Beekeeping in Wisconsin 7 



all that remained of a shipment of 100 queens from Europe. 

 This was the first successful importation of queens on a large 

 scale. Previous to the introduction of movable frames and 

 Italian bees, bees were kept in hollow logs, boxes, straw 

 hives or "skeps" where no opportunity was given to learn 

 their life habits. With the introduction of modem hives, 

 and Italian bees, many new inventions and better methods 

 of handling were brought about. A better knowledge of 

 the life habits of the bees was also gained which has made 

 modern honey production profitable. Today Wisconsin has 

 many progressive beekeepers producing tons of the best 

 quality of honey found in the United States. 



Flowering Plants which Produce Nectar 



A "honey plant" is a flowering plant producing nectar 

 which is available to honey bees. A "honey flow" is the 

 yield of nectar from one or more kinds of honey plants for 

 the period in which the bloom yields nectar. 



"Nectar secretion" depends on several conditions, some of 

 which are not, as yet, understood. White and alsike clover 

 require proper amounts of moisture with warm days and 

 sultry nights to yield nectar most abundantly. The more 

 important honey plants of Wisconsin named in the order 

 they bloom are: dandelion (May 1 to June 1); white and 

 alsike clover furnishing most of the surplus honey (June 1 to 

 August 1), basswood Or Linden (July 1 to July 20), sweet 

 clover (July 15 to August 15), willow herb or fireweed, buck- 

 wheat, goldenrod, Spanish needle, asters, and many fall 

 flowers in late summer and fall. 



Influence of Climate and Soil on Beekeeping 



It is difficult to secure a good idea of the relation of the 

 climate and soil conditions of a state to this poorly developed 

 pursuit, for the larger number of persons engaged in it are 

 usually following it only as a side line. For this reason, bee- 

 keeping has not been given the attention in Wisconsin that 

 it deserves. Consequently, information gathered from bee- 

 keepers themselves is not entirely satisfactory. 



