GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



August, 1921 



FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



had just commenced to bloom, and every 

 one expected that this would put an end to 

 the honey flow. Mesquite, true to habit, 

 did put out new branches, but with them 

 came new blooms, and almost all of the mes- 

 quite country has had a flood of honey. So 

 heavy in fact that, while less than a month 

 ago the crop was 75 per cent below normal, 

 it is now up and in some localities above 

 the average yield. 



Locality is brought out very forcibly in 

 this mesquite flow. Small areas within the 

 mesquite country failed to bloom at all. 

 Just what the cause was is hard to say. The 

 soil is the same, the rainfall was similar, 

 and the age of the trees the same. The only 

 explanation that has been suggested is that 

 these trees bloomed heavily last year. 



A questionnaire answered by several hun- 

 dred beekeepers shows that this year 's mes- 

 quite ranks first in yield of honey and horse- 

 mint second. Last year the reverse was 

 true. Cotton, however, may rival mesquite. 

 It will be October before I can report on 

 cotton. 



Prof. S. W. Bilsing and Dr. M. C. Tan- 

 quary, who will have charge of the ento- 

 mology work at the short course at the A. 

 & M. College, July 25-29, have the arrange- 

 ments made for the Beekeepers' School 

 July 26-28. A notable feature of this school 

 will be the number of auto trains that will 

 bring the beekeepers to the school. One 

 train of ten autos will go from San An- 

 tonio, one of like size from Palestine, and 

 one from Temple. A large number of small- 

 er groups are being planned from various 

 beekeeping centers. It is hoped that these 

 overland trips of well-decorated cars will 

 stimulate the interest in beekeeping and the 

 sale of honey. 



The influence which tlie bees have on the 



beekeepers is rather remarkable. We often 

 wonder and try to explain why the bees rush 

 around the hive, get out and "wash-board," 

 and do other of their strange actions. We 

 wonder what the bees get out of our per- 

 formances. A month ago we were rushing 

 from hive to hive putting in feed or mak- 

 ing increase, and now we are wildly run- 

 ning from yard to yard, jerking off supers 

 and otherwise mussing up the colonies. 

 What do you suppose the bees discuss in 

 their trade papers? 



Very little attention is paid to the smaller 

 plants, growing in swamps or water, as a 

 source of nectar. In 1914 I found water 

 willow, Diauthcra americana, to be a very 

 important factor in the white clover honey 

 crop of many sections of Missouri. Be- 

 cause of its habit of growing in the water 

 it is not affected by dry weather and has a 

 continuous daily honey flow. Here in Texas, 

 even tho the climate is supposed to be semi- 

 arid, there are swamps, rivers, water holes, 

 and ' ' tanks ' ' all abounding in nectar-bearing 

 plants which bloom during nine months in 

 the year. Pond lily honey has been re- 

 ported in large quantities. The blue-flow- 

 ered pickerel weed, Pontederia cordata, the 

 arrowhead Alisma and Safjittaria, several 

 species, water purslane, Ludwigia sps., and 

 a number of others add a very large amount 

 to the Texas honey flow. 



The experimental queen-yard belonging to 

 the State Experimental Station is produc- 

 ing a fine lot of queens. This yard was es- 

 tablished last year and is producing more 

 and better results than were expected. Un- 

 der the guidance of L. B. Watson, State 

 Apiculturist, and A. H. Alex, queen-breeder, 

 the yard is delivering the queens almost as 

 fast as they are ordered. H. B. Parks. 



San Antonio, Tex. • 



Educational exhibit by the extension division of the Mississippi Agricultural College, at the Mississippi 



State Fair. 



