In a message dated 97-09-28 10:42:58 EDT, [log in to unmask] (Sarah &
Martin McDowell) write:
 
<< I am a newbee.  I am going to start beekeeping in the spring.  Is
goldenrod
 a good source of honey?
 Any info. would be appreciated. >>
 
   Goldenrod is excellent honey, with a spicy flavor.  I never understoond
why goldenrod is "officially" considered bakery grade, when I have found it
to be so delicious.
 
   I have had a few "goldenrod" honeys that did not taste good. I think the
problem is that in some areas, other flowers contaminate the batch.
 
   If there is a big goldenrod flow, it will be very light and have a mild
flavor. If it just dribbles in, it will be darker and stronger.
 
   Goldenrod has a couple of drawbacks. One is that it stinks to high heaven
when they are drying it. This might get you to thinking you have foulbrood.
It also tends to draw every bear within 25 miles. The odor is gone when the
honey is capped.
 
   Another flaw is that the goldenrod is very apt to crystallize. It can even
crystallize in the comb, if you wait too long, though the little asters that
bloom after frost are even worse in this regard.
 
   You should know that there are many species of goldenrod and some yield a
tremendous amount of honey, while others are really quite poor yielders.
Personally I've gotten better yields off acid soils than off sweet ones,
though perhaps that reflected the particular species that grew there. Here is
South Carolina, goldenrod is rampant. In some areas you see bees work it
heavily, but they don't gain weight. In a few other areas they will put in a
fairly good crop. (I won't tell you where.)
 
   They need plenty of rain, before bloom, for good yields, but you want
sunny, warm days and cool nights during the bloom. In some areas of New York,
in an ideal season, with the bees in tiptop shape, its possible to make 200
lbs of honey in two weeks.
 
   A problem for beekeepers is that goldenrod is perceived as causing
allergies, so folks are all in a froth to get it mowed. Pity the poor guy who
has a vacant lot with blooming goldenrod in town. Foks will crucify him.
 
    These allergies are caused by ragweed which has wind blown pollen and
inconspicuous flowers. Goldenrod pollen is heavy and sticky, and the only way
to get it into your nasal passages would be to stick a flower up your nose.
 
   So try to get folks to understand that this is NOT an allergy causing
flower, and that it is the last good feed for our pollinators before winter.
Maybe a few will let the flower bloom.
 
       [log in to unmask]   Dave Green   Hemingway, SC USA
       Pollination Scene:   http://users.aol.com.pollinator/polpage1.html