i American l^ee Jonrnal 



February, 191 1. 



No. 1 White Comb Honey (So called.) Pfoving BCBS 3 ShOft DiStdllCe 



We say "so-called," as altogether too 

 much honev is marketed under this 

 grade that never should be sent to a 

 large city market, or, in fact, to any 

 market. It seems to be the general 

 idea, even with some of our prominent 

 bee-keepers, that any old thing will go 

 as No. 2. In numerous instances bee- 

 keepers will glass these sections, which 

 are from half to two-thirds filled. This 

 makes it all the harder to dispose of 

 such honey. If these sections were 

 not glassed, they would be more readily 

 sold than with the glass on both sides, 

 as customers do not care to buy a lot 

 of empty cells, glass and wood. Sec- 

 tions not more than half filled, in some 

 cases the one side of the comb nothing 

 but empty cells; fancy white in color, 

 amber, mixed, all kinds in one case. 

 There is no satisfaction in handling 

 such honey, and we can not see where 

 the satisfaction comes in, to the ship- 

 per, when he gets final returns. 



Bo not send such honey to market ; 

 sell it at home, if possible, or extract it. 



Comb Honey in Carriers. 



This is the oh/v zvay to ship comb 

 honey, and we most emphatically ad- 

 vise the use of them unless in large 

 ■4uantities, where the producer can load 

 the honey himself in a through car to 

 destination. 



Where comb honey is shipped in 

 smaller lots, say from 25 up to 200 or 

 300 cases, it should always be packed 

 in carriers; it is immaterial whether 

 the distance it has to go is short or 

 long, whether in a through car or 

 otherwise. In almost every lot where 

 honey is shipped in the original small 

 cases, we find some of it broken down. 

 Honey packed in carriers, with hay or 

 straw on the bottom, with handles ex- 

 tending from both ends, invariably ar- 

 rives in good condition. 



We prefer to receive all honey in 

 carriers, whether unglassed sections, 

 glassed, or in cartons. The extra cost 

 of the carrier should not be consid- 

 ered, and will be more than offset by 

 not running any risk of breakage. 



Shipping-cases holding 24 or 25 

 combs, should be packed 8 cases to a 

 carrier, and those holding 20 combs, 9 

 or 10 cases to a carrier. The net weight 

 and grade should be marked plainly on 

 top of carrier, so that the honey may 

 be reshipped without opening or dis- 

 turbing the carrier. 



Late Shipping— Same Old Story 



Comb honey can not be sent to mar- 

 ket too early. Too many producers 

 seem to neglect this very important 

 fact. 



We had numerous orders cancelled 

 the past season because the honey 

 which we had bought did not arrive in 

 time, and we could not make delivery. 

 In the future, where we buy a crop of 

 comb honey, we shall insist upon de- 

 livery at a fixed date. This late ship- 

 ping could be avoided, if bee-keepers 

 would order their supplies in time. 

 Late shippers must take the conse- 

 quences of slow sales and declining 

 market. In all our experience we have 

 never known of a single instance where 

 a bee-keeper made any gain by holding 

 back his comb honey. 



New York, N. Y. 



by c. p. dadant. 



" I have to move some colonies of bees a 

 short distance. I am at liberty to select the 

 most suitable time for this. At what time 

 of the year would I best do it ?"— Illinois. 



Moving bees may be done at any 

 time of the year if the proper require- 

 ments are complied with. When the 

 young bee takes its first flight it circles 

 about the hive carefully, turning its 

 head towards it, so as to take note of 

 the exact spot. The action of the 

 young bees when first emerging from 

 the hive resembles that of robber-bees 

 that wish to make note of the spot, so 

 as to come back for more spoils. The 

 only difference is that the young bee is 

 much more composed in its flight. But 

 the purpose is the same. They wish to 

 be able. to come back to this identical 

 spot. The exact location seems so 

 well printed in their memory, that if 

 you move the hive but a foot or so 

 they will be likely to alight nearer to 

 the edge than the center of the en- 

 trance, in the direction from which the 

 hive has been moved. However, if the 

 ground is absolutely clean around the 

 hive, the distinguishing signs bei.ng 

 absent, there will be less hesitancy in 

 alighting in front of it, even if it has 

 been moved several feet. That bees do 

 make mistakes is clearly seen when 

 colonies of different colored bees are 

 in close proximity to each other. These 

 mistakes are usually made only after 

 the first two or three flights, and not 

 later in life. Yet even old field-bees 

 may be made to enter the wrong hive 

 by covering their own home with some 

 obstruction. 



