We may divide the State of New Jersey into three sections on the basis
of surplus honey production.
The first section includes all of the southern and middle counties and
the southern part of Middlesex, Somerset and Hunterdon. As a rule, the
surplus honey in this district comes from clover. There are, of course,
occasional places, such as low-lying land along large streams where a
second flow is harvested in late summer and early autumn.
The second district includes all north of the first, with the exception
of Hudson County and a part of Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Union. In
this district there are generally two distinct, heavy honey flows, the
first from clover and the last from buckwheat and fall flowers, such as
goldenrod, aster, etc.
The third division, which roughly includes the Passaic and Hackensack
Valleys, and the Raritan Valley below New Brunswick, rarely produces
any surplus honey except in the fall, and that comes from goldenrod,
aster and mallows.
The presence or absence of a single kind of plant will often decide
whether the fall flow will be worth consideration. This principle
applies more particularly to the second district. Should the amount
of buckwheat sown be very small in some parts of this region the fall
surplus would be missing. In certain parts of this second district
white sweet clover is found in great abundance and furnishes surplus
throughout the late summer and early fall.--Elmer G. Carr, Manual of
Bee Husbandry.
NEW JERSEY TEA or RED-ROOT (Ceanothus americanus).
New Jersey tea grows from one to three feet high from a dark red root,
hence the name “red-root.” It is a shrubby plant with flowers in white
clusters. The leaves were used for tea during the revolutionary war. It
is common in woodlands from Ontario to Manitoba and south to Arkansas,
Texas and Florida.
It is not often mentioned as a source of honey, but according to H. B.
Parks, is regarded as valuable in northwestern Missouri. (See Mountain
lilac.)
NEW MEXICO--Honey Sources of.
Alfalfa is the chief source of surplus honey in the irrigated regions
of New Mexico. There are some districts where the bloom of orchard
fruits is important, especially for spring stimulation. The desert
flora offers a wide variety of minor sources, with a few of surplus
importance. Among the latter may be mentioned mesquite, catsclaw and
cactus. (See Arizona and Texas.) Sweet clover is also important.
NEW YORK--Honey Sources of.
W. D. Wright, in Bulletin 49 of the New York Department of Agriculture,
only lists a few plants as important in that State. He mentions
basswood as formerly one of the principal sources now rapidly passing
away. Alfalfa is mentioned as a source of honey in central New York.
Alsike is spoken of as abundant and a splendid honey producer. Good
yields are frequently gathered from buckwheat in sections where it is
grown extensively and it seldom fails entirely. Fruit blossoms and
black locust bloom before the colonies are sufficiently strong to store
much surplus, but are valuable for early brood rearing. Sweet clover,
sumac, blue thistle and goldenrod are the other sources mentioned. The
failure to mention white clover is evidently an oversight, since it is
one of the most important sources of nectar in the State.
NORTH CAROLINA, Honey Flora of.
Taking the State as a whole, sourwood, poplar, sometimes called tulip
tree, and the clovers, are the three leaders. Of these three leaders
the poplar is the most widely distributed and is prominently mentioned
in all sections, from east to west. The sourwood is principally
confined to the Piedmont section, though reported also from the lower
mountain localities and from the western border of the eastern region.
The clovers are found in all parts, though more abundant in the
mountain and Piedmont sections. Next to these we find the gallberry
(=Vaccinium sp.=) and black gum, both taking high rank and both
found principally in the east. Persimmon ranks sixth and is reported
principally from the east, several mentioning it as irregular in yield
and lasting but a short time, but doing well for a short period. The
basswood or linden comes seventh and is reported only from the west.
Holly and huckleberry (low and high) are next in order, both being in
the east. Buckwheat follows and is confined to the west.
Twenty-four leading bee pasturage plants:
Sourwood, Piedmont; little east and west.
Poplar (tulip tree), all sections.
Clovers (all varieties), west and Piedmont; little in east.
Gallberry, east.
Black gum, east.
Persimmon, east and Piedmont.
Basswood (linden, linn), west.
Holly, east.
Huckleberry, east.
Buckwheat, west.
Ironweed (aster), Piedmont.
Locust (black locust), west and Piedmont.
Aster, all sections.
Cotton, east and Piedmont.
Stickweed (=Bidens=).
Fruit trees, all kinds, all sections.
Peas (cow peas), Piedmont and east.
Sumac.
Nut trees (including oak), all sections.
Goldenrod, all sections.
Rattan, east.
Blackberry, all sections.
