I bought some bees last spring. They never did well, possibly because of the heat and drought in North East Texas. I don't know if they swarmed or just died, but anyway now I need to buy new bees. Does any know of a particular type of bee that does better than others in the South? Thanks.

-- A.C. Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), February 06, 2000

Answers

For the best and most reliable information on any livestock in your area, try your local extension service. Here in Florida they put me in touch with the state's offical bee scientist at the Univ. of Florida. Turns out that he puts out a monthly newsletter pertaining to beekeeping in my area. It worked great for a couple of years until the mites took over. Then it was Chinese hive beetles. After loosing five hives to various parasites I decides that it was more work than it was worth. I really enjoyed working with bees but by the time I finished dousing them with all the junk required to keep them alive, I was afraid to eat the honey. Try to find someone in your area who is an amateur beekeeper. He or she will be able to give you specific advice for your area and maybe some really good firsthand experience. If you need to buy bee equipment you might try Florida. Our agricultural bulletin is loaded each month with equipment being sold by large operations which have given it up. Good luck, John and Pat

-- John and Pat James (jjames@n-jncenter.com), February 06, 2000.