We have yards in areas where the bees make purple loosestrife honey, and
this honey is even more appreciated in a dry year season as this one where
yards not near the swamps and wet areas have not made any or much honey to
date.

In an ongoing effort to give credit to the work of the bees and
local/regional honey, I am considering a label on each jar (purple
loosestrife-wildflower) and inserts in these cases of honey. Purple
loosestrife is very controversal as it crowds out native species of plants
so I am trying to learn more about the plant before proceding with this
labeling:

1) Do the visits by the bees to purple loosestrife increase its spread
    throughout the areas where it is now growing and increasing each season?
2) How does the purple loosestrife spread?

The brochures from the garden club want us to call whenever we have a purple
loosestrife plant - we could be on the telephone 24 hours a day around here.
I am not advocating buying these plants from the nurseries or throwing seeds
out of the truck as we drive from bee yard to bee yard. What I think is
important in science, nature, and life is that the whole truth be
presented - I never see any mention in the paper or these brochures of how
important purple loosestrife is to honey bees and other pollinating insects.
Surely this must help many plants and nature.

Todd D. Hardie

Honey Gardens Apiaries, Inc.
Hinesburg, VT 05461

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