The Genus Agastache as Bee Forage: An Analysis of Reader Returns
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Abstract
If you are considering planting Agastache (anise hyssop) for your bees, we offer two pieces of advice crucial for avoiding disappointment. First and foremost, resist unreasonable expectations. The often-quoted figure from Terry (1872) of supporting 100 hives of bees on an acre of anise hyssop is almost certainly an exaggeration. Further, production of over a ton of honey per acre as suggested by Mayer ct al. (1982) may be possible, but in our opinion is unlikely to be realized by most beekeepers. In the previous two articles of this series, we suggested 1,000 lbs. of honey per acre as a potential production goal. Consider planting for bees as an investment where the time, effort and resources used to establish the planting represent the amount of initial investment, the cost of land and maintenance as the overhead, and the nectar collected each year as the interest. If you are in this only for the short term, you will likely be disappointed. Planting for bees is a long-term proposition. It is not a panacea, and it is not for everyone.
Comments
This article is from American Bee Journal 134 (1994): 621.