684 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAj 



CONDUCTED BY 



MRS. JENNIE ATCHLEY. 



BEEViLiiE, Texas. 



Hauling Bees in Warm Weather. 



We are learning more and more how 

 to haul and transport bees during warm 

 weather. We have found out that it is 

 a piece of foolishness to fasten bees up 

 in their hives while being hauled, and 

 then we have no loss. The bees do not 

 desert the combs and let their brood 

 suffer, as when confined in close quar- 

 ters, they will leave the brood-nest if 

 they can, and the brood suffers more or 

 less, and if they are confined to their 

 combs, the old bees as well as brood 

 suffers, and not infrequently smothers 

 outright. 



It would astonish you as much as we 

 were astonished to find so few bees 

 stirring when left open in a bee-tight 

 wagon. When they do not suffer from 

 heat they remain quiet on their combs 

 after the wagon starts. 



Willie came in from a 60-mile trip 

 last week with a wagon-load of bees and 

 no hives. The wagon is bee-tight, made 

 so with wire-cloth. Two boxes are in 

 the center of the wagon containing some 

 honey, and naked swarms he picked up 

 as he traveled, and turned loose into the 

 bee-wagon. When he arrived home, we 

 took the bees and measured about a 

 gallon to a hive, and before we got 

 through we found all the queens, and 

 gave each gallon of bees a queen. But 

 we had about five gallons left over, and 

 these we formed into nuclei. Now, why 

 were the queens not killed ? Because 

 the bees could not fly, and were not 

 caring. 



I would rather haul bees just turned 

 loose in a good, tight wagon — three or 

 four bushels of them — queens and all, 

 than to try to confine them in their hives. 

 It is not a success to confine powerful 

 colonies heavy with brood in hot weather, 

 but such can be transported as well in 

 hot as in cold weather, if they are not 

 confined. 



Now, if you will take my advice, and 

 when you have bees to move in hot 

 weather, give them freedom with the 

 hive-covers off, you will not regret 

 it, if you have a good, tight bee-wagon. 

 Jennie Atchley. 



The Texas State Convention. 



(Continued from page 621.) 

 Dr. Howard was invited to deliver a 

 lecture on foul brood. He stated that 

 this was unexpected, but he would en- 

 deavor to interest the convention with 

 a few remarks on the results of his in- 

 vestigation : 



Dr. Howard on Foul Brood. 



Since our last meeting here, during 

 the summer of 1893, Mrs. Jennie Atch- 

 ley requested me to investigate this sub- 

 ject, and see if any new light might be 

 discovered on this disease. Not appre- 

 ciating the magnitude of the undertak- 

 ing, I agreed to do so, if the necessary 

 material could be furnished. After 

 searching our State for a case of foul 

 brood, and failing to find one, a request 

 was published in the American Bee 

 Journal to furnish me with specimens 

 of foul brood for investigation. Speci- 

 mens were received from several sources 

 outside of Texas, and the work was be- 

 gun. Meantime an effort was made to 

 obtain all the literature on the subject. 



Cheshire and Watson-Cheyne, of Lon- 

 don, England, described the disease, and 

 were first to give it the technical name 

 of hacillus alvei ; prior to this, however, 

 Shonfeld, of Germany, had investigated 

 the disease, and found it to be of mi- 

 crobic origin ; later, McLain, United 

 States Apicultural Agent, at Aurora, 

 Ills., made a report to the Government 

 Entomologist, Dr. Chas. V. Riley ; and 

 Mackenzie, of Canada, in January, 

 1893, published a report of his investi- 

 gations in the Canadian Bee Journal. 



As my investigations progressed, the 

 works of these gentlemen were received, 

 and a correspondence was opened with 

 Wm. McEvoy, Foul Brood Inspector of 

 the Province of Ontario, Canada. I will 

 state here that his published articles in 

 the American Bee Journal, on the 

 cause and cure of foul brood incited 

 these investigations. Many important 

 questions were propounded to Mr. Mc- 

 Evoy, and foul brood specimens were 

 obtained from him ; his treatment was 

 very unpopular, and his grounds seemed 

 untenable in the light of what had been 

 written and generally received with 

 grace. 



