CHAPTER X 
REGIONAL DIFFERENCES WITHIN THE UNITED 
STATES 
Before discussing the different methods of manipulating 
bees in the successful production of honey, it may be help¬ 
ful to point out some of the fundamental differences found 
between various parts of the United States in regard to the 
sources of honey and in climatic conditions, which influence 
the choice of the proper system of manipulation. In the 
American literature on beekeeping, these differences are 
frequently mentioned and the word “locality” in the bee¬ 
keeper’s vocabulary has come to be used as an all-inclusive 
argument or excuse for his particular practice and often 
partially to cover his ignorance of the actual reasons for 
differences observed. This term “locality” is the subject 
of the present chapter. As will be shown later, two apiaries 
but a few miles apart may give quite different results, not 
only in the amount or source of crops but in the effect of 
certain manipulations, and the facts here presented help 
to explain these differences. Since migratory beekeeping is 
practiced only between two unlike regions, this subject is 
also discussed in the present chapter. 
The system of manipulation to be followed and the manner 
in which honey may best be prepared for market depend on 
the color and quality of the honey and perhaps especially 
on the length and intensity of the nectar-flow. While the 
chief sources of honey are discussed in another chapter, it 
may be helpful here to present in outline the combination 
of floral and climatic conditions which so strongly influences 
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