GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



November, 1922 



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A SIMPLE PACKING METHOD 



Winter Packing-Case Having Packing Material an 

 Integral Part of its Panels 



Last winter I tried a packing method for 

 two two-story hives placed together, which 

 called for removing three frames from both 

 bodies of each hive and using the vacant 

 space, which was opposite the second hive, 

 for packing. To keep the packing material 

 (forest leaves) from the remaining combs, a 

 two-story tight division-board was used. I 

 found it best after removing the six frames 

 to place the inner cover over the bees while 

 packing the vacant space. This packing 

 was done before the hives were moved to- 

 gether. 



On tojj of these hives were placed two 

 hive-bodies with a piece of burlap between 

 them. This burlap was to make a tight fit 

 and prevent the escape of heat upward be- 

 tween them. These bodies were also packed 

 with forest leaves and covered with a bee- 

 escape board upside down. 



The front of the two hives was protected 

 by a box of the same depth as the three 

 hive-bodies, plus the thickness of the inner 

 cover and an escape-board, and as long as 

 the "vvidth of the two hives — 32^/2 inches. 

 The width of the box was six inches on the 

 inside, which was the thickness of the end 





Shallow trays filled with j)acking stapled to ends 



of hives. Sides are packed with division-boards 



and empty supers hold packing on top. 



packing used. The bottom and ends of the 

 box were of %-inch material. The outside 

 was of M;-inch tongue and groove ceiling. 

 The side that was to be placed next to the 

 hive was of burlap. The purpose of the 

 burlap was to take up all irregularities of 

 the hive fronts and make, when this box was 

 packed, a perfectly tight union with the 

 hive. The box rested on the end strips of 

 the bottom-board and was secured to the 

 hives by four hive-crating staples. The 



entrance, which was not changed in any 

 way, except that the entrance cleat was 

 placed in position, was protected from ice 

 and snow by the overhanging packing box. 

 The backs of the hives were protected in the 

 same way, except that the box was 1^/^ inches 

 deeper so that the back end of the bottom- 

 board could be covered. The cover of this 

 case consisted of a piece of tar roofing with 

 a lath tacked to each end. For bottom pack- 

 ing, leaves were stuffed under the hives. 



Tarred paper cap in place completes the job. En- 

 trances are below the front packing. 



These leaves did not absorb moisture from 

 the ground, and were perfectly dry when re- 

 moved in the spring. 



When I packed these colonies the seven 

 frames in the top story of each colony were 

 solid witli honey, and when the fruit-bloom 

 honey flow started in the spring I feared 

 more room would be needed, so I removed 

 the packing from the hive-bodies which were 

 on top and then took the block off the es- 

 cape hole in the inner cover below. The 

 bodies were then filled with three frames of 

 honey and seven empty combs. One of the 

 colonies, which had a young queen, promptly 

 took possession of this third story and start- 

 ed moving honey to it from below, as well 

 as using it for the storage of incoming nec- 

 tar. The other colony, which had an old 

 queen, did not make use of these extra 

 combs up to the time they were unpacked, 

 about May 10. 



In unpacking, the four staples holding the 

 front case were drawn, and the case with 

 the packing was lifted off. This was car- 

 ried to another part of the yard and laid 

 flat, wood side down, on two logs. The back 

 case was then removed and laid on top, 

 burlap side down. These then were covered 

 with tar roofing and will be left until fall 

 when they will be ready to go back, already 

 packed, on the hives. To carry this point 

 still further I intend to build a tray of %- 

 inch material with a burlap bottom, to take 

 the place of the two packed hive-bodies. In 

 the spring the tray will be laid aside without 



