1917 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



49 



glass covers with very warm cushions 

 over the glass and metal covered tele- 

 scope covers over the cushions. 



I have one in the backyard now, a 

 very small nucleus about as large as 

 your two fists. The thermometer out 

 doors is :^2 degrees; over the empty 

 part of the hive (no frames) 44, and 

 directly over .the cluster 51. The ther- 

 mometers are on top of the glass, and 

 the cluster which is '4 inch below the 

 glass and shows about 2}i inches in 

 diameter, is the thickness of one bee 

 over the frames. I can see the bees 

 through the glass. I can see them move 

 and see how far apart they are. I can 

 see down into the cluster, and there is 

 no possible chance for vitiated air to 

 stay inside the cluster. 



To return to the hive that I just 

 looked at : There is enough warm air 

 rising from the cluster to heat the 

 glass 7 degrees more directly over 

 the cluster than 8 inches away, which 

 would give much more circulation 

 than in summer and more than needed. 

 Now just imagine a house with open 

 doors all around it inhabited by sol- 

 diers in cold weather and the soldiers 

 trying to close the doors by standing 

 in them. Can you imagine them clos- 

 ing the openings so tightly that the 

 house would have vitiated air in it, and 

 the inside soldiers starting the electric 

 fans ? 



In an ordinary sized room in winter 

 a hole in the window a foot square 

 would give more than enough fresh 

 air. I think it would be impossible for 

 the bees to shut off more than 75 per- 

 cent of the openings. I can very easily 

 explain why the cluster is warmer in- 

 side than it is outside. First, let us 

 examine the cluster through the glass. 

 If the cushion over the glass is warm 

 enough, the shape of the cluster is simi- 

 lar to the letter U or a hemisphere, the 

 warm glass forming the top of the 

 cluster. By taking the cushion off you 

 can see the middle of the cluster and 

 measure the diameter of it with a rule. 

 The colder the outside air the smaller 

 and warmer the cluster; the warmer 

 the outside air the larger the cluster 

 until the outside air is 57 degrees, 

 when presto! change! there is no clus- 

 ter, the bees are spread" all through the 

 hive and summer has come to the bees. 

 This will happen any warm day any- 

 time in the winter (provided of course 

 there is no brood). A few hours warmth 

 will do it. 



Now suppose the hive gets below 57 

 degrees, a cluster is immediately form- 

 ed, then the outside bees get cold and 

 crawl inside to get warm, and if the in- 

 side of the cluster is not warm enough 

 they begin to rub their hands together, 

 and as it gets colder the cluster gets 

 smaller and the outside bees get cold 

 quicker, and when they go inside they 

 say, " What is the matter with you fel- 

 lows, why don't you put more honey in 

 the stores," and they fill up with honey 

 and get warm. With a few glass covers 

 look at the bees any time without 

 breaking the seal and learn many things 

 that you could not otherwise. 

 Hammonton, N. J. 



[Yes, friend Fowler, I can imagine 

 men huddled together so closely that 

 those inside will have to breath the air 

 already vitiated by their comrades. But 

 we want all the arguments and all the 

 opinions we can get. So let us have 

 more. — Editor.] 



Shipping Bees in Packages 

 Without Combs 



BY M. C. BERRY. 



WHEN only 10 years of age I be- 

 came interested in bees, and 

 ever since my interest has 

 been increasing. However, twice I was 

 persuaded to desert the little fellows, 

 once to attend college in Ohio, and 

 again to engage in the mercantile busi- 

 ness in Missouri and Colorado. But 

 the call of my boyhood's buzzing 

 friends was too strong, and soon I was 

 back with them again. Now, after 

 years of hard although pleasant work 

 to one who loves bees, our colonies 

 number over the thousand mark. 



In the year 1904 we shipped our first 

 bees in packages. During this year 

 we filled quite a number of orders for 

 bees by the pound. However, our con- 

 veniences for making cages for bees 

 were so very crude and the mode of 

 feeding bees while in transit so poor 

 that after one year we discontinued 

 shipments for the time being. 



Now we have a shop as well as ware- 

 houses where during the winter months 

 we make and store cages, to be used in 

 the shipment of bees by the pound, be- 

 sides many little mailing blocks used 

 in sending queens through the mails. 

 All material used in manufacturing 

 these cages is carefully selected bass- 

 wood lumber, the lightest and we be- 

 lieve the best for this purpose. AH 

 cages are made as light as is possible 

 and still preserve strength for the hard 

 handling they often get while in the 

 hands of the exf ress people. 



At the present time we are unable to 

 ship bees in large packages by parcel 

 post. There may come a time when 

 this will be possible and practical, but 

 I believe the express method better and 

 more advisable now, even if the post- 

 office authorities were willing to take 

 the larger packages. One trouble with 

 the parcel post is lack of room and a 

 tendency to cover up and smother the 

 bees in mail sacks. In order that 

 they shall go through in good condi- 



tion, bees in packages must not be 

 crowded for ventilation. 



When spring comes and the shipping 

 season draws near, we hasten to build 

 up our colonies into an overflowing 

 condition. This we do in order to be 

 able to get all of the bees for our pack- 

 age trade from above the queenexclud- 

 ers. By this method we are able to 

 give our customers nearly all worker 

 bees and very few if any drones. We 

 also save a great deal of time looking 

 for the queen before shaking the bees 

 through the funnel into our cages. 

 During the season just past we were 

 able, by practicing the above methods, 

 to take over 500 pounds of bees from 

 one apiary of less than 100 colonies, 

 besides making a surplus of 75 pounds 

 of honey per colony. 



One of the first and I believe most 

 important requisites in package ship- 

 ping is to have a large well ventilated 

 cage. Next the bees must be amply 

 supplied with food. The candy used is 

 made of pure pulverized sugar and 

 honey just of the right proportions to 

 remain moist and still not run and 

 daub the bees while en route. This 

 candy is placed in the cage so that it 

 can always be had from above. Thus 

 the bees are able to cluster naturally 

 and still have their food so convenient 

 that it is unnecessary for them to break 

 their cluster. Water is given to bees 

 in transit only during extreme warm 

 weather or when shipments are intended 

 for parties living in the arid West. In 

 such cases a small can filled with 

 water is placed alongside the candy at 

 the top of the cage. Bees receive the 

 water through a small perforation 

 which allows only a drop at a time to 

 pass through. Excepting as above I 

 believe water unnecessary in combless 

 and broodless packages. 



During the last few years the ship- 

 ping of bees in packages has become a 

 large industry. Safe and satisfactory 

 deliverv is made to nearly all parts of 

 the United States and the greatest 

 part of Canada. Beekeepers in the 

 North and West report that bees by 

 the pound from the South can be made 

 to pay very handsomely on the invest- 



M 



C. BERRY'S DIXIE QUEEN YARD. DOWN AMONG THE PINES 



