56 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURP:. 



Jan. 15 



own experience to mind. I will tell you 

 how I moved my bees without closings the 

 entrances. 



I had about one mile to move, and about 

 as many hives as I could place on a lum- 

 ber-wagon as they sat in the apiary. I 

 loaded them in as they sat, first using- the 

 smoker to drive the bees inside. I hitched 

 a horse to the load and drove to my desti- 

 nation; unhitching the horse from the wag- 

 on, I waited until morning, when I set them 

 on their stands. These were full colonies 

 in eight-frame hives, Hoffman self-spacing 

 frames, loose bottom-boards, '4 -in. entrance 

 full width of both ends of hives. All of 

 them were left open as they stood when at 

 work in the apiary. I moved on a lumber- 

 wagon without springs, over a stony road, 

 and thi-ough a small village, in daylight, 

 between 6 and 7 o'clock p. m. I don't ad- 

 vise anybody, nor claim this as the proper 

 way to handle bees; but I tell what I 

 did successfully. Not a person was stung, 

 nor any trouble whatever came from the 

 bees. Of course, they came outside and 

 clustered on the hives. I walked and drove 

 the horse (not a very steady one either). 



I found the same principle to work in this 

 case as in handling bees in hives or hiving 

 swarms. When thoroughly alarmed, and 

 filled with honey, the bees attended to their 

 own business and troubled nobody. I am 

 satisfied I could have driven for miles with 

 them. 



I can not say that this plan will always 

 work. It did that time and season, between 

 spring and summer. Some new honey was 

 coming in at the time. I am the person 

 who called your attention to Hoffman frames 



years ago 



Adin Stone. 



North Bay, N. Y., Nov. 24. 



[We have already had one report as to 

 how a load of bees was carried over miles 

 of road successfully without closing the en- 

 trances; and I believe that the method can 

 be practiced to advantage a great many 

 times, and at the same time save considera- 

 ble labor. When screens are used there is 

 always danger of the bees smothering; and 

 especially is this true during warm weath- 

 er. They will sometimes smother, even 

 when the whole top of the hive is covered 

 with wire cloth; and if they do not die out- 

 right they are of but little use afterward 

 because of the previous scorching or over- 

 heating while en route. It is a well-known 

 fact in beedom that a colony that has been 

 jarred or bumped a few times becomes very 

 docile, providing, of course, that this bump- 

 ing is preceded by smoking. Of course, 

 one could not expect to walk up to a hive 

 and give it a kick without experiencing a 

 most vigorous protest on the part of its oc- 

 cupants. But a smoking at the entrance 

 will pi-epare them for further treatment; 

 but it would not do, I should suppose, 

 to give them just a few "whiffs." The 

 whole colony should be brought under the 

 influence of the smoke. After the load is 

 once on the road, I should fear no further 



danger. It is the starting — the first few 

 bumps — that might cause a circus perform- 

 ance on the part of horses and driver. 



This is somewhat of an interesting ques- 

 tion, and I should be glad to have reports 

 from others as to the feasibility of moving 

 bees without closing the entrances. 



I might say, right in this connection, 

 that, in felling a bee-tree once, we had a 

 good example of this. On the first shock 

 — that is, when the tree struck the ground 

 — the bees rushed out in battle array; but 

 as soon as we begin chopping the log- right 

 over the supposed cluster of bees they sub- 

 sided, and very soon we took off our veils. 

 The chopping demoralized them to such an 

 extent that they acted as if they were thor- 

 oughly subdued by smoke. Why should 

 not buinping over rough roads have a simi- 

 lar eft'ect?— Ed.I 



Prof. Frank Benton, of the Department 

 of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, and 

 Pres. W. F. Marks, of the New York State 

 Association of Bee-keepers' Societies, are 

 taking a hand in answering some of those 

 comb-honey canards. Good ! Keep it up 

 all along the firing-line. 



Ow^ng to the great accumulation of good 

 matter on hand that was awaiting inser- 

 tion, and seasonable too, I found it neces- 

 sary, in order to find room for it, to leave 

 out my own travels for this issue; and al- 

 though we give 8 extra pages, in addition 

 to our regular issue, there is still quite a 

 quantity left. 



The bees in our two cellars at this date 

 have just been examined, and, according to 

 Mr. Warden, they are doinpf finely. We 

 are not paying much attention to tempera- 

 ture, but are giving large amounts of fresh 

 air. The 250 colonies under the machine- 

 shop, unless the weather is very cold, get a 

 fresh supply from outdoors all night. 



One editor, who said something in his pa- 

 per about manufactured comb hone}', when 

 shown the truth, came out with a manly 

 retraction. In a private letter to a friend 

 he says: " I wrote hastily, made a mis- 

 take, and take pleasure in correcting it." 

 There is no reason why every one of the 

 publishers should not be equally willing- to 

 correct the error. They would lose neither 

 prestige nor dignity by so doing. 



bee-keeping in the wes~t indies. 

 This is the title of a neat pamphlet of 

 78 pages, received from and published by 

 Dr. D. Morris, Commissioner of Agricul- 



