PLANTS AND BEEKEEPING an account of those plants, wild and
cultivated, of value to the hive bee, and for honey production in
the British Isles by F. N. HOWES, D. Sc. FABER AND FABER LIMITED 24
Russell Square London PREFACE There has been a marked increase of
interest in beekeeping and the production of honey throughout the
country in recent years. This may have been initiated by the Second
World War, with the consequent shortage of sweetening materials,
and partly by other considerations, such as the better understand
ing of some of the major bee diseases that now prevails. The num
ber of beekeepers has been doubled or trebled in many localities
according to the statistics of Beekeepers Associations and
doubtless the total production of home-produced Honey ka MDeen
stepped up considerably. It is to be hoped this increase in the
Nations annual honey crop will continue, and, what is of even
greater importance, that this increase in the nations bee
population will also be main tained, for it has been proved that
the main value of the honey bee in the national economy is as a
pollinator for fruit, clovers, and other seed and farm crops. Its
value in this respect far outweighs its value as a producer of
honey. Plant nectar has been described as the raw material of the
honey industry and those plants that produce it, in a manner
available to the honey bee, constitute the very foundations of
apiculture. They are obviously of first importance to the
beekeeper, whether he or she is a large or small scale beekeeper or
belongs to the hobbyist class. A knowledge of these plants and
their relative values, for nectar or for pollen, is likely to add
much to the pleasure and the profit of beekeeping.An attempt has
here been made to deal with the more important bee plants in the
British Isles as well as many others that are only of minor
importance. Among the latter are to be found both wild and garden
plants. Although not sufficiently prevalent in most cases to affect
honey yields to any extent such plants have been purposely included
in the knowledge that their presence is always beneficial,
especially as they so often help to maintain or support bees
between the major nectar flows. Much of the pollen collected by
bees, so vital for the sustenance of their young, comes from such
plants. Furthermore, beekeepers are often keen gardeners and nature
lovers and interested in any plant that proves attractive to bees.
This no doubt accounts for the 5 PREFACE present popularity of bee
gardens or gardens devoted exclusively to the cultivation of good
bee plants, to which a chapter has been given. From the earliest
times gardening has been closely associ ated or connected with
beekeeping and the two arc obviously complementary and well suited
for being carried on together. Many owners of gardens and flower
lovers with no special in terest in beekeeping derive great
pleasure from observing bees industriously at work on flowers and
are fond of growing some of those plants which they know will prove
a special attraction, even though they may not always be in the
front rank as garden plants. Indications are given as to what
plants are likely to be most suit able in this connection and
special emphasis laid on some of the newer plant introductions.
Among the minor bcc plants will be found quite a number of
introduced trees and shrubs that are grown to a greater or less
extent for ornament. Someof these are important for honey in their
native land and where this is known the fact is mentioned. As some
of these plants, especially among those from the Orient, are of
comparatively recent introduction, they may become more generally
grown and therefore more useful as bee fodder at some future time.
It is for this reason they have been included. The more
serious-minded beekeeper and honey producer may be interested only
in those plants tluit fill or help to fill his hives. These will be
found described at much greater length in Section 2...
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