(i I, K A N 1 N G S IN BEE CULTURE 



MARrH. 1922 



FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



pear. It i.s ii<it fioiii swarming, fi)r there are 

 no swarming cells and the bees frequently 

 neglect to start queen-cells until it is too 

 late, so they become hopelessly queenless. 



When the queen disappears in the winter 

 the colonj^ is as good as gone. If it is fairly 

 strong in bees, it may be used to help out 

 a weaker colony or the combs can be set 

 over a strong colony to save them from the 

 moths. The bees iire seldom without a little 

 brood at all times; but during December 

 and January they attempt to take a rest and 

 are frequently without brood, so that lack 

 of brood and failure to discover the queen 

 are no proofs as to queenlessness; but, if 

 moth larvae are found present also, one 

 may be sure the queen is gone. A hopeless- 

 ly queenless colony, no matter how populous, 

 quickly succumbs to the moth. The bees 

 seem to lose all "pep" and do not even at- 

 tempt to fight the moth. The moth larvae 

 and queenless bees will crawl around and 

 over one another without showing the least 

 concern about each other. 



Another special winter pest foujid all over 

 Florida is an ant with the formidable name 

 of CamiionotKs ab(J<iiiihiiills var. floriddnna 

 Buckley. This ant has been quite fully dis 

 cussed by the late O. O. Poppleton, and his 

 article has been reprinted in the A B C & 

 X 'S' Z. This ant is both vegetarian and 

 carjiivorous. It also loves sweets, and in 

 the sumnier months it can be found feed- 

 ing upon the iiectar in the bloom, especially 

 on palmetto, and also upon the tender ter 

 minal buds of plants. In the late fall and 

 winter months there is nothing they like 

 better than the bees, brood and honey of 

 the hive, and they move in and take pos 

 session irrespective of the size of the colony. 



If the apiaries are located in comparative- 

 ly large cleared areas, the\' are only occa- 

 sionally bothered by these ants, but when 

 placed in small clearings in the jungle there 

 is only one successful method of combating 

 them. Tanglefoot they will wade thru, cor- 

 rosive sublimate they enjoy, pans of oil are 

 shortly bridged across by grass or weeds 

 and ])erinit the ants to reach the hives. 

 Ditches .ndund the yards, deei) enough to 

 contain standing water, will keep tlieni out, 

 as the ants will not attempt to cross water. 

 Til this |i.iit of Florida tlie cost of the moats 

 is ndt |ir()lii})itive, as standing wiiter can 

 be readied at a deptli of from one .•iiid ii 

 half to three feet. 



To gi\'e the reader an idea of tlie daiii.ige 

 these ants can do, out of 738 colonies in 

 four yards 276 were destroyed in less than 

 two weeks, and almost 100 of these were 

 killed in a single night. 



l<.^y Biscayne, Fla. C F. P>;irt]i(d«(!iiew. 



In North Carolina.— J/^'\"=';-'' ,' " 



Aorth Larolma, 

 marks the height of tlie quiescent season 

 with bees, there being, however, but few pe- 

 riods of more than a few days at a time 

 when the bees are kept continuously in on 

 account of cold. They were bringing in 

 pollen right up to Christmas week, and in 

 this southeastern section, there will prob- 

 ably be not more than a very few weeks be- 

 fore they will be gathering it rapidly again, 

 especially from mistletoe and others of the 

 earlier flora. In fact, nectar for increased 

 brood-rearing will be getting plentiful by 

 the middle of February. 



Information from various sections of the 

 state indicates the continuance of a very 

 satisfactory condition of colonies among the 

 beekeepers generally. Furthermore, the 

 very poor honey yield the past season seems 

 not to have materially discouraged the bee- 

 keepers. In every quarter plans are being 

 laid for aggressive work with the bees for 

 tlie approaching season. 



For two weeks very eold weather, with 

 exceptionally heavy snow fall, has stirred 

 the expectation that there will be a late 

 spring, and this would mean less probability 

 of frost to curtail or destroy the early 

 spring flora, as was the case last April. In- 

 deed, the prospect now is for ideal condi- 

 tions for honey production hereabouts. Bee- 

 keepers, generally, were careful to see that 

 their bees went into the winter witli ample 

 stores, feeding wherever necessnry to make 

 uj) any deficiencies. 



The convention of tlie North Carolina 

 Beekeepers ' Associatioji was hehl at the 

 State College, Raleigh, Jan. 18-19. Elton 

 Wjirner, Asheville, was made president; J. 

 K. Kckert, Kaleigh, secretary-treasurer. It 

 \\as in many respects a most profitable con- 

 \ entioii, with practical talks on various 

 phases of bee culture by President Warner, 

 p]. R. Root, C. L. Sams, state bee specialist, 

 T. M. H. Lewis and others. 



The Association appointed a special com- 

 mittee, consisting of W. J. Martin, Elton 

 Warner and J. E. Eckert, acting in conjunc- 

 tion with state and federal bee specialists, 

 to work toward the enactment of whatever 

 additional legislation the state may need to 

 assure the control of bee diseases, which are 

 as yet jiresent to a very limited extent in 

 this state. It will be with the 1923 General 

 Assembly, whicli coinenes next January, 

 tliat the committee will deal especially, un- 

 dertaking to get together the best and most 

 ,ida])table features of such laws in other 

 states for application in North Carolina. Tlie 

 best time to beat bee diseases is before they 

 get a foothold. 



Wilmington, N. C." W. J. Miirtiu. 



