262 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 1 



Stray Straws 



By Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, III. 



That picture of J. E. Crane standing on a 

 paper shipping-case looked just a bit faky. But 

 after I got one I found I could do the stunt my- 

 self without any cane. J. E. is O. K. [Yes, it 

 is a fact that these paper cases will sustain more 

 vertical pressure than the wooden ones. It is 

 largely because of the inside corrugated partitions 

 that are higher than the sections. It is the parti- 

 tions that support the weight, and not the sec- 

 tions. — Ed.] 



That shaking up in early spring is getting 

 me all tangled up. When the brood-nest is clog- 

 ged with honey or pollen, shake to gee the bees 

 to move it out of the queen's way. Then when 

 there's all the brood the bees can cover (pretty 

 much always the case here), shake to get up ex- 

 tra heat to enlarge the brood-nest. Then when 

 the extra heat from that shaking cools off, shake 

 again lest the cooling chill the increased brood. 

 Now, in such a case how many shakings in 24 

 hours would be about the right thing? 



Bees were taken from the cellar April 5; had a 

 fine flight; temperature 75. April 10 was bright 

 and still. At 9 a.m. a bee here and there was 

 flying, with thermometer at 32 in the shade! At 

 33° there was a very little flying at 18 out of 84 

 hives facing east, and at 3 out of 70 facing west. 

 At 36° (11 : 10 A.M.) there was a litde stir at 26, 

 east entrances, and at one west entrance (I count- 

 ed just as I walked along; if I had gone more 

 slowly the count would have been greater). At 

 39° (12:45) bees were out at 24 east entrances 

 and 13 west. At 40° (2 p. m. ) bees were out at 20 

 east entrances and 35 west. 



"Cellared bees, at the time of taking out, 

 will usually not have as much brood in the hive 

 as the bees that have been in double-walled hives 

 outdoors all winter," p. 221. Isn't that putting 

 it pretty mildly? Cellared bees don't start brood 

 much before taking out. Outdoor bees will start 

 brood in February, sometimes in January, wheth- 

 er in double-walled hives or single. Some say 

 that the reason for the difference is that there is 

 greater heat in the brood-nest outdoors than in 

 cellar. The colder the weather, the greater the 

 heat must be in \.\iG center io keep the temperature 

 of the whole above the danger point. [We are 

 not sure that your explanation is correct. As to 

 the ratio of the amount of brood between cellar- 

 ed and outdoor bees, perhaps we did put it a lit- 

 tle mildly. Much, however, will depend on the 

 kind of cellar, its temperature during winter, and 

 whether or not the bees have been given an op- 

 portunity for flight during midwinter. — Ed.] 



That Crane shipping-case of paper — doesn't 

 look so pretty as the old case. You can't make 

 as fine a show with such cases piled up as you 

 can with wood-and-glass cases. In making a big 

 pile, or loading a car, it is not quite so easily 

 handled, and won't pack quite so smoothly; will 

 take more time to fill sections into the little com- 

 partments. After a case is filled it will take long- 

 er to tie up than to tack on a wooden cover. 

 Those are the objections that seem possible. No 

 other objection occurs. On the other hand, we 



have "a lighter, stronger, cheaper case." Then 

 the item of safety. That is a big item; for those 

 who have not been able to ship without much 

 breakage, an immense item. A single case or 

 any number of cases may be shipped without fas- 

 tening in a car, and without the heavy expense of 

 carriers. Some may pack a carload of the old 

 kind so as to travel in safety. Even then, it must 

 be handled in smaller lots when it comes into the 

 hands of t^ie jobber, and then the greater safety 

 of the paper comes into play. [You have present- 

 ed really only one argument that will have much 

 weight with the bee-keeping public; and that is, 

 that the new corrugated strawboard shipping-cases 

 do not look nearly as well as the wood-glass con- 

 tainers, and, of course, do not show off the honey 

 as well. The retailer can, if he prefers, have the 

 wooden cases for display purposes, and order all 

 his comb honey shipped in corrugated-paper 

 cases. Comb honey would have a much larger 

 sale if it were not for the annoyance and breakages 

 during shipment, and on express and dray wagons. 

 —Ed.] 



Conflict between F. H. Cyrenius and the 

 editor, page 253. One says it is the general prac- 

 tice to take bees from the cellar " in nice warm 

 weather;" the other, " When the temperature is 

 at or near the freezing-point." In this locality 

 it must be warm enough for bees to fly — never 

 otherwise. I wouldn't say offhand that freezing 

 weather might not be better; but there are some 

 things to think about before deciding. Bees stir- 

 red up at 32° might fly out and a lot be killed. 

 If taken out when freezing weather they might 

 hold at that or cooler for ten days or more, and 

 that would do a big lot of harm. That chance 

 would always be. Might work all right for two 

 years, and work disastrously the next time. Id 

 like the comfort of taking bees out when they 

 will not fly, but would first like to know how 

 generally it has been successful with others. 

 [There is no conflict between the editor and F. 

 H. Cyrenius as to our belief regarding the best 

 practice; but there is a difference of opinion, 

 however, as to what is the practice of others. 



The real conflict is between F. H. Cyrenius 

 and ourselves on one side and your practice on 

 the other. Something will depend on whether 

 there are some bees already in the yard when the 

 second batch is set out. The first lot are quite 

 likely to rob the others if they are put out when 

 all the bees can fly. All things considered, we 

 much prefer a cool atmosphere. Carrying bees 

 out of the cellar disturbs them more or less. If 

 it is too cool for them to fly, they will quiet 

 down; and then when they do come out after the 

 weather has warmed up, there will be less of con- 

 fusion. The late E. W. Alexander advocated 

 taking all the bees out toward night, when it is 

 a little cool. He found, by dearly bought expe- 

 rience, when he set the bees out in two or three 

 different lots that those first set out were almost 

 sure to rob those that came later. To set the 

 bees out on a warm day causes general confusion; 

 the strong are apt to draw from the weak. If 

 there happens to be a heavy wind it is liable to 

 force the great bulk of the flying bees toward the 

 leeward side — that is to say, the colonies on that 

 side would get a larger quota of bees. Mr. E. 

 D. Townsend has had some experience of this 

 sort. — Ed.] 



