.Tune i, i9i4 



429 



move our best colonies to the better rang'S 

 after the clover flow had passed at home. 

 Accordingly, in early August I selected ten 

 of my best colonies, and, with the help of 

 my friend, screened up the entrances, which 

 were Yz by 12 inches. This was done in the 

 evening, as soon as the bees had gone inside. 

 By nine o'clock we had loaded the hives 

 which had no ventilation except an air-space 

 above, composed of a super of empty sec- 

 tions. By midnight we had placed them on 

 their new stands without mishap, and they 

 seemed to suffer no harm from their con- 

 finement. The night was quite cool, how- 

 ever, and may have saved trouble. 



My friend's bees were moved in practi- 

 cally the same way except that we started 

 early in the morning and reached our des- 

 tination before the sun gave much warmth. 



The following year my father sold his 

 farm and moved to another, 35 miles away. 

 I was allowed to remain at the old home to 

 finish my course in preparatory school ; and, 

 judging from my experience related above 

 that my 30 colonies of bees could be safely 

 moved in August, I left them until that time. 



The friend agreed to help me make the 

 trip as before, which we thought would be 

 accomplished without difficulty, so one day 

 about the first of August, when the weather 

 was very warm, I drove to my old home and 

 stayed with my chum until the next evening', 

 when, after many unforeseen delays, we got 

 the bees loaded, and a little before midnight 

 started on our long drive. Trom first to last 

 we seemed to have trouble. I know now 

 that many of our annoyances could have 

 been avoided by proper management; but 

 even so I could hardly have made the triji 

 without loss. Morning found us only little 

 over half way home. We decided to drive 

 into a field and unload when we found a 

 convenient chance ; but before the chance 

 came, bees began to escape from some of 

 my makeshift hives, and ere long the horses 

 were stung. One was a spirited black, which 

 came near making a deal of trouble. How- 

 ever, my friend, who was driving at the 



time, finally succeeded in slipping the draw- 

 bolt and getting the plunging team away 

 from the wagon. The horses were soon 

 stabled in a barn; but the load of bees sat 

 all day by the roadside in the hot sun. We 

 did not get the bees unloaded until the next 

 day at noon. I presume all would have 

 been lost had it not rained, thus cooling the 

 air on our second night's drive. As it was, 

 only sixteen of the weakest colonies sur- 

 vived. A complete account of this trip will 

 be found in Gleanings for Nov. 1, 1912, 

 page 688. That was written by my com- 

 panion, and gives a good idea of our trou- 

 bles on the way. It was surely an experi- 

 ence that I shall never forget ; and whenever 

 I think of it I feel thankful to have escaped 

 with as little loss as I did. 



The season following my disastrous 

 " move " was spent with a professional bee- 

 keeper, and I should like to say to any one 

 who considers making a vocation of apicul- 

 ture that there is no better training to be 

 had than a season with a successful apiarist 

 who gives the business end of the work the 

 most emphasis. The next spring, 1913, I 

 decided to begin beekeeping for myself in 

 earnest, so I i^urchased the only available 

 bees, which were twenty miles away. These 

 bees were in dilajjidated box hives; but they 

 were moved late in April without trouble. 

 I started on the trip at about nine o'clock, 

 and arrived at the beeyard in the afternoon. 

 The horses were stabled, given a good feed, 

 and allowed to rest until 9 P. m., when I was 

 ready to start. The bees were confined by 

 placing each hive in a large sack of burlap 

 which was drawn tight at the entrance, so 

 scarcely any bees escaped. The return trip 

 was made before daybreak, and the hives 

 placed on their stands before the sun was 

 up. 



While I anticipate more experiences in 

 moving bees, I feel that one can never use 

 too much caution in what is, at best, a haz- 

 ardous task. 



Spencer, N. Y. 



A GOOD HIVE COVER 



BY C. F. BENDER 



I am not much of an inventor, finding it 

 easier, usually, to adopt the inventions of 

 others. But, after trying the different styles 

 of hive-covers that could be bought, T found 

 it necessary to invent several before I made 

 one that suited me. 



I want a cover, above all things, to be 

 water-tight. It ought to lie flat on the hive. 

 For this climate I think it is important to 



have a non-conducting cover, as far as pos- 

 sible — ^one that will hold the warmth of the 

 cluster in the spring, and that will keep the 

 super warm during a fall honey-flow. If 

 one winters outdoors, a warm cover is worth 

 the extra cost for one winter alone. I win- 

 tered outdoors for several years, with no 

 packing except that contained in the covers. 

 It is also iniijoitant to have one that will 



