This death rate is greatly affected by temperature. With high temperature, death rate is accelerated and the life of the inoculum is short. It is very important to buy fresh inoculants. Check the expiration date on the bags. You should refrigerate the inoculum or keep it in a cool, dry place until you use it.
Legumes are specific.
The bacteria within the package must be the proper type for the specific legume. Soybean inoculum will not effectively inoculate small-seeded forage legumes. Alfalfa inoculum will not effectively inoculate white clover. However, white clover inoculum will inoculate red clover. The legumes for which a commercial inoculant is effective should be listed on the package along with the expiration date.