10 BULLETIN" 1349, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



in the middle and southern latitudes of the United States. Brood- 

 rearing activity after this period of midseason slackening may equal 

 in intensity and extent that which took place before the slackening. 

 An example of this type is found in regions of the southern Appa- 

 lachian Mountains, where there is an early honey flow from the tulip- 

 tree, followed by a midsummer dearth of nectar, which in turn is 

 succeeded by a later honey flow from sourwood. In other regions 

 where the continuity of brood-rearing activity is broken by a mid- 

 summer dearth of nectar brood rearing during that portion of the 

 major period having the larger amount of nectar available is much 

 more active than it is in the other portion. In the vicinity of Wash- 

 ington, for example, brood rearing is much more actively carried on 

 before this midsummer dearth than afterwards. The main honey 

 flow from tulip tree comes early, and the only later nectar flow of 

 any consequence comes in September, and it often happens that 

 even this yields little surplus. In the typical buckwheat region of 

 the United States conditions are reversed in that the main nectar 

 flow comes after a period of decreased brood-rearing activity in the 

 middle of the major period. 



Certain regions, which otherwise, because of lack of nectar from 

 natural sources, would show a tendency toward a midseason slack- 

 ening of brood rearing, have had this tendency overcome through 

 other agencies, such as the production of honeydew in midseason or 

 by the introduction of plants which secrete nectar under conditions 

 or at times when the native plants do not. This has happened in the 

 southeastern part of the United States through the introduction of 

 cotton and sweet clover. Such circumstances tend to cause brood 

 rearing to remain at a higher level during -certain portions of the 

 major period than normally would be the case. 



Although the maximum nectar-gathering activity of the season 

 takes place in the major period, the amount of surplus stored is really 

 determined to a large measure during the major period of the pre- 

 ceding season. This is true because the amount 01 surplus obtained 

 during any season depends on the number of field bees available 

 during nectar flows, and the number of field bees, in turn, depends 

 largely on brood-rearing activity during the initial seasonal expan- 

 sion. Granting a prolific queen, an abundance of worker cells, 

 sufficient stores, and proper insulation at the beginning of the initial 

 expansion, however, the amount of brood reared during that period 

 will depend largely on the number of bees reared during the latter 



?art of the preceding major period and which have wintered over, 

 t follows, then, that one of the most important aspects of the major 

 period lies in the fact that during it the conditions arise which will 

 lead to success or failure in the honey crop of the next year, so far 

 as the activity of the colony itself is concerned. Most of these condi- 

 tions are under the control of the beekeeper, and consequently may 

 be provided by him at the proper time. In this same period the bee- 

 keeper must also guard against swarming. During the major period, 

 moreover, surplus honey may be consumed needlessly by the colonies 

 instead of being stored, if the colonies did not reach their maximum 

 field strength for the season until after the honey flow was over. 



During the initial expansion there is a tendency for all colonies to 

 increase brood-rearing activity regardless of conditions; during the 

 final phase there is an irresistible tendency for all colonies to contract 



