Queen Bees in the Mails. 



Prof. Cook has sent us the following 

 explanatory article and letter of the 

 Assistant P. M. General, with the rul- 

 ings of the department on this very 

 important matter. Prof. Cook remarks : 

 •' We cannot ' hold the fort,' unless 

 shippers practice great caution. If we 

 should once more lose the permit to use 

 the mails for this purpose, it would be 

 useless to make a second appeal. No 

 cage that contains honey or one that is 

 not made with the double wire screen 

 should be used by any one. Bee-keep- 

 ers must now act as their interest 

 dictates." 



A few years since the postoffice depart- 

 ment refused the use of the mails for 

 this purpose. There were doubtless 

 good reasons for this order. Honey was 

 placed in the boxes to serve as food for 

 the bees during their transit. Often, 

 owing to the kind of food and careless- 

 ness in the method of placing it in the 

 shipping cages, the honey escaped and 

 daubed the mails, greatly to the vexation 

 of the mail agents and owners of the 

 mail. Nor was this the chief grievance. 

 Owing to the faulty cages the agents 

 were frequently stung by the bees, 

 while many others who saw the bees 

 just behind a single wire gauze suffered 

 nearly as much from a perhaps not 

 wholly causeless fear that they might be. 



This ruling of the postoffice depart- 

 ment was felt to be a severe blow to 

 this important industry. The expense 

 of transportation was not only much 

 increased, but frequently in thinly set- 

 tled sections, where express offices were 

 still strangers, it was fatal to the intro- 

 duction of improved bees. 



Editors* state associations and indi- 

 viduals all besought the postmaster 

 general to rescind this order, which 

 worked so serious an injury to the bee- 

 keeping interests of the country, but 

 urged in vain. 



At the last meeting of the National 

 Bee-Keepers' Association a committee 

 was appointed with Prof. Cook as chair- 

 man to make an appeal in person to the 

 postoffice department. Prof. Cook 

 represented to the department the 

 magnitude of the bee interest in the 

 I'nited States, the superior excellence 

 of Italian bees, and the consequent 

 importance that they should be freely 

 imported into every state and county, 

 lie also showed how serious an obstacle 

 the ruling of the postoffice department 

 was, especially in the west and south, 



where a limited population made ex- 

 press offices rare and distant. He 

 further demonstrated that, while the 

 methods of shipping in the past might 

 have been attended with injury and in- 

 convenience, the improved methods and 

 shipping cages of to-day were of such 

 a character as to obviate these objec- 

 tions. Cages were presented for in- 

 spection, which contained sugar as a 

 feed for the bees and a double xoire screen, 

 the gauze surfaces being one- fourth inch 

 apart, so that no bee could sting the 

 person who might handle the cage. 



After due consideration, the depart- 

 ment addressed the following communi- 

 cation to the Hon. Edwin Willits, repre- 

 sentative from Michigan, who deserves 

 the thanks of all bee-keepers for his 

 interest in the matter and his efforts to 

 secure a favorable decision : 



Postoffice Department, 

 Office of the First Ass't P. M. Gen., j 

 Washington. I). C, Jan. 14. 1SS0. ) 

 Hon. Edwin Willits, M. C, House of Representa- 

 tives, Washington, D. 0. 



Sir— The postmaster general having heard the 

 statements of the representatives of the Bee- Keep- 

 ers' Association respecting the ruling of the depart- 

 ment which excludes queen bees from the mails, 

 and having become satisfied that such ruling is 

 seriously affecting an interest rapidly assuming large 

 proportions, which interest in many localities is 

 practically denied the use of any facilities of inter- 

 communication, has consented to a temporary sus- 

 pension of the ruling. 



Instructions will be given in the next number of 

 the United States official postal guide to carry this 

 decision into effect. It is suggested that the bee- 

 keepers of the United States be informed through 

 the various bee-keepers' associations that the length 

 of'time this suspension will continue in force will 

 defend entirely upon the fact that no harm shall 

 result to any persons engaged in handling the mails, 

 from the transmission of queen bees and their 

 necessary attendants and the necessity which exists 

 therefore for the adoption of a box or cage which 

 shall conform as far as possible to the provisions of 

 section 223 of the laws and regulations, with the ad- 

 ditional security of a double wire or per- 

 forated tin ncrcen for cover, after the man- 

 ner of the one submitted by Prof. Cook, the repre- 

 sentative of the National Bee-Keepers' Association. 

 Very respect full v. 

 _J| JAMES II. M \RR. 



For First Assistant Postmaster General. 



Thus it will be seen that this impor- 

 tant concession is provisional. We 

 would strongly urge upon all breeders 

 and shippers of queens to use only such 

 cages as are indicated above, if they 

 send through the mails. These cages 

 can be sent through the mails for 2c, 

 Any person who will endanger the con- 

 tinuance of this privilege by mailing 

 queens fed with honey or without a 

 double-wire screen, is doing serious 

 damage to the bee business and should 

 be quick 1 vex posed by those who receive 

 them. With reasonable can- we may 

 rest secure in our present advantage. 



ti^" We have received from Mr. J. E. 

 Moore, one of his new section boxes 

 with the perfection caps. It makes a 

 very neat and attractive package, when 

 glassed. 



