144 



Gleanings in Bee Culture 



tirely out of the stock solely because of clipping. A 

 clipped queen in a hive is a nuisance, because she 

 can not help herself. If in manipulating the hive 

 she falls to the ground, she can not rise and return. 

 I have seen them under the bottom-board with a 

 cluster of bees that had to be returned several 

 times before she could be captured, because she 

 would crawl off in the ■ rass. When a swarm is- 

 sues I always look for the queen in front of the 

 hive. As a great many, although their wings are 

 perfect, can not fly, they keep trying to do so, and 

 crawl up on the grass until their weight bends it 

 down. Thus they keep well up on the grass, and 

 are easily found. The clipped queen simply crawls, 

 and thus goes lower and lower in the grass, and is 

 hard to find. An undipped queen can be caged for 

 a long time if the swarm does not return; and when 

 it does she can be placed among the bees, and no 

 harm follows. If the swarm returns she can be re- 

 turned also, and will come out again next day with 

 the swarm. Very few undipped queens are lost in 

 swarming except by mixing. I have had scarcely 

 any bees leave me at swarming time. If I am ab- 

 sent they generally hang until I return. 



I do not say that there was this wholesale slaugh- 

 ter of clipped queens in Vermont, although I lost 

 some. It was a general supersedure after clipping, 

 not always immediately, but pretty sure to come. 

 Treading on clipped queens while looking for them 

 in the grass is another serious objection. I want 

 my queens to be able to fly. Clipping is unnatural: 

 and it has been my experience that it does more 

 harm than good. 1 am a follower of nature, and 

 am growing more confirmed in it. 



Yacott, Wash., Jan. 1. H. E. Harrington. 



Shipping Bees to South America 



Will you kindly furnish me Information as to 

 how to pack bees? When is the best time to leave 

 with them from New York? Please give all the in- 

 formation necessary for the trip from here to South 



Nashville, Tenn., Jan. 6. F. L. Glisson. 



[We have never shipped any bees during cold 

 weather, and therefore can not give you any infor- 

 mation based on experience. Bees, however, have 

 been shipped while it was quite cold. They have 

 been hauled bysledloads from one apiary to anoth- 

 er: but in that case it is usually advisable to put 

 them in some cellar rather than out on their sum- 

 mer stands, as the excitement caused by moving 

 causes the duster to expand too much, and the 

 bees become chilled, causing many of them to die. 

 It would be our judgment that it would not be 

 practicable to ship bees to New York until along 

 in the spring, when the weather begins to warm 

 up. If you could once get them aboard the ship, 

 we do not think there would be any trouble about 

 sending them at any time of year. 



If you feel that you must ship the bees during 

 midwinter in order to get them to South Amer- 

 ica in time for a flow of honey, we would advise 

 you to have the frames securely fastened in the 

 hive, using wired combs in any case, and screen 

 the hive, top and bottom. But while the bees are 

 being shipped by rail to New York in cold weath- 

 er, it is advisable to secure the cover close to the 

 screen. In other words, shut oflf the top and bot- 

 tom ventilation, leaving only that which would be 

 provided by the entrance, which should also be 

 screened. The hives should be put in a car and 

 loaded on to straw in such a way that the frames 

 will be parallel with the track. It will be very 

 necessary to see that the hives are securely fastened 

 down, because, if the cars are bvimped back and 

 forth, the hives will be broken open and bees liber- 

 ated. If you have more hives than can be accom- 

 modated on the bottOTU of the car, you can arrange 

 to put series of planking or boarding above the 

 hives that are already on the bottom, and put an- 

 other tier above. In that case, leave about a foot 

 or more of space between the two tiers of hives. 



Taking it all in all, we would hardly dare risk the 

 experiment of shipping a carload of bees during 

 the dead of winter to New York. They might go 

 through in good order, and they might not.— Ed.] 



gent foul-brood law would be an excellent thing. I 

 wonder whether Mr. Chadwick is familiar with the 

 law of California, or whether it is a case of inspect- 

 ors not doing their duty. The county board of su- 

 pervisors of this State now appoints the inspectors, 

 and every county has the right of an inspector 

 upon a presentation of a petition. Generally the 

 one they recommend is appointed. This same offi- 

 cial can be removed by the same proceedings. Fur- 

 ther aore, most of the counties in Southern Califor- 

 nia have county ordinances for the further protec- 

 tion of the bee industry. Under the present law 

 the beemen have the situation in their own hands. 



