1910 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



319 



THE BEES DUMPED ON A SHEET BEFORE THE HIVE. 



formation we have felt it our duty to tell of 

 our experience. 



If you were in the country, and wanted to 

 go over very rough or muddy roads we would 

 recommend one of the high-wheeled ty])e of 

 machines made by the International Har- 

 vester Company, of Akron, Ohio, or by the 

 Auto Bug Co., iSTorwalk, Ohio. These are 

 good machines; but they are ungainly-look- 

 ing. They are not in keeping with the gen- 

 eral styles of automobiles with pneumatic 

 tires. For pleasure-driving, the pneumatic- 

 tired low-wheeled machines are much to be 

 preferred. — Ed.] 



SECURING SWARMS IN TALL TREES. 



BY FRANK C. PELLETT. 



Quite frequently the question is asked, 

 " How shall I capture swarms that cluster 

 in tall trees?" The editor always gives the 

 excellent advice to place the apiary where 

 there are no convenient clustering-places 

 beyond easy reach. Perhaps, however, there 

 are others situated as I am, with no such 

 place available, and so I will try to make 

 clear my methods of capturing swarms that 

 have clustered high up above the reach of 

 the longest ladder. Every year there are 

 several such swarms to be considered, and 



in some cases they cluster from forty to fifty 

 feet above the ground. After three succes- 

 sive years of tree-climbing, however, let me 

 say that we are ])reiiaring to follow the edi- 

 tor's advice to get the bees out of easy reach 

 of tall trees as soon as possible. None of 

 the methods described froni time to time 

 have been of any use to me, as my trees are 

 very tall native oaks and elms, walnvits, 

 etc., with few limbs less than twenty feet 

 from the ground. 



A painter's extension ladder enables one 

 to reach the limbs, and for the rest of the 

 distance it is simply climb. The accom- 

 panying picture shows the basket which we 

 use for bringing the bees to the ground, a 

 large one holding a bushel and a half, with 

 ropes tied across to form a convenient han- 

 dle. With this basket it is not a difficult 

 matter to get most of the swarms. Simply 

 climb the tree and shake them into it and 

 bring them down. When perchance a 

 swarm clusters so far out on the limbs that 

 we can not use the basket, a sack is substi- 

 tuted. The other picture shows a large 

 swarm that clustered in the extreme top of 

 a large elm. The bees may be seen leaving 

 the sack and entering the hive. This was 

 the most difficult feat of three years' experi- 

 ence, and about cured us of tlie tree-climb- 

 ing habit. 



