50 BEEKEEPING IN THE SOUTH 



swarming are common. An instance of temperatures in the 

 relation to 57° F., the critical temperature at which bees have 

 to begin clustering in the hive to continue heat and life, was 

 brought out at a meeting of the Kentucky State Beekeepers 

 Association at Lexington. The association president, Hon. 

 Richard Priest Dietzman, showed a chart taken from the U. S. 

 Weather Bureau records, for 1917 at Louisville. There were in 

 1917 but sixty -nine consecutive days during which the tempera- 

 ture did not at some time go below 57 F. The value of adequate 

 protection in such a locality is evident. (See Page 40.) 



What Is Protection? 



Adequate winter protection need not mean in all southern 

 locations the use of heavy packing. It always means first the 

 several other necessities, which are too often considered to be 

 minor. Of prime importance is a vigorous queen to insure many 

 young bees in the hive in the fall. Next is the supply of honey, 

 which should be adequate to keep the colony in seasonable con- 

 dition from the end of the honey flow one year to the beginning 

 of the honey flow the next, whether or not all of it is left on the 

 hive in the fall. 



Next is the hive. Too many leaky covers, loose bottom boards, 

 hives set on the cold ground and similar faults are frequent among 

 our fraternity. Too many supers should not be left on the hive, 

 even in the South. Why heat the "spare rooms" when there arc 

 no "guests?" The location of the hives in winter in relation to 

 moisture and wind protection is important, as is the use of a 

 small entrance. 



When all these things have first been supplied, the need of 

 packing is not great, in parts of the South. Too many bee- 

 keepers do not supply them. Even packing will not remedy all 

 mistakes on the part of the beekeeper. Constant attention to 

 little details leads to beekeeping success. 



Sources of Winter Supplies. 



This feature of successful wintering in the North is not so 

 pertinent a problem in the South. With a greater flow of honey 



