offerings far and wide
With his trusty friend, the bee,
And with Honey pays the fee.”

DATE-PLUM, see Persimmon.

DEER CLOVER, see Wild Alfalfa.

DEER’S EARS, see Monument Plant.

DELAWARE--Honey Sources of.

Clover, tulip-tree, willows, maples, fruit bloom, dandelion, heartsease, buckwheat, blueberry, huckleberry, boneset and asters are among the well-known sources of honey in Delaware. Beekeeping is not highly developed in this State and few pay serious attention to honey production.

DEVIL’S CLAW, see Acacia.

DEVIL’S SHOESTRING, see Bluevine.

DEWBERRY, see Blackberry.

DIERVILLA, see Bush Honeysuckle.

DOCTOR-GUM, see Poisonwood.

DOGBANE (Apocynum).

When not in bloom the dogbane resembles the milkweed. There are several species found in Europe, temperate Asia and North America. In the United States there are two common species, =Apocynum cannabinum=, known as Indian hemp, Canadian hemp or Choctaw root, and =Apocynum androsaemifolium=, the spreading dogbane.

Dogbane can be distinguished from milkweed by the finer stem and smaller leaves. The stems are unusually reddish in color. By Fig. 51 it will be seen that the flowers are very different. At times the bees work on this plant very freely. It is especially abundant in some localities along the Missouri River in Kansas and Missouri.

DOGWOOD (Cornus).

The dogwoods or flowering cornels are a large group of shrubs with showy flowers. Some species are common over all of Eastern America, from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick south and west to Texas. The group is not important to the beekeeper, although occasionally some honey is reported from them. W. C. Brass reports that in central Arkansas smooth dogwood (=Cornus femine=), locally called spicewood or buckbrush, is very abundant, and the bees work upon it industriously during May. He reports, however, that it is uncertain in its value, the bees not working upon it every year. H. B. Parks reports that the bees work upon the red dogwood (=Cornus paniculata=) in Missouri, but the author never knew them to work on this species in Iowa.

Scholl lists =Cornus asperifolia= as yielding nectar freely in Texas, though the species is not plentiful.

DOORWEED, see Heartsease.

DROUGHT-WEED, see Turkey Mullein.

E

EBONY, see Texan Ebony.

ECHINOPS SPHOEROCEPHALUS, see Chapman Honey Plant.

ECHIUM, see Blueweed.

ELDERBERRY (Sambucus canadensis).

The American elder or elderberry is a common shrub from New Brunswick west to Saskatchewan and south to Arizona and Texas. Fig. 52 shows the flower clusters of the common elder (=Sambucus canadensis=). Since the plant blooms late in May and June, there is usually an abundance of pollen in most localities. The bees, however, gather the pollen freely at times, and it is of value where pollen is not plentiful at this season.

The berries are used for pies and wine. The flowers and bark are used to some extent for medicinal purposes.

Richter lists the blue elderberry (=Sambucus glauca=) as important for pollen in California, but as yielding no nectar.

ELM (Ulmus).

The elms are very attractive to the bees for pollen. The American or white elm is more especially valuable, and a large tree will attract so many bees that the humming sounds like a swarm.

There are numerous reports of nectar from elm in Texas. Scholl lists the winged elm (=Ulmus alata=) as giving a good yield of honey, surplus sometimes being secured from it. He described the honey as amber in color, with strong and characteristic aroma. He also lists the American elm as a source of nectar.

EPILOBIUM, see Fireweed.

ERIOGONUM, Wild Buckwheat or Flat Top.

A group of low annual or perennial plants common to the Rocky Mountain and plains States. It is a large group and numerous species are to be found from Nebraska to California. In New Mexico the Eriogonum are among the commonest plants, there being something like forty species recorded from that State. The best known is the wild buckwheat of southern California (=Eriogonum fasciculatum=). This is an important source of nectar in that region. The honey is said to be light amber and of good flavor. It granulates readily.

Richter lists it as the most important honey plant in many southern California localities.

In Colorado =Eriogonum effusum= is sometimes known as “heather.” According to Herman Rauchfuss it yields nectar nearly every year when there are late rains. It blooms in August and September and is usually in bloom for some time before the bees are attracted to it. He sometimes gets a super of comb honey per colony from this source. The honey he reports to be amber, of fine quality, and strong aroma, of which one does not easily tire.

It grows abundantly on the prairies about Denver. The plant is small and inconspicuous, with minute flowers, and is not generally recognized as a honey plant among beekeepers of Colorado.

“Wild buckwheat (=Eriogonum fasciculatum=) is one of the principal
honey plants of southern California. In the Acton, Antelope Valley
and Elsinore districts it is the main reliance. Although quite
abundant at lower levels, it does not yield much nectar below 1,500
feet nor above 5,000 feet. The honey is a deep light amber, but of
fine flavor, and the comb is very white. The honey has such a heavy
body that it is seldom extracted.”--J. D. Bixby, Western Honeybee,
May, 1917, page 116.

ERODIUM, see Pin Clover.

EUCALYPTUS.

There are about one hundred and fifty different species of eucalyptus trees, most of which are native to Australia and Tasmania, where they are the most characteristic and important timber trees. Many of them secrete resinous gums, hence are called “gum trees.” A number of commercial products are derived from them. They have been widely introduced into California, and, to some extent, also into Florida, Texas and other Southern States. The various species are known as sugar gum, blue gum, mahogany gum, red gum, stringy bark, white iron bark, red box tree and various similar names. Richter lists 21 species as yielding honey in California. According to this author there is a great variation in the quality of honey from the different species. While some species seem to yield water-white honey of good quality, others produce an amber product of low value. The blue gum (=Eucalyptus globulus=) is said to produce “honey, amber, of acid flavor, heavy body and granulating within a few months. The blue gum is very constant in nectar secretion, even in spite of unfavorable weather, and since it is of wide distribution, considerable quantities of honey come from this source. On account of the pronounced flavor of eucalyptus honey there is little or no demand for it in the retail trade.”

