14 BEEKEEPING IN THE SOUTH 



weather in the spring of the year, which may delay cell building, 

 the mating of queens, and the rapid building of colonies. To 

 locate in Dixie for queen breeding, it would be the advice of the 

 author to go south of the line mentioned. This was the advice 

 of Ben G. Davis, H. D. Murry, and several other southern 

 queen breeders, at the time the author made his first trips to 

 Dixie, with the intention of becoming a southern queen bee 

 breeder. 



If the motive of moving south is primarily for the production 

 of bees, either for the nucleus or pound package trade, then by all 

 means one should locate as far south as is possible. It probably 

 would not be advisable for a beekeeper to locate north of a line 

 which might be drawn through Charleston, South Carolina, 

 Birmingham, Alabama, and Fort Worth, Texas, if he wishes to 

 engage in the pound package business. See especially charts on 

 winter temperatures at these points in the chapter on "Winter- 

 ing Bees in the South." Even at these points, there are some 

 years when unusual weather in April may delay the shipment 

 of packages for several days. Zero temperatures have been 

 recorded near Goldsboro, North Carolina, Augusta, Georgia, 

 River Junction, Florida, Alexandria, Louisiana, Waco, Texas, 

 and El Paso, Texas. If one is going south to engage in bee- 

 keeping in any branch which primarily requires continued 

 warm weather early in the spring, the beekeeper should go 

 down into the real South. 



Visit the Locality. 



If beekeepers from other parts of the country wish to locate in 

 Dixie land, they should by all means make a careful study of 

 the average annual temperatures and rainfall, for a period of 

 years, at the point of interest. This information is obtainable 

 from the U. S. Weather Bureau at Washington, D. C. 



Then one should visit the locality he has in mind for at 

 least one winter if possible, before moving. In this way one 

 may study local conditions, talk with local beekeepers and in 

 many other ways, ascertain whether or not he is likely to make 



