108 AMERICAN HONEY PLANTS 



Goldenrod honey, according to him, is deep golden yellow in color, 

 thick and heavy, with a more decided flavor than white clover honey. 

 When extracted it granulates in a month or two, but the bees winter on it 

 perfectly. 



Next in importance he places the bushy goldenrod (S. graminifolia) 

 (Fig. 62). This is common in fields, open woodlands and hedgerows. The 

 odor is faint, but the nectar is clearly visible in the flowers. He reports 

 as many as six honeybees at work at one time on a single flower cluster. 

 It will be noted that this is one of the species which Doctor Pammel men- 

 tions as yielding nectar in Iowa. Sladen also cites it as important in 

 Canada. 



Graenicher collected 135 different species of insects on this species in 

 Wisconsin. 



The cream-colored goldenrod, sometimes called white goldenrod (S. 

 bicolor), is of special interest because of the fact that it is the only one 

 of the group which is not yellow in color. Although it produces nectar, 

 I can find no record which indicates that it is of much importance as a 

 honey plant anywhere. Lovell says that it is of little value in Maine. 



The early goldenrod (S. juncea) (Fig. 65), is the first to bloom in 

 Maine and is very abundant in old fields. The bees visit it freely, but 

 apparently do not get much honey from it. 



Graenicher states that he has collected 182 different species of insects 

 on this plant, in Wisconsin, which indicates the presence of considerable 

 nectar in that locality. 



General Reports 



In searching through the beekeeping literature for reports on honey 

 from goldenrods I seldom find the particular species mentioned.. There 

 are numerous reports of honey from goldenrod, but this is as far as the 

 report usually goes. 



"Two colonies of bees taken to a sandy plain forty miles north of 

 Ottawa, August 25, each gathered, in three weeks, about 40 pounds of 

 surplus honey from S. puberula and S. squarrosa. It is estimated that 

 at least three-fourths of the honey came from S. puberula, which was 

 much more abundant than S. squarrosa. The honey is of a light color 

 and the flavor and aroma are pleasant and distinctly suggestive of 

 goldenrod."— Sladen, in 36th report, Ontario, B. K. A. 



"You ought to see the bees work on it. They store lots of honey 

 from it. Last year I had five or six nuclei which did not have any 

 stores at all on the first of September, but when I_ went to feed them 

 for winter I found they had twenty pounds of nice honey gathered 

 from goldenrod. They all came through the winter in good condition." 

 — Kentucky. Gleanings in Bee Culture. 



"The goldenrod is one of our main sources for a fall flow. The 

 bees usually fill one or more supers from it." — Connecticut. Gleanings 

 in Bee Culture. 



"My bees have gathered lots of goldenrod honey this fall, and at 

 times the odor has been offensive to the neighbors." — Vermont. Glean- 

 ings in Bee Culture. 



"Smartweed and goldenrod grow here, but do not furnish any honey. 

 Never saw a bee on them."— Iowa. American Bee Journal. 



