132 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



and they will be worth as much to the northern man 

 as twice the number of wintered bees. Yes, it is a 

 success. I have sent hundi'eds. I am able to guar- 

 antee safe arrival and satisfaction on packages when 

 a queen is with them. They do not always go through 

 as safely when they have no queen. I have 550 

 queen-mating boxes, and 500 full colonies to produce 

 bees and honey, and an excellent southern location. 

 I can send out 500 or more packages of bees a 

 month after April 15. Why can't they be sent by 

 parcel post ? 



Fitzpatrick, Ala., Jan. 3. W. D. AchORD. 



[ We have looked up the parcel-post ruling, and it 

 seems to us very clear that bees can not be sent in 

 regular pound and half-pound packages. A modi- 

 fication of the ruling may be made for us later. 

 However, ruling or no ruling, we believe it would 

 be unwise for the average beekeeper to undertake 

 to ship bees by parcel post. This new old method 

 needs to be tested a little more before it can be con- 

 sidered safe to undertake it. About thirty-five years 

 ago an ignoramus undertook to send about Vz lb. 

 of bees in a paper lex by mail. They got loose, of 

 course, in the mail-car, and stung the employees. 

 The result was a ruling tliat 1 arred even queen-bees 

 with their attendants from the mails. It was a mat- 

 ter of a year or two, coupled with a good deal of 

 hard work on the part of Prof. A. J. Cook, now of 

 California, and others before the ruling was rescind- 

 ed. See Gleanings, page 106, for March, 1880. It 

 would be folly to repeat this experience, and for that 

 reason we urge the importance of waiting until we 

 have a combless cage perfected. Then we can go to 

 the Postoffice Department and show what we can do, 

 and probably secure a ruling in our favor. — Ed.] 



Double Wire Cloth for Better Ventilation in Comb- 

 less Bee-package 



I have made only one trial shipment of a package 

 of bees without comb, sending a pound of bees con- 

 fined to the package 46 hours with only three dead 

 bees at the end of that time. I made the package 

 4x6x8, of %-inch square stuff with one fence-like 

 piece through the center for the bees to cluster on. 

 After making the frames of the ■% stuff, 4x8, I 

 covered both sides with wire cloth. This gives a space 

 between the wire cloth of % inch for air, if there 

 should be other packages piled on or over the bees. 

 I then nailed on the bottom and two strips % x % 

 to form the ends, which I also covered on both sides 

 with wire cloth. The candy cage is fastened on the 

 floor. Then I cut a piece of heavy felt about 6x6 

 inches. I waxed the floor well where I placed the 

 felt. This felt I soaked in water, then tacked it to 

 the waxed part of the floor. 



For the cover I bored four two-inch holes, and 

 covered them with wire cloth except one through 

 which I shook the bees. I covered this with wire 

 cloth. On this cover I fastened a convenient handle 

 for the railroad men to use in lifting the package. I 

 also put a strip of paper on the cover, with the fol- 

 lowing directions: " Live bees. Do not cover tightly. 

 No danger if handled reasonably." 



Hartville, O., Nov. 5. J. A. Kreiohbaum. 



[Double wire cloth, the same as is used in ordi- 

 nary queen-cages, is hardly sufficient protection. 

 Single wire cloth, with a wooden grating, is better, 

 in our judgment. Packages that go by express or 

 parcel post should be so protected that the sharp 

 corners of the box or other articles will not punch 

 through and ruin the contents. In the case of a 

 package containing bees, even a small hole would 

 cause no end of trouble, to say nothing of the loss 

 of bees. The wooden gratings that we recommend 

 are narrow slats about %xi4 inch thick. In the 

 case of larger packages, the strips should be % or 

 •Yen heavier. — Ed] 



How Does the Queen Face when Laying ? 



I have been waiting patiently to see whether some 

 one of the lynx-eyed American bee-students would 

 not point out a peculiarity in the piece of comb 

 illustrated on page 657, Oct. 15. The cells are built 

 with two sides horizontal. Very unorthodox of the 

 bees! You are scientifically cautious, Mr. Editor, 

 when you remark on page 647 that " it is safe to 

 say that a queen while she is laying an egg usuaMu 

 has her head toward the upper part of the comb;" 

 but I can not agree with you, after all. I have had 

 two or more observatories in constant use for the 

 last three or four summers, and we have often 

 watched the laying of the queens. Whatever attitude 

 she may be in when she inserts her abdomen into 

 the cell, she almost invariably twists round before 

 the actual process of laying is performed, in such a 

 way that her head is toward the lower part of the 

 comb. As a rule, too, she is not looking right down- 

 ward, but has her head turned slightly toward the 

 end of the frame to her right. 



Perhaps you will allow me to express my keen 

 appreciation of Gleanings, and the way it is con- 

 ducted. I begin almost to be personally acquainted 

 with the editors and some of the contributors, and I 

 just love the kindly way in which they sit upon each 

 other when one has been caught napping. I am 

 glad to see that you have a due appreciation of Mr. 

 Sladen. So far as I can see, he should never have 

 been allowed to go to America. There, now! 



John Anderson. M. A., B. Sc. 



Stornoway, Scotland. 



[ We have examined many pieces of naturally built 

 comb, and have found that, while the two parallel 

 sides are usually vertical, still there are a number 

 of exceptions. We may say, then, that naturally 

 built comb of both types is found, but that the pre- 

 dominating type is that in which the two parallel 

 sides are vertical. 



Concerning the position of the queen when she is 

 laying, there are so many exceptions to any one 

 rule that perhaps we put the matter a little too 

 strong, even in our general statement t(5 which you 

 refer. Two of our queen-breeders agreed that the 

 queen usually has her head toward the top. How- 

 ever, if we are not correct in this we shall be glad 

 to know it. — Ed.] 



Exhibits at the Oklahoma State Fair 



We noticed your error in the display picture on 

 p. 811, Dec. 15; also your correction on editorial 

 page, Jan. 1, with Mr. Van De Mark's letter quoted 

 therein. The only part of Mr. V.'s letter to which 

 we could possibly take exception is his statement that 

 " there were four others nearly as good," and pre- 

 sumes he means to include our own exhibit in the 

 four. 



The records of the State Fair Association will 

 show that of the nineteen ' classes offered for bees, 

 honey, wax, and allied products, we entered seven- 

 teen, winning a ribbon in every class we entered, 

 getting nine firsts. The other firsts were awarded, 

 five to Mr. Bartholomew, four to Mr. Crouch, and 

 one to Mr. Burrage. After winning as many firsts 

 as any other two exhibitors in as big a honey show 

 as this, we dislike very much to be placed in the 

 " also ran " class. 



Noble, Okla., Jan. 10. Garee & Garee. 



Danger of a Lack of Stores Toward Spring 



Bees are wintering finely. Some beekeepers will be 

 troubled toward spring by a shortage of winter sup- 

 ply of honey in colonies. Clover is very promising 

 up to date. A good stand of white clover is to be 

 seen in every pasture and field in which it is allowed 

 to grow. The season of 1913 promises to be a good 

 one in my locality. 



Unionville, Mo., Jan. 24. Fred H. Drurv. 



