APRIL 15, 1913 



Fig. 1. — Old style of pound package for shipping bees witliout combs. 



SHIPPING BEES IN POUND PACKAGES WITH- 

 OUT COMBS 



New and Old style Cages ; Construction of Cages, 

 and How to Prepare Bees for Shipment 



BY E. R. IJCOT 



There is no one subject, perhaps, that has 

 been introduced during the last six or eight 

 months that has called forth more corres- 

 pondence than the one now before us; viz., 

 liow to sliip bees without combs for the pur- 

 pose of saving express charges, and elim- 

 inating the possibilities of transmitting dis- 

 ease. 



For years we have sent bees in pound 

 and half-pound packages; but it has been 

 only witliin the past two years that we have 

 attained any degree of success. Some fif- 

 teen or twenty years ago. when we shipped 

 bees in this manner we lost fully fifty per 

 cent during transit — so much so that we 

 finally gave the business up in disgust. 

 But two years ago it seemed to be more 

 important than ever that we should devise 

 some scheme by which we could send bees 

 without combs, on account of the general 

 prevalence of bee disease; for combs are 

 I he chief means for the transmission of in- 

 fection from yard to yard and from one 

 kxality to another. Indeed, we may say 

 t!iat, were it not for the moving of hives 

 of bees from one place to another, foul 

 brood would be confined to a comparativelv 



narrow area. But it has been pretty defi- 

 nitely proven that bees shaken or brushed 

 from combs may be placed in any clean hive 

 or package without danger of carrying dis- 

 ease. In fact, the basic principle for the 

 treatment of foul brood is the separation of 

 the combs and honey from the bees having 

 foul brood. The pound package calls for 

 neither combs nor honey; and, what is more, 

 a given portion of bees can be shipped 

 witliout them at about one-fourth the ex- 

 pense for express charges that would be re- 

 cjuired were combs sent. But it may be 

 argued here that the combs may contain 

 brood, and that tliis brood will hatch into 

 bees. On the other hand, we may say that 

 all " unsealed " brood will be removed or 

 starved. Unless bees have water given to 

 them en route at frequent intervals they 

 will not take care of their unsealed larvae. 

 But the shipment of brood in any form in- 

 volves the danger of carrying disease; and 

 the time may come when legislation will 

 entirely bar out the traffic in bees with 

 combs. In the mean time it behooves all 

 shippers of bees on combs to take extra 

 caution to see that their yards are clean, 

 and, so far as possible, encourage the pur- 

 chase of bees in combless packages, or what 

 has been popularly termed " pound pack- 

 ages." 



We said a little way back that, during 

 tlie last year, we have been quite successful 

 in shipping bees in pound packages, when 



