Texas Beekeeping. 133 



are lost. The only remedy is not to have any openings, or crevices, 

 near the entrances of the hives, in which spiders may harbor. Webs 

 should be removed and the spiders destroyed, whenever opportunity 

 offers, while performing the worl? in the apiaries. 



Rohher Flies. Occasionally large robber flies destroy bees by catch- 

 ing them while in the air. These flies suck the juices from the bees 

 and then cast the bodies aside to catch others. Some individuals 

 have been watched and found to catch and suck the juices from as 

 many as seven bees at a time. They are, however, never numerous 

 enough to do any great amount of harm, and there is no remedy when- 

 ever they appear in large numbers about the apiary, except to kill 

 them with a long slender paddle or by means of a long switch. They 

 need not be feared, however, even if they do catch a few bees. 



Bee Lice and Mites. Considerable notice is being given to what is 

 termed the "bee louse" which causes considerable bother in Italy, 

 and is sometimes imported with queen bees. It is not present to a 

 serious extent in Texas. 



Sometimes mites infest bees, but reports of serious injury done by 

 them is wanting. 



Bees lose their vitality, or the stock becomes run down, from long 

 continued inbreeding, and are then more susceptible to the ravages 

 of diseases and enemies. Therefore, the introduction of new bJood 

 will greatly aid in overcoming these obstacles and this should be 

 encouraged. 



WINTERING. 



Unlike the long chapters on this subject in nearly all the text 

 books and other publications, the chapter on wintering bees in the 

 South is the shortest in this bulletin. This is because the wintering 

 problem needs no serious consideration other than to see that the 

 bees are well housed in good, tight hives and are supplied with a 

 sufficient supply of honey for their winter food. 



Preparation of the colonies should begin early in the fall of the 

 year, seeing thai; each colony has the necessary amount of stores, at 

 least 30 to 40 pounds of honey, in the combs of the brood chamber 

 and in close proximity to the brood nest. More honey will be better, 

 especially if the winter season happens to be a long one. It will not 

 be lost or wasted if not needed, but will aid materially in the produc- 

 tion of large quantities of brood during the early spring months, 

 which means rousing colonies of bees later when the honey flow be- 

 gins. These are the colonies from which the largest amount of sur- 

 plus honey may be expected. It pays, therefore, to have them pro- 

 vided with honey enough to last, not only through the winter months, 

 but far into the spring. It is at this time that large quantities of 

 honey are needed on account of the excessive brood rearing and the 

 building up of the colonies. 



No special protection to the hives is necessary if the apiary is 

 located as described in the chapter, "Locating the Bees in the Api- 

 ary. ' ' If they are very much exposed to the winds and weather, it is 

 advisable to provide some temporary protection on the north side. 

 Simply placing wide boards against the hives at this place will 

 answ^. 



/C 



