96 BEEKEEPING IN THE SOUTH 



honey producers in Texas than in any other state. One is im- 

 pressed in visiting the state by the number of beekeepers who do 

 things in a big way, operating hundreds of colonies and marketing 

 their honey in carlots. In the southern part of the state, much of 

 the common labor in the SchoU apiaries has been managed by the 

 use of Mexicans, and it is in this part of the state that the most 

 honey is produced and marketed. In spite of the enormous 

 quantities of honey produced in Texas, one is impressed by the 

 similar quantity of honey which is sold within the state and 

 consumed there, according to E. G. Le Stourgeon. 



The breeding of queen bees and shipment of combless packages 

 forms an important source of revenue for dozens of Texas bee 

 men. The value of this work was evidenced during the Euro- 

 pean war, when Texas beekeepers shipped thousands of pounds 

 of their surplus bees to western states, where heavy winter losses 

 had threatened the production of honey. The shipment of comb- 

 less packages in Texas is somewhat different than in other parts 

 of the South, since not all of the package shippers are confronted 

 with colonies at swarming strength long before the honey flows. 

 Many of the flows come nearer the natural peak of strength than 

 in Alabama and Mississippi. 



Texas beekeeping has already taken advantage of most of the 

 good locations, with the exception of a few counties in ths 

 northern and eastern parts. These, for the most part, are 

 not the counties where one would be most successful. However, 

 there are many localities occupied too much by box hive men, 

 as in all other states, which would be the better for settlement by 

 bee men of- modern tendencies. 



