CHAPTER X 



REGIONAL DIFFERENCES WITHIN THE UNITED 



STATES 



BEFORE discussing the different methods of manipulating 

 bees in the successful production of honey, it may be help- 

 ful to point out some of the fundamental differences found 

 between various parts of the United States in regard to the 

 sources of honey and in climatic conditions, which influence 

 the choice of the proper system of manipulation. In the 

 American literature on beekeeping, these differences are 

 frequently mentioned and the word "locality" in the bee- 

 keeper's vocabulary has come to be used as an all-inclusive 

 argument or excuse for his particular practice and often 

 partially to cover his ignorance of the actual reasons for 

 differences observed. This term " locality" is the subject 

 of the present chapter. As will be shown later, two apiaries 

 but a few miles apart may give quite different results, not 

 only in the amount or source of crops but in the effect of 

 certain manipulations, and the facts here presented help 

 to explain these differences. Since migratory beekeeping is 

 practiced only between two unlike regions, this subject is 

 also discussed in the present chapter. 



The system of manipulation to be followed and the manner 

 in which honey may best be prepared for market depend on 

 the color and quality of the honey and perhaps especially 

 on the length and intensity of the nectar-flow. While the 

 chief sources of honey are discussed in another chapter, it 

 may be helpful here to present in outline the combination 

 of floral and climatic conditions which so strongly influences 



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