Author : F. N. Howes
Release : 2008-11
Genre : Nature
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 893/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Plants and Beekeeping by : F. N. Howes

Download or read book Plants and Beekeeping written by F. N. Howes. This book was released on 2008-11. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: PLANTS AND BEEKEEPING an account of those plants, wild and cultivated, of value to the hive bee, and for honey production in the British Isles by F. N. HOWES, D. Sc. PREFACE: There has been a marked increase of interest in beekeeping and the production of honey throughout the country in recent years. This may have been initiated by the Second World War, with the consequent shortage of sweetening materials, and partly by other considerations, such as the better understand ing of some of the major bee diseases that now prevails. The num ber of beekeepers has been doubled or trebled in many localities according to the statistics of Beekeepers Associations and doubtless the total production of home-produced Honey ka MDeen stepped up considerably. It is to be hoped this increase in the Nations annual honey crop will continue, and, what is of even greater importance, that this increase in the nations bee population will also be main tained, for it has been proved that the main value of the honey bee in the national economy is as a pollinator for fruit, clovers, and other seed and farm crops. Its value in this respect far outweighs its value as a producer of honey. Plant nectar has been described as the raw material of the honey industry and those plants that produce it, in a manner available to the honey bee, constitute the very foundations of apiculture. They are obviously of first importance to the beekeeper, whether he or she is a large or small scale beekeeper or belongs to the hobbyist class. A knowledge of these plants and their relative values, for nectar or for pollen, is likely to add much to the pleasure and the profit of beekeeping. An attempt has here been made to deal with themore important bee plants in the British Isles as well as many others that are only of minor importance. Among the latter are to be found both wild and garden plants. Although not sufficiently prevalent in most cases to affect honey yields to any extent such plants have been purposely included in the knowledge that their presence is always beneficial, especially as they so often help to maintain or support bees between the major nectar flows. Much of the pollen collected by bees, so vital for the sustenance of their young, comes from such plants. Furthermore, beekeepers are often keen gardeners and nature lovers and interested in any plant that proves attractive to bees. This no doubt accounts for the present popularity of bee gardens or gardens devoted exclusively to the cultivation of good bee plants, to which a chapter has been given. From the earliest times gardening has been closely associ ated or connected with beekeeping and the two arc obviously complementary and well suited for being carried on together. Many owners of gardens and flower lovers with no special interest in beekeeping derive great pleasure from observing bees industriously at work on flowers and are fond of growing some of those plants which they know will prove a special attraction, even though they may not always be in the front rank as garden plants. Indications are given as to what plants are likely to be most suit able in this connection and special emphasis laid on some of the newer plant introductions. Among the minor bcc plants will be found quite a number of introduced trees and shrubs that are grown to a greater or less extent for ornament. Some of these are important for honey in their native land andwhere this is known the fact is mentioned. As some of these plants, especially among those from the Orient, are of comparatively recent introduction, they may become more generally grown and therefore more useful as bee fodder at some future time. It is for this reason they have been included. The more serious-minded beekeeper and honey producer may be interested only in those plants tluit fill or help to fill his hives. These will be found described at much greater length in Section 2...