CHAPTER VIII 



The Tropical South. 



THE area which may be called tropical really occupies a small 

 part of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and south 

 Texas. It differs from other parts of the South, so far as bee- 

 keeping is concerned, in many ways. Primary among these is 

 the average higher temperatures and relative freedom from frost. 

 The honey plants are also quite different and are in turn in- 

 fluenced in their nectar secretion by both the excessive rainfall 

 and the dry weather common to that part of the "Great American 

 Desert" which lies in southern Texas. There are regions along 

 the coast of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, where tropical 

 temperatures are approximated in most years. However, the 

 chances of frost in this latter area are greater than further south. 

 Because of the higher temperatures which prevail throughout 

 the year in this tropical area, there is a much shorter period of 

 inactivity and a much longer one when bees are active, than in 

 other parts of the country. The climate of southern California 

 approximates it. 



One of the primary differences in this area, when compared 

 to others, is the soil. The effect of soils on the secretion of nectar 

 by honey plants has not been studied to any great extent, but it is 

 known that soils have a considerable effect on honey plants. 

 Throughout much of this region the type of soil is somewhat 

 sandy. Much of tropical Florida is sandy, with occasional 

 patches of black, loamy land, while most of southwest Texas is 

 sandy and rocky. The fact that this land is sandy does not 

 mean in all cases that it is infertile. The opposite is true of many 

 parts of Florida and Texas alike, where a sufficient water supply 

 is available for commercial plant life. Honey plants, fortunately, 

 are not necessarily of commercial importance to other lines 

 of agriculture, and the beekeeper here benefits thereby. 



In Florida the rainfall is fairly constant and many parts of 

 the state where tropical temperatures prevail are so near sea 



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