If a State inspector can do better, let us have one 

 by all means; but we must consider that California 

 is a large State, and his doing all the inspection 

 would be impossible. So it is a question as to 

 whether we would not have the same inspectors 

 after all, they holding the office as deputies. There 

 is but one question in my mind: Do we want the 

 governor to appoint our inspector, or shall we 

 name our own as the law now reads? The State 

 inspector, too, would be harder to reach than the 

 board of supervisors. 



El Centro, Cal., Jan. 26. A. F. Wagner, 



Regarding the Change of the California Foul-brood 

 Law 



p. C. Chadwick, of Redlands, Cal., page 39, Jan. 15, 

 says that every one with whom he has talked or 

 corresponded agrees with him that a more strin- 



Paper for Wrapping Hives in the Spring 



Mr. E. D. Toivnsend: — Having read your books, I 

 notice you use white felt paper for protecting hives 

 in the spring. Can you tell me the trade name of 

 this paper, and where I can obtain it? The only 

 samples I have obtained are asbestos and deaden- 

 ing felt, and neither one seems right. 



East Syracuse, N. Y. F. W. Lesser. 



[Mr. Townsend replies:] 



We too have had trouble of late to get the same 

 sheathing we bought five or six years ago, as the 

 manufacturers seem to have adopted something 

 besides the spruce that was formerly used in the 

 manufacture of this white paper Hereafter we 

 shall use a tarred felt paper for wrapping our hives 

 for spring protection. If the cover of a ten-frame 

 hive is removed, and paper, although only 32 inch- 

 es wide, is put next to the bees it will come within 



2 inches of the bottom of the hive. On an eight- 

 frame hive it will be about the desired width. If 

 four lath are used in fastening the paper at the 

 bottom, as we advise, two of them being 20 inches 

 long, and the other two the length of the width of 

 the hive, and a nice job of wrapping is done, so 

 that the paper is not torn, and if there are no wrin- 

 kles at the bottom, no heat to speak of can escape 

 from a colony except at the entrance. On account 

 of the molding of the handle extending at each end 

 of the hive, we fold the paper at those corners of 

 the hive. In this way an allowance can be made 

 for this projection when folding. 



We cut our papers 38 in. long, on account of the 

 hand grips taking some extra paper. Otherwise 36 

 in. would be the right length to make the epd and 

 sides come even at the bottoms. 



Now about the paper to use. If you will turn to 

 Sears, Roebuck & Company's fall and winter cata- 

 log, page 600. bottom of first column, you will find 

 three weights of tarred felt. No. 1 has 250, No. 2 has 

 400, and No. 3 has 500 square feet to the roll. The 

 price a roll, 90 cents, is the same for any one of the 

 three kinds. We have so far used the No. 2 heft, 

 but will try some of the No. 3 this year. If the No. 



3 is tough enough to stand putting on without tear- 

 ing, it will be warm enough, without a doubt. 



After this severe winter, many unprotected bees 

 will be dead. Others will be between medium and 

 good. It will be desirable next spring to foster 

 these " weaklings," and papering will be found the 

 most simple method, and the equal of any packing 

 for spring protection. 



Remus, Mich. E. D. Townsend. 



Annual Meeting of the Oklahoma Beekeepers' As- 

 sociation, Stillwater, Jan. 18, 1912 



There were present the smallest number of bee- 

 keepers that have ever attended a meeting of the 

 Association: but nearly every number on the pro- 

 gram was filled, either by the party being present 

 or sending in his paper. 



It was voted not to become a branch of the Na- 

 tional Association at present, and the membership 

 fee was reduced to 50 cents. The following resolu- 

 tions were adopted: 



Be it resolved by the Oklahoma Beekeepers' As- 

 sociation, that the A. and M. College and Expert- 



