GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



September, 1917 



honey. Heretofore, tho other commodities 

 advanced in price, honey never seemed to 

 feel the impetus, and stayed at about the 

 same relative price as twenty years ago. 

 But with the last two years there has come a 

 change. Honey, for once, has advanced 

 nearly apace Avith other similar commodi- 

 ties, and i^riees are now stiffer than ever 

 before in the history of the industry; and 

 with the close of the present war (and may 

 that be soon!) prices will no doubt maintain 

 a more nearly adequate and commensurate 

 level, and stay at a price nearer the real 

 \ alue of honey. At least such is the hope 

 and belief, too, of beemen generally. 



LATE BLOOM FROM THE ORANGE. 



A correspondent from Sorrento, Fla., 

 states, under date of July 20, that his bees 

 were beginning to store honey in supers 

 from the late bloom of oi'ange-trees. He 

 also says that rains are bringing out tie 

 late summer flowers, and is hopeful of a 

 partial crop yet. Last year, after al- 

 most a total failure from orange, the trees 

 began to blossom in June, and a fair crop 

 of orange honey was obtained in many 

 localities. This cheering news should b: 

 taken in close connection with the generally 

 dark outlook for the state, and cause bee- 

 men to take heart of hope and keep their 

 dish right side up. 



Nectar secretion is a vagarious and un- 

 certain thing, depending on so many 

 weather conditions unknown to man that 

 the unexpected often happens. Victor 

 Hugo says, ''the unexpected always hap- 

 pens." A few years ago, on the southwest 

 coast, after beekeepers had given up all 

 thoughts of a crop that year, unless from 

 fall flowers, a sudden flow from cabbage 

 palmetto filled hives to overflowing, and 

 many swarms in out-apiaries were lost ow- 

 ing to the beemen not attending to them in 

 time. Much honey, as well, was lost thru 

 lack of super room. Never say die. Until 

 the last sunflower Avaves its farewell to 

 autumn in the swamps of southwestern 

 Florida; not until the white asters bid the 

 closing' year adieu, can the apiai-ist be sure 

 that he will not secure something- of a honey 

 cro}). 



THE BEST TIME TO KEQUEEN. 



A correspondent asks the best time to 

 requeen. H-'s query is for Florida, of 

 course, and for Florida conditions. It de- 

 pends on whether the beekeeper buys liis 

 queens or I'eai's them himself. In general 

 it is best to requeen (so our experience 

 goes) dui'ing a honey-flow — any honey-flow 

 that is of at least three Aveeks' dui'ation. 

 We usually rrar our own (|11ihm's, and do our 



intioducing of new blood during the flow 

 from orange. But palmetto flows, or man- 

 grove, or any good flow from iDartridge pea, 

 or even sunflowers, will be a proper time foi' 

 requeening'. In sections where pennyroyal 

 is abundant, new queens might well be in- 

 troduced during the latter i^art of that flow ; 

 but it is least desirable as a season for re- 

 queening, owing to the prevailing cool 

 weather during most of its bloom; for it 

 begins in November and continues thru the 

 winter. One correspondent near Tampa, 

 hiowever, declares that he can irear liis 

 queeivs successfully all thru the year. If 

 one buys his queens he can often buy bet- 

 ter queens, at lower i3rices, late in Septem- 

 ber, after beemen in the North are done 

 buying, and he can then requeen at little 

 cost with flne stock. Of course, if one buys 

 his new queens he can requeen at any time 

 that a little honey, even, is coming in ; but 

 it is easier to rear during a steady and 

 lather strong flow that will induce swarm- 

 ing conditions, even if not swarming itself. 

 In short, put in new queens whenever you 

 can get them, and can introduce them suc- 

 cessfully. With the exj^ert, who under- 

 stands feeding- judiciously, introduction can 

 be successful almost any time. 



FOUL BROOD IN FLORIDA. 



So far no further foul brood seems to be 

 making its appearance among the bees of 

 tlie central and eastern ijortions of Florida. 

 We warn the beemen of those parts, how- 

 ever, that touches of the disease have been 

 discovered, and unmistakable touches, too. 

 They must be on their guard ; and whenever 

 they discover any dead brood, with brown, 

 sunken, often pierced cappings, they must 

 write to Dr. E. F. Phillips, of Washington, 

 D. C, Bureau of Entomology, and ask him 

 for jDroper packages in which to send him 

 samples of their suspicious brood. Do not 

 by any means ship any in the mails till the 

 jiroper package has been sent post free 

 from Washington. Like all contagious dis- 

 eases, or many of them, at least, that are 

 deadly and malignant in the North, foul 

 brood is not so bad in warm climates; and 

 we feel that it will never be the pest in 

 Florida that it has been in some portions of 

 the North; but only prompt and persistent 

 vigilance can prevent loss. 



We are glad to note the increasing tribute 

 being jiaid to the fructifying visits of bees 

 to the blossoms of fruit trees, etc. Here 

 in Florida the same increase in paying 

 tribute to the bee is noticeable. One of 

 the largest colonization fii-nis, operating on 