On the other hand, he describes white ironbark (=Eucalyptus leucoxylon=) “a great honey producer, with a beautiful flavor much like vanilla extract.”

Almost all of the honey seems to be gathered from the sources which produce the poorer grade, so that the eucalyptus honey is not favorably known in the markets.

The blooming period of the different species varies so that there are some in bloom at all times during the year. The blue gum, already mentioned, blooms from December until June, while the sugar gum blooms from August to November. Several species bloom during the winter months, when they are especially valuable in sustaining the bees until the time of the main honeyflows. Fig. 53 shows the eucalyptus blossoms.

At the California short course, at Davis, in 1918, M. H. Mendleson, of Ventura, spoke as follows concerning this source:

“Every winter the gum, or eucalyptus, comes into bloom. Last winter
they filled two or three stories high on eucalyptus. I got 17¹⁄₂
cents per pound for it; previously I never could get more than 4
cents, but it was seldom that I got a surplus from this source. The
most eucalyptus honey I have ever known was gathered last spring.

“The scarlet bloom (=Eucalyptus ficifolia=) is one of the greatest
honey producers I have ever known. It grows from 10 to 25 feet and
has a brilliant bloom, in clusters, a beautiful sight. * * * The
honey is of fine flavor, water white. You can see the nectar wave in
the flower cup when you shake it. The flow sometimes lasts a month.
It will stand a light frost, but not a heavy one. Our hot east winds
are very hard on it, as they scorch the trees.”

EUPATORIUM, see Boneset.

EUPHORBIA, see Snow-On-the-Mountain, also Poinsettia.

F

FALSE INDIGO (Amorpha fruticosa).

False indigo is a tall shrub common to low lands along streams from Pennsylvania west to the plains. It grows in thickets and is very attractive to the bees. It is of special importance in Nebraska and Kansas. In the Arkansas Valley beekeepers report that bees get both nectar and pollen in considerable quantity, though it is seldom mentioned as a source of surplus. Nebraska beekeepers value it because it fills in the period between fruit bloom and white clover.

FARKLE-BERRY or SPARKLE-BERRY (Vaccinum arboreum).

The farkle-berry or sparkle-berry is also known as winter huckleberry and tree huckleberry. It is a tall shrub 6 to 25 feet in height and common from southern Illinois and Missouri east to North Carolina and south to Texas and Florida. In parts of Arkansas it is one of the main sources of honey. W. C. Brass writes that in Lonoke County, near the center of the State, it is very abundant and takes the place of clover further north. It blooms in May and the bees roar on the sparkle-berry bushes like swarming time. It belongs to the group of plants to which the blueberries belong and most of these are good honey plants.

FIDDLE NECK, see Phacelia.

FIGWORT (Scrophularia marilandica).

Simpson honey plant, or figwort, is another widely distributed plant. It is common in the woods from Maine to the Rocky Mountains and south to the Gulf. It is also said to occur on the Pacific Coast. The same, or a similar plant occurs in Europe and Asia.

It is a tall growing plant from 3 to 6 feet high, with numerous small branches. The stem is four angled, with rather long-pointed leaves. The flowers are very numerous and quite small, as will be seen by the picture, Fig. 55. It blooms in the late summer and is freely visited by the bees.

FILLAREE, see Pin Clover.

FIREWEED or WILLOW HERB (Epilobium angustifolium).

Fireweed is a common plant in the woodlands of the Northern States and of Canada. It is a tall herb with attractive pink blossoms on a long terminal spike, as shown in Fig. 56. It springs up following forest fires and covers the burned district with a dense growth. The blooming period is long, lasting from July till frost, as new blossoms appear as the older ones fade. It is important as a source of honey in much of eastern Canada, Minnesota, parts of Michigan. Wisconsin and on the Pacific Coast, where it is also valuable in Oregon, Washington and parts of Montana. It is gradually crowded out by other growth. A locality may yield great crops of fireweed honey for two or three years and then little surplus be gathered from it for many years. The author has visited beekeepers in Northern Michigan who count on an average of fifty pounds or more per colony, with as high as 125 pounds, in locations where fireweed was yielding. As fireweed disappears in that locality, raspberry and milkweed follow, and these are also good sources, so that the location does not suffer from the change.

Honey from fireweed is very light in color and of high quality. The late W. Z. Hutchinson, who wrote much concerning beekeeping in the forest region of northern Michigan, styled it as the whitest and finest-flavored honey with which he was acquainted.

As the timber is removed, settlement gradually clears the land, and the wild growth gives place to cultivated fields and pastures. Most of the fireweed country is also good clover territory, so that the beekeepers need not fear the development of the country.

FLAT TOP, see Eriogonum.

FLEA WEED, see Blue Curls.

FLORIDA--Honey Plants of.

Wild Pennyroyal in southern half of the State.

Titi, in pine swamps in northern portion, gives surplus only in west Florida.

Black Tupelo, in same territory as titi, bad weather makes the yield uncertain.

White tupelo in low swamps over west Florida; main source in swamps along the Appalachicola and Chipola rivers in Calhoun County.

Orange from the north central portion to the southern end of the peninsula.

