3 
: 
BEEKEEPING IN THE CLOVER REGION. 
E. F. Paturs, Apiculturist in Charge, and Groree §. Demuta, Apiculsural 
Assistant, Bee-Culture Investigations, Bureau of Entomology. 
CONTENTS. 
Page. Page 
Geographical boundaries of the clover Other plants in the region which fur- 
RECIONe ee ae eee oe 4 nisi Mecha oe ee See 12 
Variations within the region--_---- 5 | Equipment recommended —~_-__~-_-~~-~ 14 
Relation to other beekeeping regions_ 5 | Adaptations of beekeeping practice 
Characteristics of the clovers-_---- 6 forsthiserncpionsessoeoeneses Sak 15 
Present development of beekeeping in Market facilities and methods of 
PACING MONG sae ea 10 MST KGS ee ae Se eS 26 
Peculiarities of the region-__.---~-~ 11 | Opportunities for development of this 
Type of honey to be produced_-----~- 11 POSi0 Ne eee ae NE 27 
EKEKEEPING practices in the United States have been devel- 
B oped largely in the clover region and because of this the litera- 
ture of the subject deals chiefly with methods applicable to this 
territory. Nevertheless the clover region is failing to produce the 
honey it should; chiefly, no doubt, because the methods that give the 
best results for the region are not clearly analyzed, and there are so 
many to choose from that the beekeeper can with difficulty decide 
which are best. Clover is now the source of a vast amount of honey, 
doubtless furnishing more than any other nectar-secreting plant. 
Since the honey from this source is not surpassed in quality by any 
other, it is important to the beekeeping industry that the clovers be 
utilized more completely. This bulletin endeavors to simplify the 
problem of the beekeeper of this region by describing those practices 
which have been proved most effective. A single system is here out- 
lined, rather than several methods for each phase of the work, the 
plans given being those which will give the best results in most clover 
locations. 
The clovers included in this discussion are white clover; alsike 
clover,’ and red clover.* These plants bloom at nearly the same time, 
the honeys are almost identical, and the same methods may be used 
for the gathering of their honey-crops. Their geographical distribu- 
tion in the United States may be considered, for the purposes of this 
bulletin, as identical. These clovers belong to the family Legumi- 
nosae, to which belong many other important honey-plants, such as 
alfalfa * and sweet clover.® 
1 Trifolium repens. *T.hybridum. *T. pratense. 5 Melilotus alba. 
3 
4 Medicago sativa. 
