Donald Aitken
11710-129 Street
Edmonton Alberta Canada
T5M 0Y7
 
On Tue, 17 Dec 1996, Kay Lancaster wrote:
 
 
> One of my botany students back in Iowa was experimenting with anise
> hyssop, Agastache foeniculum or A. anethiodora, as bee forage.  I never
> heard what his experiences were once we found some seed for him.  Any
> one else tried it?
>
> Kay Lancaster    [log in to unmask]
>
        I find that in some years my bees make a box or two of honey which
has a strong anise aroma. I have never seen an example of Anise hyssop in
the area and the bees must be strongly attracted to it to make such a
large crop from what must be a fairly rare resource. "American Honey
Plants" by Frank Pellett (published by Dadant) says that in the early part
of the century one third to one half of the honey crop in the Edmonton
area was derived from this source. As it is a plant which grows in the
transition area from grassland to forest its habitat has been much reduced
since then. My bees are kept in and area with many small poplar woodland
areas interspersed with pasture and grain fields. Presumably the Anise is
growing somewhere in these woodland areas.