GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



GENEMAL COMKESPONDE: 



MOVING BEES FROM OHIO TO FLORIDA AND BACK 



BY H. H. ROOT 



In this special number on moving bees a 

 few remarks regarding our experiences in 

 transporting them by rail and by boat on 

 the way to Apalachicola, Florida, may be 

 appropriate. The universal opinion of all 

 those who have had any thing to do with 

 moving bees is that it is the unexpected that 

 always happens. So far as is possible, there- 

 fore, it is wise to make provision for taking 

 care of unusual calamities— in other words, 

 to expect the unexpected. 



The illustrations in our December 15th 

 issue show how we 

 prepared the hives for 

 the long journey. 

 We use two screen 

 boards in hot weather, 

 one over the hive and 

 the other under it. Be- 

 ing made of %-iricli 

 cleats, there is nearly 

 an inch under the 

 frames and over an 

 inch above. In cool 

 weather an ordinary 

 deep bottom-board 

 with screened entrance 

 may be used instead of 

 the lower screen. How- 

 ever, it must be re- 

 membered that we lo- 

 cate the hives so that 



every one of them can be reached, and we 

 provide plenty of water, as will be explain- 

 ed more fully later on, to keep down the 

 temperature in case the bees are suffering. 



During a conversation with Mr. C. H. 

 Clute, of Palmetto, Florida, who, by the 

 way, has done considerable moving of bees 

 by rail, I found that he places a framework 

 at least three inches deep under the brood- 

 chambers, and he thinks that he gets better 

 results by so doing, as any bees which may 

 die en route fall down from the combs out 

 of the way, and there is less danger of suf- 

 focation. This takes considerably more room, 

 liowever, than the plan we use, and we have 

 liad such excellent results that we do not see 





Fig. 1. — The bees in the freight house at Bainbridge, waiting to be loaded 

 on the steamer. 



how we could better it. The two screen 

 boards securely held by crate staples pre- 

 vent any possibility of bees getting out, and 

 they afford plenty of room and ventilation. 

 After the difficulties 

 under which we work- 

 ed in hauling the hives 

 out of four feet of 

 snow when we got 

 ready to load them 

 last November, as re- 

 ported in the Decem- 

 ber 15th issue, when 

 the train with its car 

 of bees finally started 

 we fondly hoped that 

 our troubles for this 

 one trip might be over. 

 Our troubles were 

 over, but not so with 

 Mr. Marcliant, with 

 the ear. In this car 

 we had tried a new 



Fig. 2. — The steamer which carried the bees from Bainbridge to Randlett's 



Landing. 



