IKLINOIS STATE BDE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



119 



systems, one in the North and one in 

 the South, and the excessive freight 

 charges on a carload of bees. From 

 my point, or in the vicinity of Chicago, 

 it would be about IISO'.OO to the South- 

 ern part of the United States; add to 

 that the operating expenses, and the 

 expenses of teams or motor trucks to 

 take the bees to and from the car, it 

 would amount to $250.00 for the trip 

 each way; that is quite a considerabple 

 amount of money it would require. 



On the other hand, we would gain 

 here in the North where we give our 

 bees forty pounds of honey for win- 

 ter; w^e would gain in a large measure 

 that honey we used for winter, and 

 we would have to balance our expense 

 in operating in the South — We would 

 be carrying our bees in the South 

 'practically the same ' as. otherwise in 

 the North. I think the ^cheme can be 

 worked out practically in time, when 

 w^^e know more about fehipplng bees. 

 The Root people are trying it out for 

 us, and I think in another year they 

 will be shipping carloads of bees in 

 cages with success. So far as shipping 

 bees in hives — that is a different propo- 

 sition. The main thing to do then is to 

 give the bees a large enough hive, and 

 screen enough to ventilate; give them 

 space to cluster in outside of their 

 brood nest, and go with them and sea 

 that they are watered. Mr. Ahlers 

 shipped one carlot of bees in a re- 

 frigerator car, but this car has not been 

 tried out sufficiently to demonstrate 

 whether it is as good as a stock car 

 or not; some one said he used a re- 

 frigerator car and went up against it. 

 That ice all melts and there is no way 

 to replace it -while the cars are en- 

 route. 



My proposition with reference to the 

 refrigerator car was that the bees 

 should go through and have the jour- 

 ney well routed beforehand, as I al- 

 ways do when shipping bees, and have 

 it understood at every junction as to 

 w^hat service they should get. My 

 proposition was to have an electric 

 fan, so that when the refrigerator car 

 was not running or if that car was 

 sidetracked, the electric motor could 

 be started and the circulation kept up. 

 Of course the cages should be ofE the 

 floor enough to give circulation under- 

 neath, and have the ventilation dis- 

 tributed through the whole set of cages. 



Pres. Huffman — ^I iwould like to ask 

 Mr. Cavanagh one question in regard 



to this new plan. What would you do 

 with your brood you had in the North? 



Mr. Cavanagh — ^I would have none 

 until after the first of October; I would 

 not take them' up until the brood is 

 entirely hatched; just save the comb; 

 there would be no brood in either your 

 location or ours after the first of Octo- 

 ber. 



Receiving Bees by the Pound. 



"How many have had success in re- 

 ceiving or shipping bees by the pound?" 



Mr. Kneser — We got some bees 

 shipped as late as July first; of course 

 this was a very good year, but it did 

 not need feed; one comb of frameS' to 

 help them along in splendid condition. 

 We got a few shipped from Alabama 

 in May, and also in June; one half 

 of those made enough honey to pay 

 all expenses; I think it is the only way. 

 I gave each colony about one or two 

 frames of brood to help them along. 

 Q'hey came in excellent condition; we 

 gave them brood or honey, whatever 

 I had. 



A member — How were they shipped? 



Mr. Kneser — %lb. packages by ex- 

 press, and express is not very high 

 either. 



Pres. Huffman — What is the weight 

 of your package? 



Mr. Kneser — % pound. If I buy again 

 I would rather get a pound. 



Mr. Pyles — There is one thing Mr. 

 Kneser I believe neglected to say: 

 That he had quite a death loss. This 

 is a great benefit where we had such 

 •winter losses as last winter. I have 

 been out to their place and looked 

 through some of the stuff that he has 

 got; it is a very nice lot of stuff. I 

 believe Mr. Kneser is working out his 

 own problems all right; but what Mr. 

 Kneser would do and find it a success, 

 the next man, living within a mile of 

 him, would make a failure of because 

 he would not work it out along the 

 same line. 



You had a queen with each pound of 

 bees? 



Mr. Kneser — Yes, sir. 



A member — I would like to ask Mr. 

 Kneser a question; in a state like 

 Michigan, they would not allow you 

 to go along with the car; would you 

 go as a passenger? 



Mr. Cavanagh — They will allow you 

 to go along with the car but you must 

 pay full passenger fare; you have to 

 buy a ticket from the railroad trans- 



