64 



MANUAL OF APICULTURE. 



view of the fact that surrouuding- couditions vary greatly, it is difficult 

 to say exactly how many colonies are positively uecessarj^ for a given 

 number of trees. However, four or five well-populated hives for every 

 hundred large apple trees will doubtless suffice, even though no other 

 hive bees are within a mile of the orchard. The bees of a neighbor's 

 apiary are often quite sufficient for the orchardist's puri)ose, the benefit 

 resulting from their labors being, therefore, mutual, though the orchard- 

 ist doubtless derives in this case greater advantage from them than 

 does their owner himself. Escaped swarms lodged in forest trees in 







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Fig. 52.— Heath-like wild aster (Aster ericoides). (Original.) 



the vicinity of the orchard are sometimes sufficiently numerous to per- 

 form the work well. The colonies required to polleuize the blossoms 

 of the apple orchard will pollenize also those of many other fruit and 

 seed crops grown within their flight and which ripen their pollen and 

 develop their pistils either before or after the apple. 



HONEY AND POLLEN PRODUCING PLANTS. 



In the following lists the intention has been merely to indicate the 

 main sources from which our hive bees secure honey and i^ollen. Any- 

 thing like a complete enumeration of those plants of the United States 