Andromeda, central and northwestern part of the State, not important.

Gallberry or holly grows in almost all parts of Florida, but does best in north part of the State.

Saw or scrub palmetto thrives on sandy soils, doing best on moist hummocks.

Black mangrove grows on lands overflowed daily by salt water along the east coast, but yields best on east side.

Partridge pea grows in great abundance in the high pine lands of the northern half of the State.

Cabbage palmetto reaches its greatest height on the coasts and keys of the southern section. Yields heavily when it does yield.

Manchineel, on southern coast and keys as far north as Palm Beach.

Dogwood, along the keys and southern coast.

Pigeon cherry, same range as the two preceding.

In addition there are a number of such fall flowers as wild sunflowers, asters, goldenrods and thoroughwort.

Four-fifths of all the surplus honey produced in the State comes from the blossoms of nectar-producing trees or shrubs, not flowering plants.--E. G. Baldwin in Gleanings in Bee Culture, March and April, 1911.

FLORIDA MAHOGANY, see Red Bay.

FLOWERING RASPBERRY, see Salmon Berry.

FRUIT BLOOM.

All the orchard fruits are of more or less value to the beekeeper, and few differentiate between them when speaking of the sources of early nectar. In localities where a great variety of fruit is grown, the blooming period is longer than where there are large orchards of one kind. In most localities the beekeepers depend upon fruit blossoms for building up their colonies in spring, and when the weather is unfavorable at this time, feeding is often necessary to carry the bees until the next honeyflow. Apples, peaches, pears, plums, apricots and cherries all secrete nectar abundantly and, given strong colonies of bees and favorable weather, large quantities of surplus honey should be gathered from these trees. If it were possible to bring the bees through the winter as strong as in the fall, there is no estimating the amount of honey that would be gathered from the early blooming orchard fruits.

FOG FRUIT, see Carpet grass.

FRASERA, see Monument Plant.

FURZE, see Gorse.

G

GAILLARDIA, see Marigold.

GALLBERRY (Ilex glabra). See also Holly.

The gallberry, in some localities better known as inkberry, is usually heard of as a honey plant only in the South. However, it occurs as far north as Nova Scotia, on the seashore, and along the coast from Massachusetts to Virginia and Florida, and west to Louisiana. It is a common shrub in the low pine barrens of the Gulf States. It is a small evergreen shrub with small, dark leaves. It is an important honey plant in southern Georgia, where it is widely distributed over the sandy lands, especially of the coastal plains. It is important, also, in the Carolinas. It grows in dense thickets and rapidly extends over newly cleared lands. Fig. 57.

“As a honey plant perhaps it has no equal in the southeast. We
have never failed to get a surplus from it, even during the most
unfavorable weather conditions. It begins to bloom the first of May
and continues for 24 to 28 days. During this time bees disregard
other bloom, working it up to about 8 o’clock for the pollen; then
the flow comes on for the remainder of the day. * * * It is a great
bloomer; even the stems are rolls of bloom. * * * We have never taken
off a large crop of this honey, as 147 pounds of surplus is the best
crop we have ever had from one colony. The honey is a light amber
color, has a heavy body, a very mild taste, and is highly flavored.
The demand for this honey is so great that we cannot furnish our
local markets, consequently very little is shipped from the southeast
to other markets.

“We have raised tons of this honey and have never seen a pound of the
pure article, well ripened, that granulated.

“It has been said that it is impossible to overstock a good gallberry
location. We do not know that this statement is true, but we have
never heard of one being overstocked. We have had bees in a location
where there were 362 colonies, with the same result as with 100
colonies. Good gallberry locations are nearly numberless and large
quantities of this fine honey are wasted every year in localities
where there is not a bee to gather it. The gallberry should be
included in the list of the best honey plants.”--J. J. Wilder,
Cordele, Ga. Gleanings, page 1200, September, 1907.

GAURA.

There are several species of gaura of wide distribution. Although frequently mentioned as honey plants, they are seldom of sufficient abundance to be important.

Scholl reports that =Gaura filiformis= occasionally yields surplus in Texas, when conditions are favorable. The red gaura is reported as of value in Colorado. (See Red Gaura.)

GELSEMIUM, see Yellow Jasmine.

GEORGIA--Honey flora of.

The earliest blooming of our spring forage plants is the alder (=alnus=), which commences about the middle of January and lasts, some seasons, till the middle of February. It yields little or no honey, but during its time of bloom, its pollen-laden catkins are covered with bees. The amount of pollen that this plant affords is immense; and it comes in a time when breeding should be most encouraged.

In some sections of the South, particularly on light, sandy soils, there may be found some yellow jasmine (=Gelsemium sempervirens=). As its flowers possess very decided toxical properties, it is not a very desirable plant to have within range of one’s bees. It blooms after the alder. While our native black bees are very seldom seen working upon it, the Italians, in some seasons, will work upon it quite briskly. I am inclined to think, from close observation, that it is mostly pollen they gather from it, though in some seasons it does yield some honey.

The wild plum (in some sections known as the hog plum) usually commences to bloom the last of February and lasts for two or three weeks. This is peculiarly a southern tree, and grows to great perfection nearly everywhere. Whole acres are often covered with it, forming a dense thicket, thus affording the bees rich pasture.

In March we have the peach, the apple (which continues into April), the mock orange, or evergreen wild cherry (=Cerasus carolinaensis=), the huckleberry, strawberry, and a few other plants of minor consideration. Further south they have the titi, the saw palmetto and the orange, all good forage plants.

