. American bee journal. Bee culture; Bees. 80. Fig. 2. YELLOW BIRCH (Bclula lutea.) St., staminate flowers; p, postulate flowers. A wind |MilIinated tree producing large quantities of pollen. pollinated and the pollen is so ad- hesive that none of it is carried away by the wind. Shake an alder hranch in full bloom over a sheet of white paper and it will be covered with pollen; do the same with a hranch of "pussies" and only a few grains will fall. Many wild bees, ants and flies, however, visit them. A little later in the season the stam- inate trees of the white willow will be a grea
. American bee journal. Bee culture; Bees. 80. Fig. 2. YELLOW BIRCH (Bclula lutea.) St., staminate flowers; p, postulate flowers. A wind |MilIinated tree producing large quantities of pollen. pollinated and the pollen is so ad- hesive that none of it is carried away by the wind. Shake an alder hranch in full bloom over a sheet of white paper and it will be covered with pollen; do the same with a hranch of "pussies" and only a few grains will fall. Many wild bees, ants and flies, however, visit them. A little later in the season the stam- inate trees of the white willow will be a great help. (Fig. 1). Bees not infrequently gather pol- len from the alders, elms and other wind-pollinated trees (Fig. 2), and if you have an avenue of elms you have little to fear from a dearth of pollen early in the season. The maples are far from being as gcod pollen plants as the willows. "if only bees would gather pollen from the fir spruce, pine and running juniper they would, for a while, be provided with an in- exhaustible store. Beat a running juniper bush witli a stick and the air will be so filled with pollen that you will be glad to retreat. The clouds of pollen from tile pines are easily mistaken for smoke. (Fig. 3.) The pollen seems to be too resinous to suit the taste of bees. During bloom I lure is, of course, no lack of pollen in the northern and western States i if herbaceous plants blooming in May 1 know of none more valuable for pollen than the dandelion. My apiary is surrounded for about two weeks with an almost unbroken sheet of yellow flowers This was obtained by permitting culti- vated plants io produce seed. The pollen is very abundant and easily gathered, and the bees are i ? m stantly bringing it into the hives \ more pleasant, cheerful display can hardly be imagined, and many pcr- isk the privilege of digging ; The planting of corn by the mil- lion acres renders it more important as a source of pollen than any other cultivated plant, and i
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjectbees, bookyear1861