Maple, all varieties, all sections.
Alfalfa, locally grown.
--Franklin Sherman, Jr., Bul. North Carolina Department of
Agriculture, Vol. 29, No. 1.
NORTH DAKOTA--Honey Sources of.
Beekeeping is, as yet, but little developed in North Dakota. Willows
and cottonwoods furnish early pollen, dandelion and fruit bloom assist
the bees with both nectar and pollen for early brood rearing. The
clovers are the principal sources of surplus honey.
NOVA SCOTIA--Honey Sources of.
Willows and maples are important for spring brood rearing. The sources
of surplus are alsike and white clover, goldenrod, aster, apple, fall
dandelion (=T. autumnale=), wild radish (=R. Raphanistrum=), blueberry
and =Kalmia angustifolia=.--F. W. L. Sladen.
O
OAK (Quercus).
The oaks are frequently reported as sources of nectar. The fact is that
it is usually honeydew, rather than nectar, which the bees gather from
oaks. Pollen is produced in abundance by these trees and all species
may be regarded as valuable for pollen. (Fig. 100.) There are many
species of oaks, some of which are common to any part of America where
trees grow naturally. There are 24 species recorded from Alabama, 24
from New Mexico and 12 from Connecticut.
Richter gives 4 species--field oak (=Quercus agrifolia=), tan bark (=Q.
densiflora=), mountain white oak (=Q. douglassii=) and weeping oak (=Q.
lobata=), as sources of honey in California. Scholl gives 6 species as
sources of honey in Texas, as follows: Post oak (=Q. minor=), live oak
(=Q. virginiana=), red oak (=Q. rubra=), Spanish oak (=Q. palustris=),
water oak (=Q. aquatica=), and jack or barren oak (=Q. nigra=).
H. B. Parks, of the Texas Agricultural College, has found that post oak
yields some nectar from extra floral nectaries. This may be true of
some other species.
The live oak yields honeydew in large quantity in west Texas, from
the balls made by the live oak gall. George Schmidt, of Crystal City,
reports an average of 25 pounds per colony from live oak balls, on
the Nueces River, in 1917. The honey was dark and heavy, but of good
flavor. The flow lasted till frost. There are numerous similar reports,
from west Texas, of honeydew from this source, from August till late
fall. During the drought of 1917 and 1918 there was little else for the
bees in many Texas localities, and the live oak saved the bees from
starvation.
Occasionally the bees work on white oaks in Illinois. In this case they
are attracted by the presence of a soft scale (=Lycanium cockerellii=).
[Illustration: Fig. 100. Pollen bearing blossoms of red oak.]
OGECHE PLUM, see Tupelo.
OHIO--Honey Sources of.
The sources of nectar in Ohio are very similar to those of many other
States in the great central basin, where white and alsike clover
furnish the principal surplus. There is the usual list of plants
furnishing nectar and pollen for early spring, such as willows, maples,
fruit blossoms, dandelions, etc. The main flow comes from white and
alsike clover in June and July. In some sections buckwheat yields
surplus. Basswood, which was once an important source of nectar, has
been cut until few beekeepers are able to get crops of much value from
it. Goldenrod and asters are important in many sections for late fall.
OKLAHOMA--Honey Sources of.
Fruit blossoms furnish nectar and pollen for early brood rearing.
Dandelions and willows are also important at this season. Cottonwood
yields pollen abundantly, as do other shade trees. Alfalfa horsemint,
horehound, sweet clover and cotton are important sources of surplus.
Among the many minor sources may be mentioned Indian currant, button
bush, asters, goldenrod, milkweeds, melons, etc.
OKRA or GUMBO.
Cook’s Manual lists okra as a honey plant. It is a well-known garden
vegetable, especially popular in the South, but is seldom grown in
quantity sufficient to be important to the beekeeper.
OLEASTER, WILD OLIVE, RUSSIAN OLIVE (Elaeagnus hortensis).
The Russian oleaster, known botanically as =Var songorica= (Fig. 101)
was first introduced into this country by Professor J. L. Budd because
of its hardiness and ornamental qualities. The young trees branch
freely and produce an abundance of white, scurfy foliage, which makes
it a most attractive and striking shrub. * * * It is one of the most
fragrant of cultivated small trees. The season of blossoming varies
somewhat, but with us (Iowa) is about the middle or early part of June.
[Illustration: Fig. 101. Oleaster or Russian Olive.]
It is one of the best of our spring honey plants. The bees visit the
plant in large numbers when in full bloom from early morning until
late evening.--L. H. Pammel, American Bee Journal, November, 1917.