The willow, wild cherry, hawthorn, blackberries, raspberries, locust, holly and tulip tree (=Liriodendron tulipifera=) bloom in April. The two latter are most valuable for honey. The holly blooms for about two weeks--the height of its flowering is about the first week in May. The tulip tree blooms for three weeks. This is the poplar tree of the south.

In May we have the black gum (=Nyssa multiflora=) and the persimmon, both excellent for forage. The blooms of these trees are dioecious, that is, the male flower is found on one plant and the female flower on another. Bees are very seldom seen working on the female tree, while on the male bloom they work in a continuous swarm.

In May, also blooms the bay (=Magnolia glauca=). This tree flowers for at least one month, and extends into June. It affords some of our best and most abundant forage. The =Magnolia grandiflora=, linden and China berry (=Melia azedarach=) bloom also in May. The magnolia blooms for six weeks, the linden from six to ten days, and the China tree for two weeks.

Sourwood, the varnish tree (=Sterculia platanifolia=), Japan privet (=Ligustrum=) and a few other plants of less note embrace the principal forage in June.

I have now enumerated the chief honey-producing plants that go to make up our spring honey harvest. Take one season with another, our bees commence to lay up surplus about the last of April and continue until the first or middle of June. After this date but little honey is gathered from the holly, persimmon, black gum, bay and sourwood. Of course, some seasons there is considerable honey gathered from other sources. The color of the honey is usually a little dark, but of excellent flavor.

There is comparatively little forage during the summer months of July and August. The button bust (=Cephalanthus occidentalis=), sumach, =Asclepias tuberosa= (known as pleurisy root and butterfly weed), and =Yucca alnifolia= (Spanish bayonet), are the most important. The cotton plant, which generally commences to bloom about the first of July, yields largely of pollen, but very little honey. Sumach is a rich mellifluous plant, but the warm, dry atmosphere evaporates the secretion very rapidly, so that the bees can only work on it very early in the morning, while the dew is on. The Spanish bayonet plant no doubt furnishes some nectar. It generally swarms with flies, various sorts of wild bees, and now and then a few honeybees will visit it.

Bees are generally able to gather sufficient stores during July and August to keep up brood rearing and the strength of the colony until the blooming of the autumn forage.

The first to bloom of the fall pasturage is the =Chrysopsis graminifolia= of Nuttall, a perennial, composite. This plant is often taken for a species of dog fennel, but it is altogether distinct. It is indigenous to the south from Florida to North Carolina, which seems to be its northern limit. It is a yellow flowering weed that commences to bloom in August and keeps on till frost.

The goldenrod and the asters bloom till killed by frost. I esteem both these plants very highly for their honey-producing qualities. In some seasons I have hives filled with aster honey alone.--Dr. J. H. P. Brown, Augusta, Ga. American Bee Journal, Page 500, 1880.

GERMANDER or WOOD SAGE (Teucrium canadense).

The germander, also known as wood sage, is found in open woodlands and thickets from Nova Scotia to Nebraska, and south to Florida and Texas. It is common in the Central States, and is much sought by the bees. The blooming period is long. In 1915 the bees were working on this plant in the writer’s garden for nearly two months. Apparently this plant does not secrete nectar very freely, yet it is an excellent plant to keep the bees at work when they might otherwise be robbing. The writer does not recall ever having seen a locality where it was sufficiently abundant to amount to very much by itself, though it is a valuable addition to the other honey-producing flora. Fig. 58 shows the blossoms and leaves, which bear some resemblance to catnip.

GIANT HYSSOP (Agastache nepetoides).

Giant hyssop is a tall perennial herb with flowers crowded on a terminal spike, flowering in summer. It is common in woodland borders from New England to Minnesota and south to North Carolina and Texas. Lovell lists it as blooming about six weeks and much visited by honeybees. Probably nowhere important.

GILIA.

Jepson lists 18 species of gilia as common to California. The late Prof. A. J. Cook, writing of gilia in the American Bee Journal stated that all the gilias are good honey plants. He mentioned =Gilia capitata= as the source of quantities of sky-blue pollen. He mentions the fact that several species yield pollen of a blue color. It is probably a source of minor importance, since it is seldom mentioned except incidentally in the literature.

GOLDEN GLOW, see Coneflower.

GOLDEN HONEY PLANT (Actinomeris squarrosa).

The golden honey plant is common from New York to Michigan and Nebraska, and southward to the Gulf States. This plant is closely related to the crownbeard and is sometimes classified as a verbesina. It grows in rich bottom lands and in the borders of woods and fields, reaching a height of 4 to 8 feet. The yellow flowers are very attractive to the bees and, where sufficiently common, are a valuable source of nectar.

GOLDENROD (Solidago).

Of the eighty species of goldenrod all but three or four belong to North America. It is one of our most widely distributed native plants. Some species seem adapted to nearly every condition from Canada to Mexico and from the Atlantic Coast to California. There is a wide difference, however, in the value of the different species to the beekeeper, and it is no easy task to get reliable information regarding the range of conditions under which it secretes nectar abundantly, nor is there much recorded information concerning the particular species which are most valuable for this purpose. It is a well-known fact that the secretion of nectar with any plant is greatly influenced by soil and climatic conditions. Some of our most valuable honey plants have been reported as producing no nectar when introduced into Australia.

It is very probable that when we have studied the matter carefully we will find that the same species of goldenrod varies as much in its nectar secretion under different conditions as we know to be the case with alfalfa.

