446 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Geo. J. Van de Vord moving 41 colonies of bees, using only tobacco smoke to keep them in tlie hives. 

 Mr. Van de Vord has moved bees for over four vears without screens over the entrances. 



cracks and crevices, I found that smoke 

 having a part of its volume derived from 

 tobacco has a very sedative effect without 

 being stupefying or harmful if not used 

 excessively. When I first tried the plan I 

 risked it on only a small load. Though I 

 did not close the entrances, and though I 

 smoked the bees but a very little before 

 loading them, I found that scarcely a bee 

 flew from the hive during the journey which* 

 lasted about two hours; and the few that 

 did were not looking for trouble nor mak- 

 ing any. Since that time about four years 

 have elapsed, and I have used the plan 

 several times each year, and invariably it 

 l:as kept the bees in a xerj quiet condition, 

 even though they are sometimes severely 

 jolted. The use of the tobacco smoke has 

 furnished me a method of controlling them 

 with the least possible expense of time in 

 prepai'ation. 



In June, 1910. I had a double team haul- 

 ing bees all day in hives with open en- 

 trances. We Avere moving first from my 

 apiary at Ormond to a barge at the river 

 front. Although we drove right up to the 

 apiars'. neither tlie driver nor the horses 

 were bothered by the bees, even though the 

 horses were left hitched up at all times 

 wliile loading and unloading. The barge 

 was then hauled down the river to Day- 

 tona that evening, and stood at the side of 



the river facing Beach St. all day. The 

 bees flew freely from the hives on the barge, 

 and gathered pollen all day long, while an- 

 other team and driver were hauling more 

 bees from Daytona and loading them on 

 the barge. These two sunshiny days in a 

 Florida summer were a thorough test of 

 the tobacco method of control, for part of 

 the bees were Holylands and hybrids, and 

 as vicious as yellow-jackets. 



The barge was finally towed clown to 

 Ponce Park, the hives being stacked in 

 rows three and four high. At this point 

 we had to tie up for the rest of the night 

 and all the next day, on account of adverse 

 winds and the tide. During the next night, 

 however, the wind dropped; and as soon 

 as the tide was favorable we crossed to the 

 Xorth Indian Kiver and moved down to the 

 new location three miles south of Coronado, 

 where, during the fourth day, the colonies 

 were loaded. Tlie bees began flying free- 

 ly at once in c|uest of fresh water: but they 

 were gentle, and not at all inclined to sting, 

 The captain of the tug, although very nerv- 

 ous about the bees, and entirely unac- 

 cjuainted with their habits, volunteered to 

 help in the unloading, and did so mthout 

 veil or gloves, and withoi;t being stung. 



The accompanying illustration of an auto 

 truck loaded with bees was taken in May 

 of this year. There were 41 colonies in all. 



