470 



G I. E A N I N O S IN BEE C U T. T U R R 



August, 19 If 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



frames handily. Tliree inches from the ends 

 of these strips rnn a partition clear across 

 the space occupied for the purpose of stor- 

 ing these combs, which partition is to have 

 close-fitting narrow doors placed in it, spac- 

 ed so as to be most convenient. Close up 

 the ends, and see that top, bottom, ends, 

 and sides are as nearly tight as possible, so 

 that in fumigating there shall be as little 

 waste of the gases as may be. Now hang 

 in the combs whenever you have any not 

 occupied by the bees from any reason, and 

 see that all combs, not in use, are in their 

 places, and not scattered about somewhere 

 else to be spoiled in breeding moths to your 

 further detriment or a nuisance of some 

 neighboring apiarist. As often as any signs 

 of worms are found, put in your fumigating 

 gases, close up the room, and the work is 

 done. G. M. Doolittle. 



Borodino, N. Y. 



MORE BUSINESS for the HONEYBEE 



How the Automobile is Used as Conveyance and 

 Extraaing-House 



A resident in southern California claims 

 that until the motor truck was introduced 

 into the honey business the honeybee did 

 not know what it really was to work. Now 

 this beekeeper has proved that he can al- 

 most treble the output of honey, and that 

 until this time the bee has not actually 

 shown what he can do, if given a fair 



chance, and this chance has been given to 

 the bee thru the motor truck. 



It has been acknowledged, especially by 

 the beekeeper in southern California, where 

 the entire year is practically all warm wea- 

 ther, that the bees cannot do their best 

 work, if they are permitted to remain in one 

 place the year round. As a rule, they feed 

 for a radius of two or three miles about 

 their hives. For this reason they either do 

 a lot of unnecessary work of going over 

 flowers that have been already "drained," 

 or they cultivate the habit of lying around 

 idle a great deal of the time, which is any- 

 thing but desirable. 



Heretofore, the beekeepers have experi- 

 mented in moving bees and doing the work 

 by the means of horses and wagons, and 

 even by freight, but the jolting wagons 

 broke down the comb construction in the 

 hives. The long confinement while the jour- 

 ney was in progress always killed a large 

 number of the bees and thereby weakened 

 the colonies. L. E. Mercer of Castaic, Calif., 

 has demonstrated, however, that the method 

 of bee transportation from place to place, 

 to take advantage of the blossoming seasons 

 in the different sections, may be done by the 

 aid of the motor truck very successfully. 

 Mr. Mercer equipped a ton-and-a-half truck 

 chassis with a special house or body for it. 

 In early spring he conveys his hives by mo- 

 tor truck from their home ranch in Castaic 

 canyon to the foothills just above Glendora, 

 Calif., a distance of about 64 miles, where 

 there are hundreds of acres of orange 



■Here is un automobile extracting-house. 