Lovell is of the opinion that all species of goldenrods secrete nectar in some localities. This is quite probable, although there is very little honey from goldenrod in Iowa from any species. Along the upper Mississippi, in the northeastern counties, a few beekeepers report honey from goldenrod. In other sections of Iowa beekeepers report that they have never seen a bee on the plant. Dr. L. H. Pammel, botanist at the State Experiment Station, reports nine species of goldenrods common to that State. He lists =S. serotina=, =S. canadensis= and =S. graminifolia= as furnishing some honey here. If Lovell is right about all yielding nectar under some conditions, then all are of interest to the beekeeper, and it remains a question of learning the conditions under which each species develops most favorably. If all do not yield nectar, it is important that we learn to distinguish between the species which are valuable honey plants and those which are troublesome weeds.

Richter lists only two species of this plant as important in California. The western goldenrod (=S. occidentalis=), he mentions as common in wet places such as marshes and river banks, from August to October, yielding an amber honey. =S. californica=, the common goldenrod of the coast, he describes as common on dry plains and hillsides or mountains throughout the State, from August to December. He lists it as a fair honey plant.

Scholl reports goldenrods as common to all parts of Texas, and states that the honey yield is good in favorable seasons when it is not too dry. He reports a long season, from April to November, but gives no list of the species furnishing nectar in that region.

Sladen reports finding eleven species of goldenrods about Ottawa. He finds that individually the =canadensis= group (Fig. 64) produce comparatively little nectar, but their great abundance makes them important collectively.

Sladen also notes the variation of the plant under different conditions and says that the nature of the land determines the presence and abundance of the best species. He reports that in the wet lands of Charlotte County, N. B., especially in the Honeydale district, they, together with asters, furnish the principal source of nectar, and that they are valuable generally as a source of surplus in coastal districts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The same is said of eastern Manitoba. He places the yield at from 50 to 80 pounds per colony in localities where the best species of goldenrod and asters abound. The honey is usually of good quality, ranging in color in the different districts from white to dark amber. That gathered in swampy districts is usually bright golden. Evidently goldenrod honey is seldom stored separate from aster in localities from which these reports are made.

Mr. Sladen describes three types of locations in which the plants may be found in Canada:

1. Open swamp or bog, where =S. uglinosa= and =S. rugosa= are found. The former begins blooming in August, while the latter blooms until mid-September, so that there is more than a month of flow from these plants. Although the bogs are independent of rain during the honey flow, fine weather and moderate warmth are necessary to a crop.

2. Sandy or gravelly barrens or plains. On the coast, as well as inland, on such lands are found =S. puberula= (Fig. 60), while inland are to be found in addition, =S. squarrosa= (Fig. 59) and the less important =S. hispida= (Fig. 61). Good rains in early August, followed by fine and warm weather, bring best results.

3. A restricted area centering in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, in which =S. Graminifolia= is a troublesome weed (Fig. 62.)

He further reports that the roadside goldenrods of old Ontario are not heavy producers of honey under ordinary conditions.

In an article on the Honey Flora of New England, which appeared in the April, 1916, American Bee Journal, Lovell states as follows:

“If I were compelled to stake the existence of bee culture in New
England on a single genus of plants I should select the goldenrods.
There are many species, and they all yield nectar and pollen. They
begin to bloom in midsummer and continue to bloom in October. They
are very common and there are species adapted to the seashore, the
fields, the rocks and the woods. I have never known the flow of
nectar to fail, and a great quantity of heavy, yellow honey is stored
annually.”

Mr. Lovell has kindly sent me his field notes on these plants. There is a large amount of interesting information which space will not permit inserting here. The notes include the study of six species, all of which produce some nectar in Maine. He describes the tall, hairy goldenrod =S. rugosa= (Fig. 63) as the latest to blossom and the most valuable as a honey plant. It is found in damp thickets and on moist land. While in bloom the bees work it very diligently and the honey is stored rapidly. The apiary is filled with a sour odor, which, in the evening, is noticeable at a distance.

Goldenrod honey, according to him, is deep golden yellow in color, thick and heavy, with a more decided flavor than white clover honey. When extracted it granulates in a month or two, but the bees winter on it perfectly.

Next in importance he places the bushy goldenrod (=S. graminifolia=) (Fig. 62). This is common in fields, open woodlands and hedgerows. The odor is faint, but the nectar is clearly visible in the flowers. He reports as many as six honeybees at work at one time on a single flower cluster. It will be noted that this is one of the species which Doctor Pammel mentions as yielding nectar in Iowa. Sladen also cites it as important in Canada.

Graenicher collected 135 different species of insects on this species in Wisconsin.

The cream-colored goldenrod, sometimes called white goldenrod (=S. bicolor=), is of special interest because of the fact that it is the only one of the group which is not yellow in color. Although it produces nectar, I can find no record which indicates that it is of much importance as a honey plant anywhere. Lovell says that it is of little value in Maine.

The early goldenrod (=S. juncea=) (Fig. 65), is the first to bloom in Maine and is very abundant in old fields. The bees visit it freely, but apparently do not get much honey from it.

Graenicher states that he has collected 182 different species of insects on this plant, in Wisconsin, which indicates the presence of considerable nectar in that locality.

General Reports

In searching through the beekeeping literature for reports on honey from golden rods I seldom find the particular species mentioned. There are numerous reports of honey from goldenrod, but this is as far as the report usually goes.

“Two colonies of bees taken to a sandy plain forty miles north of
Ottawa, August 25, each gathered, in three weeks, about 40 pounds of
surplus honey from =S. puberula= and =S. squarrosa=. It is estimated
that at least three-fourths of the honey came from =S. puberula=,
which was much more abundant than =S. squarrosa=. The honey is of
a light color and the flavor and aroma are pleasant and distinctly
suggestive of goldenrod.”--Sladen, in 36th report, Ontario, B. K. A.

