Plant breeders have introduced a nectarless cotton so that destructive insects will not be attracted to the plant. Productive locations for the commercial beekeeper will become more difficult to find. Fortunately, the American beekeeper is seldom concerned about plants that are poisonous to honey bees. Damage to colonies from poisonous nectar or pollen may he severe in some years, but of small consequence in others. In general, growing a crop for the bees alone is economically impractical.
Beekeepers are dependent on cultivated crops grown for other purposes or on plants growing wild.
Certain nectar and pollen plants, such as alfalfa, the clovers, and sweet clover, are grown widely for agricultural purposes and they are wild to some extent. Sometimes, friendly farmers will seed small areas near an apiary with nectar-producing species, if the beekeeper provides the seed, and thus honey production increases. A few ornamental flowers or trees on a city lot are of small value to an apiary or a colony of bees. Nectar secretion or production is affected by such environmental factors as soil type, soil condition, altitude, latitude, length of day, light conditions, and weather. Luxuriant plant growth does not necessarily imply that maximum nectar secretion will take place.