March, 1917 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Fift}' pound packages of bees ready for shipment. 



An effort is being made now to get bees in 

 l>ound packages admitted to the privileges 

 of the mails. They could be sent by parcel 

 post in many cases cheaper than by ex- 

 l^ress. If we could once get Uncle Sam 

 to enter into competition with the express 

 companies the express rate on bees would 

 drop at once. 



The advantage of eomblesiS bees by ex- 

 pi"ess over colonies in hives on combs by 

 freight is in the saving of time. The 

 least time that a carload of bees can be 

 moved by freight from the extreme South 

 to the North is a week, and usually longer. 

 The journey is hard on the bees, and the 

 man who goes with them must, under the 

 ]iresent ruling, pay his own transportation. 

 Bees can go by express from south to 

 north in about three days, or considerably 

 less than half the time by freight. 



There is another distinct advantage and 

 tliat is, combless bees cannot carry brood 

 diseases. This of itself is veiy im])ortant. 



In the early part of the year, before the 

 weather becomes hot, the bees can be sent in 

 pound packages with practically no loss; 

 but during July and August, when the 

 weather is extremely warm, there may be a 

 50 or even 75 per cent loss of bees in pound 

 packages, altho our loss in average distances 

 in hot weather has not exceeded 10 per 

 cent. However, we have not been enabled 

 (o get bees in combless packages from the 

 South in hot weather in sa^^isfactoi'y con- 

 dition after arrival. On an average we 

 have had something like 50 per cent loss. 



But there is no difficulty, providing one 

 gets his bees from a reliable shipper, of 



getting them in pound lots in the early part 

 of the season; and that is just the time 

 of the year when bees will be moved, and 

 when, too, the largest returns can be se- 

 cured. 



We anticipate that the following year will 

 see the largest movement of combless bees 

 from south to north that was ever known. 

 Gleanings offers a suggestion to those who 

 ai-e furnishing bees in pound lots, to be 

 prepared for a big trade; and while you 

 are about it, make the price high enough to 

 include all expenses, replacements, and ad- 

 vertising. 



If the combless bee-package ever gets to 

 be a success (and it looks like it now) 

 there will doubtless be legislation, both 

 federal and state, prohibiting the movement 

 of bees on combs. If every one would use 

 the bee-cage candy made of invert sugar 

 instead of honey there would be absolutely 

 no danger of transmitting disease, either in 

 pound packages or in ordinary mailing- 

 cages for the transmission of a queen, 

 with a dozen or so attendants. 



Later. — About the time that the above 

 was written, the following questions were 

 submitted. In order to get the benefit of 

 several who had bad experience along the 

 lines suggested, we sent copies of the ques- 

 tions to a number of representative bee- 

 keepers. Their replies follow the questions 

 on the next page. To the different views 

 exj^ressed we may add ftis : The fact that 

 many northern beekeepers have bought bees 

 by the jDound in the past and are planning 

 to buy more in the future, is the best proof 

 that tlie practice is a paying i>roposition. 