=Eleaegnus argentea=, wolf willow or silverberry. It is said to yield
honey on the prairies.--W. J. Sheppard, British Columbia. American Bee
Journal, November, 1917.
OLIVE (Olea europaea).
The olive is generally cultivated in orchards throughout California.
Richter states that his bees, within easy reach of several thousand
olive trees, do not work on them, but that T. O. Andrews, of Corona,
and B. B. Hogaboom, of Elk Grove, report bees working well on olive
bloom. He further states that the olive tree is a well known source of
honey in Spain.
ONION (Allium).
According to Richter, wild onions sometimes yield surplus honey in the
vicinity of Sacramento, California. In some parts of that State, where
cultivated onions (=Allium cepa=) are grown for seed, they are also
important. The onion yields freely and the honey is said to be amber
in color with a characteristic onion flavor which disappears after
the honey is fully ripened. There are few localities where onions are
sufficiently abundant to be important.
ONTARIO--Honey Sources of.
The principal honey plants of Ontario, in the order of their
importance, are alsike and white Dutch clover, buckwheat, basswood,
fireweed, wild raspberry, goldenrod, aster, dandelion, sweet clover,
viper’s bugloss, Canada thistle, milkweed and boneset.
Buckwheat, basswood, sweet clover, viper’s bugloss, milkweed and
boneset are confined principally to the southern part of the province.
Willows and maples are important for early spring brood rearing.--F. W.
L. Sladen.
OPUNTIA, see Prickly Pear.
ORANGE (Citrus aurantium).
The orange tree is a native of Asia, early introduced by the colonists
into Florida. It thrives in a semi-tropical climate and its culture in
America is confined to southern Florida, a few small areas along the
Gulf Coast, the lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas and to California. It
is sensitive to frost and the trees are easily killed by freezing.
In California, orange is one of the important sources of honey. The
trees bloom in April, when many colonies are too weak to make the most
of the crop. The flow is extremely rapid, as at times the nectar is
secreted in such abundance that men and horses working in the orchards
are saturated with it. The flow lasts about three weeks. In 1919 it
continued 23 days in Tulare County. Four hundred colonies in one yard
averaged more than 60 pounds per colony from orange. O. F. Darnell, of
Porterville, extracted 171 pounds of orange honey from one colony in
ten days, after having previously extracted 24 frames which were not
weighed. A. W. Gambs, of Anderson, reported that some colonies, made
extra strong by drifting bees, stored four full-depth extracting supers
of fresh nectar from orange in four days.
In some of the interior valley locations the bees get fair crops
from orange about four years in five. Along the coast, the fogs are
unfavorable and the crop is uncertain. Good orange locations are much
in demand, and many beekeepers move their bees long distances for
the flow. With a larger reserve supply of honey, left in the hives
for winter to enable the bees to build up early in spring, and with
more careful attention to wintering, it would be possible to greatly
increase the average returns from orange. This statement is based on
the results of a few beekeepers who take special pains to get their
bees into condition for the orange flow.
The honey from orange is white in color, heavy in body, of the finest
quality, and is much in demand in the markets.
OREGON CRAB APPLE, see Crab Apple.
OREGON--Honey Sources of.
J. W. Wills, of Marion County, Oregon, lists the principal honey plants
of that State in the American Bee Journal as follows:
Willow, chickweed, balm-of-Gilead, salmonberry, dandelion, fruit trees,
grapes, currants, gooseberries, maples, clover, Juneberry, barberry,
huckleberries, laurel, milkweed, lobelia, catnip, snowberry, arrowwood,
Spanish needle and some others.
P. W. Nicolle, in Gleanings, adds that chittam (=Rhamnus purshiana=)
is one of the principal sources. He mentions, also, salal (=Gaultheria
shallon=) as a source of nectar. Salal is frequently mentioned as
valuable in Oregon.
OREGON GRAPE (Berberis nervosa).
Oregon grape is common in the woodlands near the Coast from Marin
County, California, northward. It is abundant in the forest regions
of Washington. It is a shrub with prickly alternate leaves and yellow
flowers in racemes. Oregon grape is reported as a source of honey of
minor importance in the Northwest. Like the agarites or triple-leaved
barberry of Texas, it blooms in early spring when it is of special
value for stimulative purposes. Another species of barberry (=Berberis
Aquifolium=) is common to this region, and most beekeepers do not
differentiate between the two species. (See Barberry.)