1886 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CTn,TniE. 



181 



In the spring of 1S85, as soon as the weather was 

 warm enough 1 commenced to transfer. T trans- 

 ferred them into Simplicity hives. About the mid- 

 dle of June they commenced swarming, and each 

 hive sent out three swarms. I hived them all but 

 one. The fountain pump 1 ordered of you is "just 

 splendid." 1 could drive them in any direction by 

 throwing a spray into their front ranks. The one 

 that left was a third swarm, and with all the water 

 thrown on thcni they did not stop. They did not 

 even stop to cluster. The new swarms in new hives 

 worked well, and I think 1 have learned something, 

 but still I feel that I am a dull scholar, for I did not 

 put any starters in my nice metal-cornered frames, 

 and before I was aware of it the bees had built 

 them crooked, and joined them s" I could not lift 

 them out of some of the hives. One of the first 

 swarms sent out u swarm. One made 3) lbs. of hon- 

 «?y in 1-lb. sections; two others male abont 10 lbs. 

 each. This surplus houe.v was all made in crates in 

 chaff hives. For a number of years, honey has been 

 exhibited at our county fair, so irthought I would 

 show our shipping-crate filled with lib. sections. 

 Kach section was tilled out, all propolis was scraped 

 off the sections, and placed in the crate. Hav- 

 ing had separators between them when they were 

 filled, they wei'c straight, and all the sections look- 

 ed alike. Each section could be lifted out with 

 ease. 1 placed the crate on the table near two oth- 

 er lots of honey that had been left there for the 

 premium. The other two lots were in a rough box 

 with glass in one side, all nailed up, but one could 

 see the 1-lb. sections through the glass— the same 

 kind of sections mine were— and as nice-looking 

 honey as mine, but they did not use separators be- 

 tween the sections, and consequently they were ir- 

 regular, with some broken honey-comb. Mine was 

 taken out, section after section, and turned over 

 and over, and no sign of any breakage. 1 was in the 

 hall but a very little while, but I told those in 

 charge to let every one examine it all they wished 

 to. One man asked Tiie if that honey was for sale. 

 1 told him lie could have it, and another and anoth- 

 er. The other two lots were carried home. 1 want- 

 ed to take mine home, but it was too good to 

 keep. 



The most dithcult jiroblcm 1 liiid in bee keeping 

 is how to make bees store surplus honey in boxes. 

 Jjast summer 1 had one swarm which sent out three 

 swarms, and stored 15 lbs. of surplus in bo.ves, 

 while others, just as strong. stored no honey in sur- 

 plus-boxes. L. N. ClI.VP.M.\N. 



River Falls, Wis., .Jan. 12, ISSfi. 



HOW TO PUT UP AND SHIP BT5Ti]S BY 

 THE POUND. 



OI.IVliK FOSTER'S MKTHOI). 



TTp S it has been requester! in Olkanincs, I will 

 ^K *^'^'*^' " description nf my method of putting 

 ^K up and ship|)ing bees by the pound, with 

 *■' some "reasons why."' Jn his foot-notes on 

 page ()B, the editor says: "Hut we wanted to 

 know how Mr. Foster puts up bees without any 

 brood or comb," etc. 



By referring to my circular you will ?pf^ that 1 do 

 not sell bees that way; nor can I see any advantage, 

 either to shipper or buyer, in depriving the little 

 fellows of their cherished young during shipment; 

 but there are some grave disadvantages to all con- 



cerned. In early spring, when most shipments are 

 made, every good queen (and we would have no 

 others*, will keep her hive supplied with all the 

 brood that her bees can possibly cover and provide 

 for. Now take a pound or more of bees without 

 brood, from such a colony, and the i-esult will be 

 more or less of chilled or half-starved brood, which 

 means a filthy mass for the remaining bees to re- 

 move, or dwarfed and feeble bees for the next cus- 

 tomer. 



If the brood is divided between the other colonies, 

 this only divides the difficulty and makes extra 

 work. As for the bees confined for shipment, we 

 do not claim that they really mourn the loss of their 

 liftle ones as animals <jf a higher order do, but ev- 

 ery e.vperienced bee-keeper has noticed the saluta- 

 ry infiueuce that the jn-esence of brood, especially 

 unsealed brood, has over a colony in almost any 

 condition. 



Thisinfiuence shows its power for good when "the 

 little busy bee," born peculiarly for libei'ty, is con- 

 sciously imprisoned in a shipping-box. 1) is also 

 very important, when the bees are liberated in theii- 

 new home, to have some of their brood with them, 

 as, after a long journey, they may abscond with- 

 out it. Also it the colony is obliged to begin at the 

 "foot of the ladder," without brood, instead of in- 

 creasing from the first they must naturally de- 

 crease in numbers until their brood hatches, which 

 will be at least three weeks. The dealer shouhl 

 make it to the buyer's interest to get some brood 

 with his bees. 



As for stores for shipping-cages, I claim that seal- 

 ed clover or basswood hone.\- is the chcaiicst, mfcxt, 

 and heM food for bees in sunmier or winter, in free- 

 dom or in confinement; and the lightest and most 

 perfect receptacle for these stores is the comb in 

 which it was originally stored. Sutflcient stores 

 are usually found in the combs containing the brood 

 to supply bees and brood during their trip. If not, 

 a small block of sealed honey is placed on edge 

 against the side of the box on one lower corner, and 

 the comb is then pi-essed tight against it and fast- 

 ened. If there is too much honey, ])art should be 

 extracted, to save express charges. Hefore describ- 

 ing my shipping-box, v'p will notice one more point. 



We have all seen bees worrying on the inside of a 

 window. Their instinct seems to tell them, in a 

 general way, that they can go wherever they can 

 see, so they will worry themselves to death in a few 

 hours, trying to H.^' through a pane of glass. If we 

 lean a board against the outside of the window they 

 will not try to get through opposite the board. If 

 the window is of wire cloth instead of glass, and if 

 the room in which they are confined is only a ship- 

 ping-box. the delusion is much the same, and it is 

 ivoir;/ that kills most bees in shipping. I know 

 there is a vast dift'erence in bees as well as in poi- 

 sons about worrying; but the best way to get along 

 with either is to always "stroke the right way of 

 the fur." * 



HOW Mv smiMM.NG-noxKs .vitE .M.vnt;. 



My shipping-boxes are all made of thin lumber, 

 mostly 5-lt) inch thick. For colonies of 5 or f« lbs. of 

 bees I use boxes about the size of the .Simplicity 

 hive. Wire cloth is tacked over the bottom, and a 

 movable wire-cloth cover slips over the top, trunk- 

 lid fashion. The covers are fastened down by two 

 pieces of hoop iron, one at each end passing across 

 from cover to box, and fastened to each with screws. 

 These covers arc pro\ided witl) strong handles by 



