THE BEEKEEPERS' REVIEW 287 



the blooming period will be longer. If however we have a week 

 or ten days of unusual warm weather in March, as we had this 

 season, the buds will develop so rapidly that the blooming season is 

 much shortened, normally the bloom lasts to the 15th of May, or 

 rarely to the 1st of June, as it did in 1909. This year, however, 

 (1914) the bloom was practically all over by May 1st. 



(We are much surprised to note how much later the Orange 

 bloom is, in California than in Florida. Here it is from end of Feb- 

 ruary to first week in April. It is seldom that it lasts for any length 

 of time in April. We must have warmer weather early in the seas- 

 on, or, possibly, our sandy soils are "quicker." E. G. B.) 



Size of Broodnest for the Southern States--The Im- 

 portance of Requeening 



' D. STAD MENHALL, On the Mississippi 



Editor Review: 



In the December, 1914 Review, page 462, Mr. G. F. Pease says 

 in forming his conclusions on "Keeping Bees in the South," "Put 

 comb honey supers above double 10 frame brood nest on account of 

 the need of so much brood room and to stop swarming." I agree 

 with him in regard to plenty of brood room although I prefer a 

 large brood chamber to begin with, holding 16 to 18 frames, (these 

 frames are not the Langstroth size) instead of two brood chambers 

 as it saves a great deal of work during and after the surplus seas- 

 on. But, so far as preventing swarms, with all due respect to Mr. 

 Pease, allow me to suggest that he has only gone half way, only, so 

 to speak. 



Requeen all comb honey colonies as early as possible — say, not 

 later than May 15th, in the Cotton Belt — taking extra pains to 

 have early drones for this purpose. All colonies so requeened 

 practically, will not swarm that year, south of the Cotton Belt and 

 not more than five to ten per cent in the Cotton Belt and these will 

 swarm in August, after most of the white honey flow is over, in 

 majority of locations. I think (and this is almost a positive con- 

 clusion) that the reason the five to ten per cent will swarm, is be- 

 cause at the time of requeening a large marjority of the field force 



