April, 1918 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



the southwest section, the honey plants are in 

 very poor condition. In the western section, 

 the honey plants (or native honey flora) are in 

 poor shape, and dependence will be in alfalfa 

 that is irrigated. In the eastern section, the 

 honey plants are only in fair shape and they 

 are much below normal in the central sec- 

 tion. Prospects for the honey plants are 

 good in the northern section. 



At present the prospects for a honey crop 

 are hard to determine and remain a mere 

 matter of prophecy. Thruout the gulf sec- 

 tion, the southwest and western sections, the 

 prospects for a honey crop are not bright; 

 but climatic conditions can yet change, in 

 the form of rain, and much honey will be 

 made. It is yet too early to speak much of 

 honey plants over the remainder of the State. 



With the unfavorable wintering and per- 

 haps doubtful honey prospects, are many bees 

 being offered for sale and are many being 

 bought? But few bees are being offered for 

 sale and there are but few buyers. Where 

 losses have been many it would seem that 

 many who have some bees left would want to 

 sell them; but such does not seem to be the 

 case. Many hesitate to buy any bees, with 

 honey crop prospects uncertain. So many 

 bees are without stores that they would make 

 a very poor jiurehase. 



Generally speaking, climatic conditions are 

 improving and it is hoped that this month 

 will see a decided improvement in the pros- 

 pects for the year. F. B. Paddock. 



College Station, Tex. 

 * * * 



In Florida. Pros^^ects indicate thatFlor- 



ida will be on the map as a 

 honey-producer this year. After the long 

 cold winter, spring has come with a rush, and 

 everything has put out the biggest bloom 

 known for years. Orange trees;, particularly, 

 seem to be making up for their shortcomings 

 of the last two years; but, unfortunately for 

 the beekeepers, the blooming period will be 

 of short duration and will be over before 

 most colonies are in shape to do their best 

 work. Usually the orange will begin to yield 

 early in February and the flow continue un- 

 til April. In 1914 we made more honey after 

 Apr. 5 than before; but the bloom is unusual 

 this year, and there seems no possibility of 

 its lasting later than March 20. In this im- 

 mediate neighborhood the flow started on 

 Feb. 22, and wuth the abruptness of a log- 

 wood bloom — no honey coming in one day, 

 and the next day the loaded bees dropping 

 all over the yard. Weather conditions seem 

 to be ideal for nectar secretion, and every 

 bloom contains a good sized drop. Yester- 

 day (March 3) I watched bees arrive at the 

 grove, and observed that they visited four, 

 three, and, in one case, only two blossoms, be- 

 fore departing with their loads. 



Other sources of honey count for nothing 

 when the orange is yielding so profusely. 



T!ie scrubs around here are full of andromeda 

 in full bloom; but I have been unable to find 

 a single bee working it. So our crop of 

 orange honey should be of exce])tionally fine 

 flavor and coniniaud the highest price. What 

 that price will be remains to be seen, but 

 producers should go slow before selling for 

 less than 20c per pound f. o. b. shipping 

 X>oint. 



I have not yet heard from the pcnuyroyal 

 section; but, if it has bloomed as heavily as 

 the little of it here has done, there should 

 have been some surplus from it. 



Why is it so seldom that anything is heard 

 about the Carni-Italian bees? I have kept 

 three or four colonies of them for about six 

 years, and every year that there has been 

 a good honey flow they have so far out-dis- 

 tanced the Italians that it seems possible 

 they may be especially adapted to Florida 

 conditions. They have several characteristic 

 advantages which are not possessed by the 

 Italians. They are no more inclined to swa^-m; 

 they gather very little propolis; cap their 

 honey white; stay quietly on the combs dur- 

 ing manipulation, but are cleared from an ex- 

 tracting comb in one-third the time that 

 Italians can be. 



By the time this appears in Gleanings 

 swarming will be at it height, if not already 

 over, and for the benefit of beginners and 

 others who have not had Florida experience, 

 let me warn them to hive no big swarms on 

 starters or half sheets of foundation. The 

 advice of one noted apiarist, in a book pub- 

 lished on Southern beekeeping (and frequent- 

 ly given by others) is to the effect that big 

 swarms can be put on starters because they 

 are fitted for comb-building, and small 

 swarms can be put on full sheets because it 

 gives the additional help they need. This ad- 

 vice must be reversed for Florida during an 

 orange flow. Never hive a good swarm on 

 anything but full sheets of foundation, for 

 otherwise you will surely have a hive full of 

 drone comb. If you have neglected to order 

 enough foundation, it would be as profitable 

 to hive swarms in boxes or nail kegs and 

 transfer them later. Harry Hewitt. 



Apopka, Fla. 



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TO CONTRIBUTORS. 



Gleanings in Bee Culture always wants in- 

 teresting experiences of beekeepers, novel 

 beekeeping sights or scenes, beekeepers' 

 ' ' short cuts, ' ' informing stories of successes 

 and failures with the reasons why. Such ar- 

 ticles, long or short, will be far more valua- 

 ble to our readers if accompanied by photo- 

 graphs illustrating what is told. Such photo- 

 graphs should be black and white, sharp and 

 full of contrast, and a glossy print if possible. 

 MANAGING EDITOR, 

 Gleanings in Bee Culture. 



