1910 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



759 



quite often carried them one at a time. 

 Often I have carried the majority of 400 col- 

 onies out of the cellar alone, and have even 

 taken them alone down from piles tiered 

 four and five high. There are very few 

 twelve-frame L. hives which run over 100 

 lbs. in weight, and any ordinary able-bod- 

 ied man should be able to shoulder unaided 

 a bag of wheat which weighs 120 lbs. I 

 would much sooner handle the twelve-frame 

 Langstroth hive, and I think there is m^ore 

 money in it than handling the bag of 

 wheat. 



Hives should be on a stand so arranged 

 that there will be finger room between the 

 bottom of the hive and the stand, as shown 

 in Figs. 1 and 2; then the hives can be 

 readily picked up. In our case the wooden 

 covers are removed from the hive before 

 lifting, leaving the cloth or honey-board 

 over the frames exposed as shown in the il- 

 lustration. 



We then walk up to the hive, taking up 

 our position directly behind it, as in Fig. 1, 

 and stoop down, putting one arm on each 

 side of the hive and the hands (for which 

 there is a convenient space between the 

 hive and stand) under the bottom of the 

 hive as in No. 2. 



We then left the hive, and, in the process 

 of so doing, bring the front of the hive up- 

 permost, and of necessity the cloth or hon- 

 ey-board against the breast and stomach, as 

 in Fig. 5. In this position we hold the 

 hive to the body closely and firmly. When 

 so held, even when walking steadily, there 

 need be no jarring of the hive by its chang- 

 ing its position relative to the body. In 

 this position, too, on the principle of the 

 extended weight on the scale-bar, it takes 

 less effort to carry it than when carried as 

 shown in Fig. 6 or as in Fig. 4. My hive is 

 20 in. long, but only about 10 high. 



No. 4 shows the hive in the worst position 

 of all. The hive is constantly bumped by 

 first the one leg and then the other. 



I have pointed out (to men learning bees, 

 and men otherwise working for me) this 

 method of carrying, and there has been but 

 one verdict, viz., "It is much easier than 

 any other way." 



Brantford, Canada. 



ANOTHER BEE STUNT. 



Bees Handled in a Cage by an Operator Wearing 

 only a Bathing-suit. 



BY JOHN M. DAVIS. 



I am sending you a photo of Mr. Crow- 

 son, who demonstrated for the Tri-State 

 Fair at Memphis the first week in October, 

 showing how bees can be handled with im- 

 punity. At times his head was literally 

 covered with bees as was all of his body, 

 though he was dressed as in the photo. 



The reporter who wrote up the matter 

 made a good many blunders as usual that 

 would look foolish in a bee-journal, where 



readers are better posted than ordinary news- 

 paper perusers. 



Mr. Crowson is my assistant queen-breed- 

 er, and came to me totally ignorant of bees 

 and their management; but you will note 

 that his demonstrating is in the front rank. 



Spring Hill, Tenn. 



THE STUART FOUL-BROOD CURE TESTED. 



BY REV. G. A. WALTER. 



From three colonies last year I have in- 

 creased to nineteen, about half of which I 

 purchased from my near neighbors. Some 

 two-frame nuclei which I bought from a 

 prominent queen-breeder developed Ameri- 

 can foul brood. When I first discovered the 

 disease I burned up the first frame, comb 

 and all, but the bees got at some honey 

 which I had cut out, and so spread the dis- 

 ease through my whole apiary, with one or 

 two possible exceptions. 



Without experience with the disease, I 

 read up on it and began experimenting. 

 The awful drouth made it hard to do any 

 thing in .luly, August, and a part of Sep- 

 tember. However, in July I took about a 

 dozen of the worst foul-broody combs, and, 

 according to Mr. Stuart's plan, put them 

 over two of my strongest colonies, which 

 had the disease in a mild form, to watch re- 

 sults. Up to Sept. 15 the bees never touch- 

 ed the combs; but since that time they have 

 done as Mr. Stuart says they would — they 

 cleaned them up, and to-day, Oct. 15, I have 

 some frames apparently clean and filled 

 with honey. About 50 of these foul-broody 

 combs have been put over other colonies, 

 and the most of them are nearly all cleaned 

 up so one would never suspect they were 

 foul-broody. Some still have a cell here and 

 there where the foul stuff has not yet been 

 cleaned out; but in every instance it is in 

 frames the combs of which are only partly 

 filled with honey. Unless the bees put the 

 honey into cells with the foul brood they 

 are cleaning up the combs as fast as they 

 need the room for honey. 



I believe that, if I could extract this hon- 

 ey and let the bees fill them again, I'd get 

 the same results Mr. Stuart does; but I have 

 no extractor as yet. 



One colony I shook on to frames with 

 narrow strips of foundation in them, put- 

 ting a queen-excluder over the bottom- 

 board. These swarmed out; but what be- 

 came of the queen I know not. 



Three colonies I treated in September by 

 the method given by Mr. Steele on p. 531, 

 Aug. 15. Two of these are in fine shape 

 now, while No. 3 is weak and has little hon- 

 ey, owing to the fact, probably, that it was 

 in bad shape when treated. They will need 

 a frame or two of honey to go through the 

 winter. 



I still have eight or ten colonies which 

 are affected by the disease. Of these three 

 methods tested, Mr. Stuart's appeals to me 

 as the most economical and simplest to use. 



