1898 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



129 



set on the stands, and all at one time. The 

 air will be full of bees, and they will often 

 draw to one end of the j'ard, and at that end 

 of the yard the hives will get too many bees, 

 and at the other end the colonies will be left 

 weak. vSometimes the front row will get too 

 many of the bees. It depends somewhat on 

 how the bee-yard is located, which way the 

 wind blows, or which direction the sun is from 

 them, as to which hives will be likely to get 

 the most bees. But when bees are set out with 

 hives (bottom fastened on I prefer), and set 

 on their stands in the night or on a cold day, 

 and not allowed to fly that day, then the bees 

 will not fill the air so full of bees when they 

 do fly and mix up so badly. 



About the worst thing to dread we have is a 

 light snow; and if the sun comes out very 

 warm, causing the bees to have their first flight 

 while the snow is soft, many bees will some- 

 times be lost by dropping on the snow. And, 

 again, when the air is full of bees a cold chilly 

 wind coming up will quickly cause bees to 

 drop and alight on the hives and all over the 

 groimd close by. If it remains cold they will 

 die ; but at another turn of warm sun and no 

 wind they will fly again if they alight in a 

 good place; but if on loose snow the}' are lost. 



It is true that bees set out later are not as 

 liable to loss in this last-mentioned wa}-. But 

 for me, in mj' locality, I prefer early setting- 

 out of bees. 



Middleburgh, N. Y., Jan. 10. 



SUGGESTIONS ON MOVING BEES. 



How to Avoid Accidents; Shipping by tiie Carload. 



BY FRANK M'NAV. 



Moving bees is one of the most unpleasant 

 as well as dangerous tasks we meet in bee-keep- 

 ing. With good roads and suitable weather 

 it is none too pleasant; but when it has to be 

 done over almost impassable roads, and re- 

 gardless of weather, it requires good manage- 

 ment to avoid disaster of all kinds. Almost 

 every season for the past fifteen j-ears I have 

 had occasion to move from one hundred to 

 three hundred colonies, sometimes over roads 

 on which the wheels were plunging in mud- 

 ruts almost to the hub, and sometimes over 

 stony roads and down long hills so steep that 

 one or more wheels had to be chained to en- 

 able the teams to hold their load; and some- 

 times, on account of extremely warm weather, 

 it has been necessary to start in the evening, 

 and drive till the small hours of morning. 

 During this time I have established nineteen 

 apiaries, some of which I have sold, some 

 leased, and some moved to better locations. 



In this moving experience I have learned 

 the danger of going unprepared for an acci- 

 dent by over-confidence in having them se- 

 cured against the possibility of escape. That 

 an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of 

 cure is very true; but don't let a pound of 

 prevention prevent having an ounce of cure. 

 I have saved teams from a severe stinging, 

 and possibly death, by having a strong cord 

 attached to the draught-pin and the other end 



to the seat. It is dangerous and almost im- 

 possible to tmhitch a kicking team attacked 

 by bees. When moving bees with several 

 teams they should be kept a safe distance apart, 

 as a team following close behind a load on 

 which bees escape is often in greater danger 

 than the one drawing thfe load 



When stiong colonies have to be moved in 

 very warm weather it is dangerous to remove 

 the super and confine them all in the brood- 

 apartment, for they are liable to overheat 

 and melt down the brood-combs, even with 

 the entire top of hive removed, and covered 

 only with wire cloth. If they are to be con- 

 fined more than one daj', one comb partly 

 filled with water, and placed in the super, will 

 be a great relief. 



If there is any subject in regard to bee cul- 

 ture that has been slighted it is instructions 

 for shipping bees by the carload. I have been 

 a reader of all the leading bee-papers for the 

 past twenty years; but when I suddenly had 

 occasion to ship my first car of bees I found I 

 had but little information on that line; and 

 but for a precaution that I thought of after we 

 commenced placing the hives in the car, there 

 would have been a severe loss; for had we 

 gone on placing the hives close together, 

 many of them would have been badly over- 

 heated for lack of circulation of air through 

 the car. My plan was to load the hives firm- 

 ly, yet apart, so as to secure a circulation of 

 air around each hive. This was done by plac- 

 ing a row of hives across the end of the car, a 

 few inches apart, then securing them in place 

 by laying two rows of lath crosswise on top of 

 the hives, letting the ends of the lath press 

 firmly against the sides of the car, and nailing 

 lath to each hive with one-inch wire nails. 

 Then we placed another row over the other, 

 resting on the lath, with space Vjetween the 

 hives over the center of the hives in the lower 

 row, then we nailed on two rows of lath, the 

 same as before. This plan worked nicely, as 

 there was not a hive moved from its position 

 6)1 route; and as the)' had to be loaded two 

 tiers deep, this break-joint plan not only sei-\-- 

 ed to facilitate ventilation, but also afforded 

 an excellent opportunity to sprinkle water in 

 the top of the lower as well upper tier of hives, 

 which was done several times, as they were 

 three or four days on the road. 



A car of bees produces an astonishing 

 amount of heat. Although we left both small 

 end doors and the large door on the shady 

 side open, yet we could feel the air very hot 

 inside the car. Since then I have used a 

 stock-car instead of a box car for shipping 

 bees in car lots, and find it much safer in warm 

 weather, as it does not confine their heat. I 

 did not think of using a stock-car for my first 

 shipment. 



On account of the partial failure of bass- 

 wood and willowherb in this State last season 

 we obtained onU' about one carload of honey, 

 which I consider less than half a crop. 



Portage, Wis., Jan. 8. 



[Mr. McNay is one of the most extensive 

 bee-keepers in the country, and his sugges- 

 tions come from a large and varied experience. 



