GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Fig. 5. — Taking the bees out of the nucleus boxes and putting into tlie hive. 

 just right for strengthening up weak colonies in the apiary. 



Tliese boxes of bees are 



the sides are 3-16 and nailed on to the ends. 

 The ends of the top-bars of the frames 

 rest on notched cleats. The bottoms of the 

 end-bars are held by similar notched cleats 

 nailed crosswise near the bottom on the 

 inside of the ends. The under side of the 

 nucleus is covered with wire cloth, and be- 

 low this, about half an inch, is a false bot- 

 tom of wood. The toi? of the rueleus is 

 made Avith gable ends with a cross-cleat, 

 that is used as a handle in jDicking up <he 

 nucleus boxes. Besides the hand cleats are 

 two strips of 3-16 lumber that hold the 

 wii'e cloth. A coujile of cleats at each end 

 securely fastened to the cover hold the 

 frames in j^lace; and when this cover is se- 

 cured it is imiDossible for the frames to 

 shuck up and down or against each other. 



In Fig. 3 we show the nuclei filled with 

 bees, ready to load on the car or wagon. 



Fig. 4 shows 91 nuclei loaded on to a 

 wagon with small wheels and wide tires. 

 This was the first load out of the car, en 

 route for one of our outyards. The advan- 

 tage of loio wide-tired wheels in loading 

 and going over soft ground in going to the 

 beeyard in the back lot will be apparent. 



On arrival at the yard one nucleus box 

 was placed by the side of each one of the 

 empty hives. Then the boys went around, 



o]iened up the hives, lifted out the frames 

 of bees, and put them in a hive on their 

 permanent location. This was followed up 

 two days later with frames of empty combs 

 for queens to lay in. 



This shipment of bees arrived just before 

 the opening of fruit bloom, so that they 

 Avere able to gather honey that amounted 

 to nearly the cost of the freight on the bees; 

 for honey from natural sources will do more 

 to stimulate the rearing of brood than any 

 thing that can be done in the Avay or arti- 

 ficial feeding. 



So successful was this sliipment of bees 

 that we sent back this same man, Mr. Mar- 

 chant, to his father's place for another car- 

 load; and a telegram just received informs 

 us that they started to-day, May 27. 



We expect this carload of bees to reach 

 us in time to catch our northern clover and 

 basswood. If we have any kind of flow, 

 the honey secured should go a long Avay 

 toward paying for the cost of the bees, and 

 at the same time leaA^e us the bees and the 

 queens to supply hundreds of beekeepers 

 who have lost heavily during the winter. 



The first shipment of bees was loaded on 

 to a boat after the main honey-floAV from 

 tu^Delo was over. The idea was to utilize 

 the bees in Florida until the flow, and then 