“You ought to see the bees work on it. They store lots of honey
from it. Last year I had five or six nuclei which did not have
any stores at all on the first of September, but when I went to
feed them for winter I found they had twenty pounds of nice honey
gathered from goldenrod. They all came through the winter in good
condition.”--Kentucky. Gleanings in Bee Culture.

“The goldenrod is one of our main sources for a fall flow. The bees
usually fill one or more supers from it.”--Connecticut. Gleanings in
Bee Culture.

“My bees have gathered lots of goldenrod honey this fall, and at
times the odor has been offensive to the neighbors.”--Vermont.
Gleanings in Bee Culture.

“Smartweed and goldenrod grow here, but do not furnish any honey.
Never saw a bee on them.”--Iowa. American Bee Journal.

GOOSEBERRY (Grossularia).

Gooseberries are native American shrubs with stems covered with sharp thorns or spines. There are several species widely distributed. They are very attractive to the bees and are of some importance, especially where grown in large plantings for market. The wild varieties are common in open woodlands in nearly every section of the country.

GOLDEN WATTLE, see Acacia.

GOPHER WOOD, see Yellow Wood.

GORSE or FURZE (Ulex europaeus).

Figure 66 is a spiny evergreen shrub with yellow flowers that is common in Europe, where it is said to be used to some extent for fuel and fodder. There are few references to it in this country. In California it is said to bloom during all seasons, although much more freely in spring. Richter reports it as a very good honey plant on the hills of Marin County.

GRANJENO, see Hackberry.

GRAPE (Vitis).

The grape family is represented by wild species in all parts of the temperate regions of both hemispheres, and by cultivated species in nearly all parts of the world. There are about thirty species of wild grapes, and where sufficiently common they are very attractive to the bees. In many localities cultivated grapes are grown in large acreage. The nectar yield is not as abundant as with many plants, but is of some value where the vines are largely grown. Quantities of pollen are gathered from this source. At times honeydew is gathered from the leaves.

Scholl lists the mountain grape (=Vitis monticola=) as giving a fairly good honey yield and furnishing pollen for early brood rearing. Richter lists the California wild grape as yielding some honey.

Bees and Grapes

Of the disagreements between fruit growers and beekeepers, probably those growing out of the tendency of the bees to suck the juice from cracked grapes have been most serious. Many unfortunate misunderstandings have resulted from such circumstances, though the injury was as great to the beekeeper as to the fruit grower, in many cases.

This condition arises from a combination of circumstances which does not often occur in the average locality. In the first place, the bees do not seek the grapes when there is plenty of nectar in the field, and, beside, they are unable to reach the juice unless the grape has first cracked open through unfavorable weather conditions or has been injured by birds, wasps, or other agency. Grape growers, seeing the bees at work in the vineyards, have often accused the bees of injury to the fruit. The fact of the matter is that the bee is unable to puncture the fruit, and only sucks the juice from such fruits as have already been broken open and are already damaged.

Wet weather often causes ripening grapes to crack open to such an extent that they would be of little value, even though no insect touched them thereafter. In dry weather, also, birds sometimes pierce the skins, apparently in search of moisture from lack of an available water supply. Some authorities say that at such times a liberal supply of water in open vessels near the vineyard will stop the injury from the birds. The English sparrow is accused of injury to grapes to a larger extent than most birds.

The grape-berry moth infests a great many grapes in some localities. In fact, entomologists state that in some localities as high as 50 per cent of the crop is injured by this insect alone. The fact that the honeybee sucks the juice from the berries which have already been opened by wet weather, grape-berry moths or other causes, does not greatly injure the grape grower, for such fruit is of little value.

The writer has visited the raisin districts of Southern California and discussed this condition with the raisin growers. The accompanying picture (Fig. 67) shows a bunch of raisin grapes that had been sucked dry by the bees. In that locality rains are very infrequent when the raisins are being dried. They are spread out in thin layers in crates and the crates left in the sun, or piled up one above another, till fully dry. Previous to the writer’s visit there had been an unexpected rain, and some raisins were allowed to get wet. As a result they cracked open, and there being just then no available nectar for the bees, they swarmed over the raisins and sucked them dry, as shown in the picture. The grower admitted, however, that the raisins had been so badly damaged by the rain as to be of little value.

The thing which few grape growers seem to understand, is that it is unfortunate, indeed, for the beekeeper in northern regions, whose bees fill their hives with this grape juice. In the north there are long periods during the long winter months when the bees are unable to leave the hive. Since the bee is only able to void her excrement while on the wing, there is a large accumulation of feces during such long confinement. If the bees have only the best white honey for food the tax is severe at best. When they have fruit juice, honeydew or other food containing a large amount of waste matter, the intestines become so distended that the bees die for lack of opportunity of a cleansing flight. Grape growers will in many cases be surprised to learn that thousands of bees die from having filled their combs with fruit juice instead of honey. Of course, the wide-awake beekeeper will remove this material from the hive and give them good honey or sugar syrup instead, if it is possible to do so. This, however, involves a large amount of labor, and the gathering of the juice from the grapes, instead of being an advantage to the beekeeper, is a serious inconvenience to him. In southern California, where there is no winter confinement, there is no particular injury to the bees, other than spoiling the grade of any honey with which it may happen to be mixed.

