126 B.C. Entomological Society. 



" He " must refer to drones, and not to the undeveloped females or 

 workers which visit the flowers. The tube of the phlox is too long for the 

 tongues of honey-bees; the poet may have seen a long-tongued bumble-bee 

 without knowing the difiference, and phlox is generally regarded as a 

 butterfly-flower ; had the poet known the rose was nectarless we would have 

 lost this gem of ignorance. 



In dealing with the different kinds of native plants for bees, it may 

 be useful to indicate whether they yield nectar or pollen, or both. 



Jl'illozvs. — Probably the most valuable plants to the apiarist are the 

 willows ; they furnish the first nectar of the season, and honey-bees have 

 been reported as storing from 8 to 15 lb. of honey per hive from this source 

 alone. The honey has a. pleasant aromatic taste, not unlike that obtained 

 from fruit-blossoms. Further, no other early blooming flowers yield so 

 much pollen as the willows, as any one can prove by watching the myriads 

 of bees returning with heavily laden pollen-baskets from almost any clump 

 of willows in the early spring. 



The willows are well distributed over the Province, different species in 

 different districts, but in the Coast region (i.e.. west of the Coast Range) 

 we have in succession Nuttall's, Scouler's, Sitka, Hooker's, and the cracked- 

 bark willow, the four former probably being the most productive. 



As willows are readily grown from twigs stuck into moist soil, they can 

 be easily multiplied, or introduced into districts where they are scarce. It 

 should be borne in mind, however, that in areas infested with tent- 

 caterpillars willows are favourite food-plants of this pest. 



Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). — Though one cannot consider this 

 a native plant, it is so closely associated with man that in practically every 

 little community it is found as an introduced weed which has come to stay 

 and cause us endless trouble trying to eradicate it from our lawns and 

 gardens. " It's an ill wind that blaws naebody guid," and the wind that 

 blows the dandelion fruits in the direction of an apiary should be appreciated 

 by bee-keepers. The dandelion's chief value lies in providing pollen and 

 nectar for building up colonies in early spring just after the willows have 

 passed their best. It is not relied on to provide a surplus of honey, though 

 in occasional years bees will store a surplus from this source. The honey 

 is of an amber colour. 



Cleome serrulata, sometimes known as spider-flower, is known to bee- 

 keepers in Colorado as the Rocky Mountain bee-flower on account of the 

 abundance of nectar which it furnishes. This plant is found in the 

 Okanagan and Chilcotin Districts, though not perhaps in such quantities 

 as to make its presence noticeable to bee-keepers. It should not be difficult, 

 however, to encourage, and as it is one of our showy species it will prove 

 an acquisition to the flora of any district. Under favourable conditions it 

 is reported a heavy yielder, two or three flowers giving a full load of nectar 

 for honey-bees. 



Goldenrod (Solidago, various species) is a widely distributed plant in 

 British Columbia, some species being more common in the Coast area and 



