164 



THE AMERICAN APICULTXJRIST. 



ter successfully in this state we must 

 have none but well-bred queens and 

 the younger the better. Bees under 

 these conditions will invariably come 

 out with young bees hatching and 

 will not feel spring dwindling, to any 

 extent. Also, much care is necessary 

 in preparing the top of our frames 

 and hives. I have put one foot of 

 chaff over the frames in cellar and 

 had the worms drive the bees out and 

 take complete possession of the 

 combs. Then again I have used two 

 inches with very desu-able results. 

 The past winter I used a shipping 

 case made of quarter inch stuff and 

 placed nothing on the top but the 

 cover, part way over the frames, which 

 gives the bees plenty of fresh air, and 

 I am inclined to believe that by re- 

 taining the heat we also keep a large 

 percentage of moisture to the detri- 

 ment of the bees. Many winter suc- 

 cessfully by putting a mat on top of 

 the frames and then clasping a tight 

 fitting box over and down on top of 

 mat and frames. But with me such 

 treatment would prove disastrous. 

 Our bees in south Florida during 

 the month of April worked nicely as 

 long as the orange bloom lasted. 

 By consulting my diary, I find, under 

 date of April i6, the following note; 

 "bees are letting up on the orange 

 bloom to-day, yet no indication of 

 robbing, which with the sudden ces- 

 sation of our honey flow is marvel- 

 lous." Our queens that were reared 

 from pure Italian stock and mated 

 with pure blacks of Florida are prov- 

 ing, so far, superior to any I have 

 seen. Our queen-rearing was at- 

 tended with marked success during 

 the month of March and first of 

 April. Then we were visited by a 

 very unwelcome visitor in the shape 

 of the dragon fly (see "Manual of the 

 Apiary," seventh edition, pages 269- 

 270) ; it is known as mosquito hawk, 

 bee-killer, etc. These flies made 

 their appearance about Apr. 10, and 

 increased in number as the season 

 advanced. Did not know how pre- 



daceous they were when they first put 

 in their appearance, but soon found 

 that they were the most disastrous 

 enemy that we had to encounter 

 while south. During the heat of 

 the day and the early evening they 

 simply swarmed in and around the 

 orange trees, and the venturesome 

 bee that reached its home without 

 being captured might consider it- 

 self fortunate. If one should go 

 among the bees and commence 

 handling he w^ould immediately be 

 surrounded by such numbers of these 

 insects that, if timid, he would be 

 alarmed for his own safety. And 

 looking on the trees he could see 

 them hanging thick, munching each 

 one a bee, in their spacious maws. 

 While the bees are away working 

 among the flowers these flies have 

 no occasion to assemble in the yard 

 as they can help themselves and 

 catch a bee that is loaded, with more 

 ease than otherwise. But soon as 

 the bees come in from the field the 

 bee dragon follows and spends hours 

 in graceful gyrations stopping with 

 lightning rapidity when seizing a bee 

 and alighting upon the trees where 

 you can hear them devouring the 

 bee, which one soon recognizes by 

 the sharp snapping sound of their 

 strong masticating mandibles. If 

 our friend A. J. Goodwin of New 

 Smyrna, Fla., who is so bothered 

 with ants (as figured in February 

 No. of Apiculturist Vol. Ill, pages 

 ( 34-36 ) is not troubled with these 

 pests, he can congratulate himseJf, 

 as they would with the ants soon 

 destroy the best managed apiary, if 

 the ants are as bad as he represents 

 in his article. With me ants both- 

 er no more than North, in fact not 

 as much, and I have no hesitation in 

 saying that much is unjustly said 

 against them when in reality the real 

 cause is, the colonies have been al- 

 lowed to remain queenless and after 

 they become reduced in numbers, 

 ants, moths and worms are found, 

 and get the reputation of destroying 



