GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



December, 1920 



MIGRATORY BEEKEEPING PAYS 



Not Difficult to Move Bees, and It Increased the 

 Crop ^5.00 Per Colony 



Most of my bees I keep in out-apiaries along 

 the swampy lowlands of Cape Fear Eiver 

 above Wilmington, N. C. The early flow 

 there is very good for building up early, and 

 from strong colonies that have wintered well 

 a fair crop of honey is obtained. The princi- 

 pal honey plants are maple, swamp haw, and 

 several varieties of gum. Toward the close 

 of the early swamp flow the gallberries of 

 the higher lands begin to bloom. This is our 

 chief source of honey and I believe that 

 there is none any finer. Hence our advantage 

 in migratory beekeeping, which we have 

 practiced quite a bit lately. 



At the time of our last moving I stapled 

 the hives with several supers of honey all 

 together just as they stood. I then removed 

 the covers and covered the tops of the hives 

 with fly-screen wire cloth. The entrances 

 were nailed up solid, but the ends of the en- 

 trance closers were moved back to allow the 

 free passage of the bees till all came in at 

 dusk. Then, with smoker, hammer, and lan- 

 tern, and a few taps at the entrances the 

 bees were ready to load. 



I secured my brother 's saw-mill crew with 

 large Pepsi-Cola truck. Only two were en- 

 gaged for the work, but enough of them 

 would join in for the fun to fill the sides and 

 top of the engine so full that on the return 

 trip an old opossum carrying her young, 

 which we passed on the road, stopped and 

 looked back to take new lessons. There were 

 several machine loads of the "curious" that 

 followed up our party. My bees are about all 

 hybrids, and it is needless to say that many 

 of the "curious" got well rewarded for 

 their unceasing efforts to ' ' find something. ' ' 



We loaded the colonies with the combs 

 f)arallel to the axles of the truck. Over 

 rough places we came slowly, but we ran 

 swiftly where the road was fair. 



I brought in three of my out-apiaries from 

 15-20 miles each and built up a big home 

 yard, as the gallberry will support a good 

 many at a place, and I can work them all 

 at the central extracting plant. It is all just 

 as easy as hauling supers back and forth. 

 Our truck had good springs, which enabled 

 us to take a swift gait without breaking a 

 comb. The weather was getting pretty hot 

 in June, but by moving at night the bees 

 fared finely and went to work the next day 

 in their new location. A portion of one 

 apiary that I never brought in fell behind 

 the others just five dollars per hive. 



Now, brother and sister beekeepers, migra- 

 tory beekeeping is not difficult. Bees can 

 be easilv moved at night in hot weather by 



giving plenty of air. Migratory beekeeping 

 is young but growing rapidly, and, if we 

 take advantage of it, there are great possi- 

 bilities within reach of most of us. 



Point Caswell, N. C. C. E. Corbett. 



iStf: 



DRONES IN MATING TIME 



Believes Drones from Each Hive Keep by Them- 

 selves in One Flock 



Under our circumstances, here in the 

 tropics, it seems to me that during the mat- 

 ing season the drones gather together in 

 flocks in the shade under the bananas or 

 below the big trees which encircle the 

 apiary, which is situated in a clearing; and 

 also that they prefer the denser shade. At 

 least, there the strongest flocks are to be 

 found. How many drones are in a flock, I 

 have never counted, nor thought of; but I 

 would believe about 30 or 40 in a strong 

 flock. It seems to me that the flocks keep 

 in the shade just where the shade and the 

 light meet; here they stay sometimes for 

 hours, with whirring wings, their heads di- 

 rected towards the hives in the apiary. Now 

 and again they will zigzag or change j^laces 

 among themselves. At other times the flock 

 will sally forth, out in the sunshine, to re- 

 main there for two or three seconds, darting 

 right back into the shade again, with a 

 flash or glimpse like drops of flying fire or 

 gold. I have always had the idea that the 

 drones from each hive kept by themselves 

 in one flock; at least, I have observed that 

 drones whose color I had happened to notice 

 as being especially bright, would be found 

 in the same place, and darker drones in 

 other places. I believe that the stronger 

 flocks try to gain the most densely shaded 

 places, and that sometimes battles are deliv- 

 ered about them. Also, that the young 

 queens when venturing forth on their mat- 

 ing trip (sometimes after a few circles) fly 

 straight up in the air for a short distance, 

 and thereafter make for such a shady spot. 

 When the queen nears such a spot, the 

 drones will suddenly sally forth, thereby 

 frightening the queen who will sometimes 

 make for another shady spot, and at other 

 times either drop to the ground or rise 

 straight in the air. In any case other drone* 

 flocks will approach, standing around, but to 

 the best of my observation keeping in their 

 own flock. Now and again the hovering 

 drone-flocks will make a perfect uproar, and 

 then quiet down again. The louder the noise, 

 the bigger the drones will appear — most 

 likely an optical illusion caused by their 

 whirring wings. I believe that they are 

 most numerous towards the afternoon, say 

 about two or three o'clock; or perhaps they 



