APRIL 15, 1913 



Beekeeping in the Southwest 



Louis Scholl, New Braunfels, Texas. 



WORKING BEES BY MOTOR-BOAT. 



Not all beekeepers are so fortunately 

 situated that they are enabled to carry out 

 certain advanced ideas on a large scale. 

 One of the chief ones of these is the man- 

 agement of big strings of out-yards by 

 means of the automobile. This is prevent- 

 ed by two main reasons, as a rule — the lack 

 of suitable locations on one hand and the 

 want of better roads on the other, or both. 

 Fortunate is the one who can locate any 

 number of apiaries in easy access from 

 good automobile roads. That is one of the 

 greatest essentials in real up-to-date ex- 

 tensive out-apiary management to-day. Of 

 course this has no reference to the smaller 

 number of apiaries owned by many bee- 

 keepers who are successful with that num- 

 ber. 



Grant Anderson, of San Benito, Texas, 

 well known as a queen-breeder, has made 

 use of two automobiles for a number of 

 years. He uses a light high-wheeled buggj^, 

 motor-driven, as a roadster in which to run 

 to the various apiaries and other places 

 when no hauling is to be done. For haul- 

 ing trips he uses one of the light high- 

 wheeled delivery wagons. These have giv- 

 en liim excellent service and satisfaction, 

 especially for pulling through muddy and 

 sandy roads. In this respect the high-wheel- 

 ed macliines seem to have an advantage. 



Recently we have been informed that Mr. 

 Anderson has now all, or nearly all, his 

 apiaries located on the banks of a river, 

 and runs from one to another in a motor- 

 boat. This would indicate still another step 

 toward " hastening " beekeeping work in 

 the management of large and numerous 

 out-apiaries. It is to be hoped that the 

 readers of Gleanings may be favored with 

 an article and photos, showing this man's 

 doings per motor vehicles and motor boats, 

 for we have written Mr. Anderson to give 



us information. 



« * * 



A COLD SNAP. 



While we have had quite a cold winter 

 in Texas this year, there was not much se- 

 verely cold weather. The cold weather was 

 much more evenly distributed than during 

 most of our average winters, and only oc- 

 casionally did it get so cold that standing 

 water was frozen over, and then only to a 

 thickness of less than an inch. 



During the last two months there was 

 much warm weather during the middle part 



of the days; but as a rule the nights were 

 quite cold. The latter did not alfect our 

 early bloomers, however ; and, in fact, there 

 were all evidences that spring was here in 

 the fore part of March. This has reference 

 to the central part of the Lone Star State, 

 the northern part having had still colder 

 temperatures. Against this, however, soutli- 

 west Texas was enjoying real spring weath- 

 er; and reports from the more southern 

 portions of this territory were to the effect 

 that bees were storing honey rapidly enough 

 to keep them too busy to swarm. It will 

 be remembered that a honey-flow at swarm- 

 ing time stojDs all, or jDractically all, swarm- 

 ing in our part of the South; hence these 

 reports show that quite a honey yield must 

 be on to prevent the early swarming that 

 may safely be expected at this time, with a 

 moderate jdeld of nectar and pollen. 



However, after all tliis beautiful weather 

 and brighest prospects for a sj^ring crop, 

 the temperature dropped suddenly to 28 

 degi'ees on March 15; and the result was 

 disastrous. Especially did it atfeet the fruit 

 bloom, which was in full bloAV. As a con- 

 sequence, the fruit crop will necessarily be 

 short again this year. While the bees were 

 materially affected by the destruction of 

 this source just at a time of heavy brood- 

 rearing, 3'et the beekeeper may safely figure 

 on a somewhat better market for his prod- 

 ucts than when fruit is very plentiful. Al- 

 though some beekeejDers do not seem to 

 think that this has any effect on the honey 

 market, our own experience has shown time 

 and again that there is a sudden slackening 

 in the demand for honey as soon as much 

 fruit reaches the markets. 



We do not know how much the bees were 

 affected. There was considerable young 

 brood; and, owing to the warm days pre- 

 vious to the cold snap, the bees were scat- 

 tered out of cluster so that, as a conse- 

 quence, brood was not protected properly 

 against the suddenness of the cold wave. 

 In addition to this there followed several 

 days of cold weather, preventing the bees 

 taking proper care of all the brood. There- 

 fore we found some colonies carrying out 

 some dead brood on the following warm 

 days. All in all, however, the damage does 

 not seem to be great, especially to those 

 beekeepers who are paying close attention 

 to the great amount of stores now needed 

 by the heavy brood-rearing colonies. 



