414 



aLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



SOUTHERN BEEKEEPING PROBLEMS UNLIKE 

 THOSE OF THE NORTH AND WEST 



BY L. W. CROVATT 



When the ordinary every-day beekeeper 

 of southeast Greorgia reads in the bee jour- 

 nals of the perplexing problems encounter- 

 ed by brethren in other parts of this g'reat 

 country centering about the wintering prop- 

 osition he should feel thankful that this is 

 not one of the troubles which confront him. 



Ordinarily speaking, the terrific rigors of 

 the snows and freezing temperatures may 

 be said not to exist in " this neck of the 

 woods." True, we have at times weather 

 which is unusually cold ; but there is never 

 in the region of the coast, in " the flat 

 lands," such low temperatures that strong 

 colonies would freeze, even witli full-depth 

 entrances, such as are used in summer. 

 Hence the bees are wintered on the summer 

 stands. 



In other words the original place where 

 the colony is put is regarded as a definite 

 fixture for all time, providing, of course, 

 that no move otherwise be deemed neces- 

 sary. Hence the average apiarist is enabled 

 to sit calmly by the fire in the winter and 

 reflect upon the troubles experienced in the 

 West and North, where the task of taking 

 the bees to the cellar and again moving 

 them to their stands when the " mystic touch 

 of nature " will have caused the balmy air 

 to be again suited to the needs of the busy 

 workers. 



Down in Georgia, on the banks of the 

 Savannah River, some three hundred miles 

 from Atlanta, the capital, the average bee- 

 keeper can also smile at the thought of the 

 problem of "building up" for the spring 

 flow. Further upstate thei'e are splendid 

 spring flows, principally from the titi and 



gallberry, which afford a water-white honey 

 of splendid color and body and of excellent 

 quality. But down here in Chatham Coun- 

 ty the spring flow may be said to be a neg- 

 ligible quality, for there is little to be had of 

 the superfine blend of amber honey from 

 tlie myriads of wild flowers. 



It is unnecessary, therefore, to worry par- 

 ticularly about the " building-uio " process. 

 True, it is recognized that strong colonies 

 are desirable under any and all conditions; 

 and we, for this reason, keep an eye open 

 for developments, giving " the helping hand 

 of man " to nature if necessary. As a usual 

 thing, however, mother Nature is fully equal 

 to the occasion in this locality. 



" Why, far-southern Georgia must be the 

 ideal spot," I hear some one say in fancy. 

 But pause, brother; for, while we have ideal 

 climatic conditions, we get practically no 

 spring flow in this section of Chatham 

 County, and are, therefore, absolutely de- 

 pendent upon fall flowers, principally gold- 

 enrod and swamp myrtle for our surplus, 

 and fall weather is, to say the least, rather 

 uncertain. 



This spring I have on the hives at this 

 time (my home apiary of fifty colonies) 

 about eighteen hundred or two thousand 

 pounds of a very dark inferior honey se- 

 cured from a source unknown as yet, which 

 will probably not net three cents a pound ; 

 but this is the exception to the rule as before 

 noted. I get $2.00 per gallon for fall honey. 



Queens in strong colonies as a rule begin 

 depositing eggs about the middle of Janu- 

 ary. This depends largely u^jon the honey 

 left over from wintering, as it is unusual to 

 disturb the brood-nest. By early March, 

 peach, pear, and plum trees begin to bloom, 

 and this gives a great stimulus to brood- 



A. corner in one of Louis H. Scholl's apiaries of divisible brood-chamber hives. 

 See Beekeeping in the Southwest, 



