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.
[Illustration: Fig. 57. Gallberry.]