Knowing all these things, we must 

 compel our bees to take notice of a 

 change of location, when they leave 

 the hive for the first time after a change 

 has been made. This may be done in 

 a variety of ways, but the cheapest and 

 most practical is to place a shade- 

 board in front of the entrance in such 

 a way that the worker-bee is compelled 

 to go around it in taking flight, instead 

 of starting out in a " bee-line," as she 

 usually does. If the worker starts out 

 and does not notice the change of loca- 

 tion until it is 10 or 12 feet from the 

 entrance, there will be danger of its 

 being unable to find the hive again, es- 

 pecially if there are other hives in close 

 proximity. 



A very good method, in spring and 

 fall, to call our bees' attention to a 

 change of location, is to confine them 

 to the hive by closing the entrance dur- 

 ing the night, and waiting to release 

 them until some time after daylight, 

 when they have become impatient at 

 their confinement. If a little smoke is 

 used to release them, when they tumul- 

 tuously rush out, there will be no dan- 

 ger of stings, yet the unusual condition 

 of this temporary confinement will be 

 sufficient to cause them to look about 

 them, and there will be no loss. Should 

 a large number of bees get lost from 

 the new location, through some mis- 

 management or accident, and return to 

 the old spot, a very simple method of 

 saving them is to give them a comb of 

 brood in an empty hive at the old spot. 

 When evening comes the lost bees thus 

 gathered should be carried back to the 



new location. They are then so glad 

 to find their old home and their mother 

 that not one of them is caught again at 

 the old place. They act exactly as do 

 bees that have swarmed — they recon- 

 noiter before they leave on their next 

 field excursion. 



I said at the beginning of this article 

 that bees might be moved at any time, 

 but there are times when I would pre- 

 fer to do it — spring and early fall. In 

 spring many young bees are hatching 

 daily, and these all have to learn the 

 location. The old bees are getting less 

 numerous every day, and a less number 

 will get lost, of course, than at any 

 other date. It must not be done too 

 early in the spring, because if a great 

 many of the active workers were to be 

 lost, it might endanger the life of the 

 colony. I would not transport the 

 hives in summer to new locations, un- 

 less compelled to do so by necessity, 

 because the hives are very heavy, the 

 bees can not be confined safely for any 

 length of time, owing to the heat, and 

 the working field-bees are more numer- 

 ous at that time than any other. 



I would not move bees in late fall or 

 winter, if I can help it, because there 

 are often times when the weather is 

 just mild enough for the bees to fly, 

 but not enough to allow them to take 

 a long flight without being chilled. 

 When the hive has been moved there is 

 more hesitancy in the flight of the bees, 

 more time is required to take note of 

 the surroundings, and there is more 

 chance of the insect being chilled and 

 lost. 



These are general rules, not to be 

 taken too literally, for exceptions will 

 often occur. For instance, if you hap- 

 pen to move your bees on a cold winter 

 day, and take every precaution that 

 they may notice the change of location, 

 you may have a bright, warm day for 

 their first flight. In that case you will 

 achieve success. We can only speak 

 of general circumstances and possibili- 

 ties. 



Moving a colony of bees only a few 

 feet on short notice, when they are 

 able to fly, I would close the hive the 

 previous evening, wait until the day is 

 sufficiently warm, give them a smoking 

 and general shake-up so as to make 

 them fully aware of trouble brewing, 

 then release them, placing^ an obstruc- 

 tion in front of the entrance for the 

 entire day. This will usually succeed 

 in saving all the bees, and if a few go 

 back the suggestion I have given above 

 for gathering them and returning them 

 to the brood-chamber in the evening 

 will make everything safe. 



It is usual to say that the bees that 

 have been confined to the cellar 

 for the winter do not remember 

 their location of the previous fall. I 

 think this is probably the rule. But I 

 know positively of one instance when 

 they did remember it, and a nrmber of 

 bees returned to the old location. This 

 was perhaps an exceptional instance. 

 It is usually safe to make the change 

 ■ at that time. 



When moving bees long distances, 

 when they have to be confined for the 

 space of a day or more, there is no 

 danger worth mentioning of their get- 

 ting lost, for they have been fully 

 aware of a change of conditions. 



Hamilton, 111. 



