GLJEAJSriNGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Fig. 5. — Wetting cloths to quiet the tees 



cars, which are pulled up and down by the 

 cables, taking freight to and from the boat. 

 Fig. 3 shows some of the negro deck hands 

 carrying the hives on to the boat. This boat 

 by the way, like many other river boats, is a 

 stern-wheeler, the deck being flat, as shown 

 in Fig. 4, without a railing, so that the work 

 of loading and unloading is reduced to a 

 minimum. The boat can be jiushed up into 

 the bank to make a landing anywhere, the 

 great paddlewheel which drives it mean- 

 while remaining out in the deep water. It 

 has been suggested by some that moving by 

 steamer is a difficult proposition. This is 

 true in case of large lake or ocean steamers 

 in which the bees have to be placed down in 

 a dark poorly ventilated hold ; but there is 

 little trouble in moving on one of these flat 

 river boats. If the sun becomes too hot, the 

 canvas side curtains or tarpaulin may be 

 unrolled, as shown in Fig. 3, and if the bees 

 show any signs of becoming overheated, 

 cloths may be wet by dragging them in the 

 water and placing them over the hives to 



keep down the temperature 



Providing water to 

 quiet the bees while 

 being moved by rail is 

 a much more difficult 

 proposition. As stated 

 in the editorial in our 

 last issue, several bar- 

 rels may be required 

 for a carload of bees 

 shipped, say, a thou- 

 sand miles. We gen- 

 erally provide one 

 (preferably two) bar- 

 rels of water at the 

 start, and we fill these 

 at every opportunity, 

 or as occasion de- 

 mands. 



-Figs. T) and 6. 



We have tried many 

 different schemes for 

 Avetting the bees. At 

 first we used dippers, 

 having the hives ar- 

 ranged so that the 

 wire screen over the 

 top of each one could 

 he reached. This is a 

 slow nielhod, however, 

 and mucii water is 

 likely lo be wasted; 

 for if it is poured on 

 the screen, the bees get 

 too much at a time, 

 and they are likely to 

 suft'er before more can 

 be given. We also tried 

 hand spray-pumps 

 wliich could be used to direct a spray of 

 water at each screen. By adjusting the 

 nozzle so that the water is carried in an 

 exceedingly fine spray, almost in the form 

 of vapor, there is not much danger of wast- 

 ing the water, and a few strokes suffice to 

 cause the whole screen to drip. This worked 

 much better than a dipper; but Mr. Mar- 

 chant prefers to get x'olls of cloth which can 

 be unrolled over the hives at will. The cloth, 

 if dry, serves as a protection from the cold 

 if the temperature falls pretty low ; or dur- 

 ing extremely hot weather, if the bees are 

 suffering, it furnishes an excellent means of 

 providing water, for the water may be 

 quickly applied to the cloth, and the bees 

 take it more slowly than in any other way, 

 so that it does more good. The cold wet 

 cloth over the screen is a great help when 

 bees have to be shipped in extremely hot 

 weather. 



MOVING NUCLEI PROM EANDLETT^S LANDING 

 TO FORT GADSKY. 



Before shipping the bees north Mr. Mar- 

 cliant formed five hundred nuclei in special 



Fig. 6. — Wet cloths over the bees on the boat. 



