At 11:17 PM 2/3/97 +1300, you wrote:
>>My brother Robert (who is also on the list) knows someone who has a herb
>>farm and we may be able to put some hives there...Anyone know if any herbs
>>are reasonable nectar producers?  I checked "The Hive and the Honey Bee"
>>but all I could see was Sage which may or may not be the herb....
>
>Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) grows wild in parts of New Zealand's central South
>Island and produces a crop of good quality thyme honey each Spring.  The
>honey is dark (around 100mm) and *very* stong with a long lasting after taste.
>
>One story goes that the plant was introduced by Chinese gold miners last
>century.  It has now spread to cover thousands of hectares.  As in most
>cases of nectar production, it requires relatively large areas of any one
>plant to produce a monofloral honey type.
>Peter Bray,
>Airborne Honey Ltd., PO Box 28, Leeston, New Zealand
>Fax 64-3-324-3236,  Phone 64-3-324-3569  [log in to unmask]
>----------------------------------------------------------------
 
Dear Beeliners,
 
Sorry for the errant post--I hit the wrong button.
 
Regarding herbs as honey plants, many mints--like thyme--are herbs. Many of
them make exellent floral sources for honey bees and their nectar contains
essential oils--as indicated by the "very strong, long lasting after taste"
by Peter Bray. Other herbs that are not mints are also excellent honey
plants and may be a source of essential oils that may possibly, adversely
affect varroa mites.
 
Sincerely,
 
Prof. Jim Amrine
Division of Plant & Soil Sciences
P. O. Box 6108, West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV 26506-6108
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