The late Charles Dadant, who was one of the most widely known beekeepers of the past generation, on one occasion had a difficulty with some growers who could not be made to understand that he was not getting rich at the expense of his neighbors, when his bees were attracted to their grapes. He decided that the only way to convince them that the interests of the beekeeper and the grape grower were mutual, was to grow the largest acreage of grapes in the neighborhood. This he proceeded to do, and after he became the largest grower of grapes in his community there was no longer any criticism, for they could readily see that he had too much at stake in his grapes to permit him to be prejudiced in favor of the bees.

That bees are valuable in securing the fertilization of the blossoms of some varieties of grapes, there is little question.

GRAPE FRUIT (Citrus decumana).

Nowhere in America is the grape fruit cultivated in such extensive orchards as is the case with the orange and lemon. It is recognized as a valuable source of honey, but not equal to either of the foregoing. It is an evergreen tree similar in habit to the other citrus fruits, and the area devoted to its cultivation is being extended in various districts.

Bees are very efficient pollenizers of grape fruit blossoms. The Atwood grape fruit ranch, one of the largest in Florida, is provided with two apiaries, brought there at the request of the manager of the ranch. They hold that the trees bear a larger number of fruits since the bees have been kept in close proximity.

GRASSES.

There are many grasses which are attractive to the bees for pollen. Timothy or herd’s grass produces pollen in great abundance and the bees are often observed gathering it. Occasionally some honeydew may be gathered from the grasses also, but no honey.

GREASEWOOD (Adenostema fasciculatum). CHAMISE.

Greasewood is an evergreen bush or shrub of spreading habit about two to ten feet in height. Jepson describes it as “the most abundant and characteristic bush of the higher coast ranges and Sierra Nevada, commonly gregarious and occupying, to the exclusion of other shrubs, extensive and especially abrupt slopes and mountain ridges. It often forms a distinct zone between the foothills and the yellow pine belt.”

Richter lists it as eagerly sought by the bees in several California counties, though no mention is made of it as a source of surplus honey.

GREENBRIAR (Smilax).

There are several species of greenbriar, some of which are common from Canada to Texas. They grow along watercourses and in open woodlands and the stems are covered with stiff and hard thorns. Scholl lists one species as yielding nectar in Texas. The author found reports to the effect that bees gather honey from greenbriar in McLennan County, Texas. At the same time it was stated that no honey was gathered from it in other nearby sections. The plant seems to be of doubtful value and is not sufficiently abundant to be important.

GRINDELIA, see Gum Weed.

GROUNDSEL, see Butterweed.

GROUND LAUREL, see Arbutus.

GUAIACUM, see Soapbush.

GUAYACAN, see Soapbush.

GUM, see Tupelo, also Eucalyptus.

GUM-ELASTIC or SHITTIM-WOOD (Bumelia lanuginosa rigida).

Gum-elastic is the common name in south Texas for the Arizona buckthorn, a small tree occurring from western Texas to Arizona. It has a short stem with stiff and very spiny branches. It is frequently mentioned as a source of honey in southern Texas.

There are reports to the effect that it sometimes yields a surplus along the Trinity River and that the honey often sours in the combs after being sealed.

GUM TREE, see Eucalyptus, also Tupelo.

GUM WEED or GUM PLANT (Grindelia squarrosa).

The gum weed, also called rosin weed, is a common plant from Wyoming and Colorado south to Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. It occurs sparingly eastward to Minnesota and Missouri. The bright yellow flowers exude a milky resinous gum, which gives rise to its name, “gum weed.” It is also widely known as rosin weed (Fig. 68). It blooms in August and is much sought by the bees. The honey is yellow and of inferior flavor. It is often mixed with light honey in the super and the grade spoiled as a result. In Colorado it is well known by the name of “rosin weed.” There the comb-honey producers complain that it often spoils the quality of their product through being mixed with the honey from alfalfa and sweet clover. Honey from gum weed candies very quickly, so quickly in fact, that Colorado beekeepers say that the bees have to hurry home with the load to prevent it becoming candied in their sacs. Comb honey which candies cannot readily be restored, hence in localities where gum weed is abundant the beekeeper may find it to his advantage to produce extracted honey. Even this does not solve the problem entirely, since the gum weed honey candies in the combs so readily as to make it difficult to extract. There are few reports of large surplus from this source. In most cases it is mixed with other honey and only in such quantity as to make it rather a nuisance than otherwise. The tendency to candy in the combs makes it undesirable for winter stores.

H

HACKBERRY (Celtis).

The hackberries are an important group of trees. There are about sixty species of trees and shrubs which are widely distributed in both the old world and America. There are about half a dozen species known to America, and of these, three are much valued by the beekeepers of Texas. The author has never known the bees to find nectar on the hackberry in the north, and was surprised at the many reports of honey from hackberry received from Texas beekeepers while visiting that State.

The granjeno (=Celtis pallida=) is a shrub common to the mesas and foothills of western and southern Texas. E. G. LeStourgeon, of San Antonio, regards it as the best of all the hackberries, blooming after every good rain. The honey is pale amber in color and of good quality. He reports that honey from all hackberries is of good quality. When the author visited at Brownsville, in February, 1918, the bees were working on the above species very freely at that time.

The Southern hackberry or sugarberry (=Celtis mississippiensis=) is common all over the Gulf and South Atlantic States from Kentucky and southern Illinois to Florida, Arkansas and central Texas. LeStourgeon reports that this species blooms after the others, in March and April, and that while it yields some honey, it is not as good as the others.

The Northern hackberry (=Celtis occidentalis=) is also known as sugarberry, and is common from New England and Ontario to Minnesota, Nebraska, Colorado and southward to Georgia and Texas. The author has never heard a report of bees visiting this species for nectar in the North, but it is reported also as a source of honey in Texas.

