GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



April, 1922 



FROM NORTH, EAST, WEST AND SOUTH 



In Porto Rico '^^^ tropical beekeep- 



er may not have freez- 

 ing winters to devastate his colonies, but 

 he has what may be equally bad or worse — 

 the wax moth. Few beekeepers who have 

 not kept bees in warm climates can appre- 

 ciate the danger of the wax moth. It is on 

 the job every month of the year, ready to 

 work overtime in any colony which may be- 

 come weak from any cause whatever. 



However, even the destruction caused by 

 the moth has its silver lining, as it tends to 

 eliminate the careless beekeeper and the 

 bees that are not looked over regularly. The 

 northern beekeeper may allow his bees to 

 go for a year or two with but little or no 

 attention. Unless the winter is excessively 

 cold his loss will not be great. Not so un- 

 der tropical conditions. Once let a colony 

 become weakened in numbers by an old 

 queen, loss of queen, or through shortage of 

 stores, and the colony is gone, unless the 

 owner is on hand to remedy the trouble by 

 giving emerging brood and a new queen. If 

 the bees are left to shift for themselves, the 

 moth will make short work of what is left, 

 leaving nothing but the hive filled with 

 frames, whose wood is badly eaten by the 

 larvae of the moth. It frequently happens 

 that the frames are so weakened as to be of 

 no further use. 



The life of the queen under tropical con- 

 ditions is short because she has little or no 

 complete rest. Heavy loss in colonies may 

 be looked for all over the island from this 

 cause, where the bees do not receive suf- 

 ficient attention to keep the colonies in good 

 strength. 



This is the silver lining to the troubles of 

 tropical beekeeping. Tliey do little harm to 

 the man who cares for his bees. On the 

 other hand, they will quickly eliminate his 

 competitor whose colonies become weakened 

 in numbers. 



One tiling more will tend to decimate the 

 ranks of the tropical beekeeper. This is old 

 Mother Nature herself. The warm, tropical 

 showers are followed by tlie hot sun. This 

 heat beating down turns into vapor or steam 

 any water tliat may be lying on covers or 

 absorbed into the wood. This condition go- 

 ing on, shower after sliower and day after 

 day, quickly destroys the wood of all hives 

 that are not kept well painted with the very 

 best of paint. So one's investment in bee- 

 hives when un cared for rapidly disappears. 



The specialist in bees has a large invest- 

 ment in his hives, bees and equipment. He 

 well knows the impoitaiice of keeping his 

 colonies in the best possible condition. The 

 man who has only a few colonies as invest- 

 ment, or the man who works his bees as a 

 side issue from liis main business, is more 

 likely to allow his colonies to fall by the 

 wayside when profits are slow in coming. 



This condition is bound to enhance the pros- 

 pects of the professional beekeeper. It is 

 likely he will be able to absorb his smaller, 

 less-interested competitors. 



Aibonito, Porto Eico. Penn G. Snyder. 

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In Alabama. -^'^ account of the unusual 

 warm weather for the 

 past month the bees have begun brood- 

 rearing in earnest, some colonies having as 

 many as five and six frames. While this 

 will cause greater consumption of stores it 

 will be beneficial to the package shipper, 

 unless the cold wave that is just beginning 

 here is too severe or lasts a long time. 



For this same reason the honey plants 

 are making a wonderful growth, and, un- 

 less they are killed, should be in fine con- 

 dition for the honey flow. 



Most shippers of packages and nuclei have 

 more orders booked than they did this time 

 last year, wliich shows that the northern 

 beekeepers are preparing to keep more bees 

 to make up for the difference in the price of 

 honey. 



Honey is still moving rather slowly, but 

 most beekeepers who have not sold their 

 crop are confident that it will be all gone 

 before the new crop is ready for market. 



Montgomery, Ala. J. M. Cutts. 



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In Louisiana.— I^ «ff"^« strange that the 

 Nortli and East, have suf- 

 fered so much by cold this winter, wliile 

 here in Louisiana, wliere the pines and 

 palms meet, we have had very little weather 

 when artificial heat was needed. Only one 

 time this winter has ice formed on exposed 

 water, and that was only for a few liours. 

 Geraniums and other tender plants in flower 

 gardens were not hurt and are now bloom- 

 ing profusely. 



I have just returned from a tour through 

 tlie middle and southern sections of the 

 state where I found bees in better condition 

 than they have been for years. In look- 

 ing througli some liives I found them in 

 most instances with four and five full combs 

 of brood. Tlie very open winter and great 

 honey flow of last fall did the work. 



Colonies of bees are usually strong at this 

 date, but not to the proportions that they 

 have already reached this season. They are 

 really in early-summer strength, and the 

 workers are great enough in numbers to 

 gather the willow honey flow, which will be 

 coming very soon. In fact, some of the 

 trees are blooming now (Feb. 28). The 

 yellow jessamine in the hill country is blooin- 

 ing, and in the open country white clover is 

 being worked on freely 1)y the bees. It will 

 take a very heavy freeze now, which is not 

 looked for,' to prevent a very large crop of 

 honey this season. E. C. Davis. 



Baton Eouge, La. 