HAU TREE (Paritium tiliacium).

“The hau tree of Hawaii has nectaries on its leaves which secrete a honeydew. These are located on the veins of the leaves near the stem, and are one, two, three or five in number. Small drops of honeydew may frequently be seen on these spots. It is interesting to note that these extra-floral nectaries are present on the outside of the calyx of the flowers. There is apparently no true floral nectary. The hau tree is used extensively as a hedge, and grows from 20 to 30 feet high. It is doubtful whether this is the source of any great percentage of the honeydew honey.”--E. F. Phillips, Bul. 75, Part 5, Bureau of Entomology.

HAW, see Hawthorne.

HAWAII--Honey Flora of.

The algarroba tree (=Prosopis juliflora=) is either the same species as, or very closely related to, the mesquite of the southwest. On the islands it grows to the size of a tree, as is also the case in Mexico. In Texas it is generally very much smaller. In 1908 the tree came into bloom about the 1st of March, the time varying considerably in different localities on the islands. It usually blooms until August, and this very long blooming period adds greatly to its value to the beekeepers.

The following list of honey plants, other than algarroba, is furnished by Mr. D. L. Van Dine, Entomologist of the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station. Mr. Van Dine has studied the honey sources of the islands very thoroughly:

Forest Trees

“Texas mesquite (=Prosopis glandulosa=). Growing in dooryard of Mr.
C. C. Conradt, Pukoo, Island of Molokai. Seeds under propagation at
Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station. Introduced by Mr. Conrad from
Texas several years ago.

Ohia lehua (=Metrodsideros polymorpha=). Produces a particularly
high grade of honey. Locations for apiaries, as a rule, somewhat
inaccessible. One location on the island of Molokai is within the
ohia lehua belt.

Various species of Acacia (black wattle, koa, etc.) Mountainous
districts.

Various species of eucalyptus. Mountainous districts.

Wiliwili (=Erythrina monosperma=). In gulches on Molokai and Oahu.

Rose-apple (=Eugenia jambos=).

Mamani (=Sophora chrysophylla=). Found in higher forest belts.

Catalpa (=Catalpa speciosa= and =C. bignonioides=). Introduced by Mr.
Jared G. Smith, April, 1902, from the Missouri Botanical Gardens.

Logwood (=Haematoxylon campechianum=). Found in dooryards. Two trees
are growing in the grounds of Oahu College and one in the grounds
of Lunalilo Home, Honolulu. Seeds under propagation at Hawaii
Agricultural Experiment Station. The honey produced by bees from this
tree is reported to be the finest table honey in the world.

The black mangrove of Florida. Introduced by Mr. Jared G. Smith from
Southern Florida, for the purpose of preventing the mud flats from
washing along the coast of Molokai, near Kaunakakai. The introduction
was made several years ago and the trees are now well established at
the above-mentioned place. The tree is a valuable honey plant.

Fruit Trees

Various species of citrous (orange, lemon, lime, etc.)

Avocado (=Persea gratissima=).

Banana (=Musa spp.=).

Guvy (=Psidium spp.=).

Loquat (=Eriobotrya japonica=).

Tamarind (=Tamarindus indica=).

Pasture Plants

California burr-clover (=Medicago denticulata=). Introduced on Maui
in 1882 by Mr. C. R. Blacow. Now found generally on the ranches of
the islands.

Carpet grass (=Lippia repens=). Growing on grounds of Hawaii
Agricultural Experiment Station.

Alfilaria or filaree (=Erodium cicutarium= and =E. moschatum=).
Seeds introduced in California hay. Established on upland pastures
on Hawaii and Molokai.

White clover (=Trifolium repens=). Found on Haleakala and Makawao
pastures, Maui.

Crop Plants

Sisal (=Agave sisalana=).

Various species of curcurbits (melons, squashes, pumpkins, cucumbers,
etc.)

Forage Plants.

Alfalfa, several varieties.

Lupins, blue and yellow. Occasionally used as green manure plants on
sugar plantations.

Tangier pea (=Lathyrus tingitanus=). Growing at Haiku, Maui.

Sanfoin (=Onobrychus sativa=). A forage plant introduced by Mr. Jared
G. Smith in 1904. Seed distributed to ranches.

Ornamental Plants

Palms, particularly the royal and cocoanut.

Poppy, a horticultural form of =Romneya coulteri=, found in gardens
in Honolulu.

Chinese inkberry (=Sestrum diurnum=).

=Thevitia nereifolia=.

Vines (=Ipomæa spp.=).

Weeds

Lantana, two species.

California Sages (=Artemisia=). Introduced by Hawaiian Beekeepers’
Association in 1907. Not as yet established. Suitable for waste, arid
lands. The most important honey plant in California. Valuable as a
forage plant.

Ilima (=Sida spp.=).

Oi (=Verbena bonariensis=).

Pill grass (=Heteropogon contortus=).

Spanish needle (lauki) (=Bidens pilosa=).

Puakala (=Argemone mexicana=).

Alii (=Dodonæa viscosa var. spathulata=).

Hila hila (undetermined).

Other weeds are =Waltheria americana=, =Ipomæa pes-capræ= (vine along
seacoast), and =Malvastrum tricuspidatum=.

Other Sources of Honey

Hawaii is peculiar in that most of the honey produced is from some source other than flowers. Two-thirds of the honey shipped annually from the islands is largely or entirely honeydew honey. By far the greater part of this comes from the exudations of the sugar cane leafhopper.--E. F. Phillips, Bul. 75, Part 5, Bureau of Entomology.

HAWTHORN (Crataegus).