1905 



GLEANINGS IN CEE CULTURE. 



369 



for certain which is right. But I must be 

 going now." 



" before you go I wish to leave a thought 

 with you; and when you solve it (or any 

 other reader of Gleanings) just tell us how 

 it is done: A weak colony, one weak enough 

 so there are bees between only three combs, 

 or what is called a 'two-space cluster,' will 

 have brood on both sides of the center comb, 

 and in one side of one or both combs next to 

 the cluster, with practically no bees on the 

 other side of the comb (or away from the 

 cluster), so that there is only the septum of 

 the cells or comb between this brood and 

 the cold empty space on the other side; and 

 yet this brood will be brought to perfection 

 without any bees or any warmth from any 

 bees in and about the cells on the opposite 

 side of the combs. I have seen such cases 

 many times, and it has always puzzled me; 

 and I doubt not but all close-observing apia- 

 rists have seen the same during a spring 

 after colonies have wintered poorly. The 

 colony having only S5 bees and the queen, 

 which built up to a good colony and gave 5 

 sections of honey, which I have spoken of 

 several times in my writings, had brood 

 only in the cells on the inside of the two 

 combs between which they clustered; and 

 yet they held and perfected this brood dur- 

 ing many nights when there was a heavy 

 frost — so heavy that the ground and grass 

 would be all white in the morning, and the 

 young bees emerged from their cells in about 

 the usual time of 21 days from the laying of 

 the egg. This thing has puzzled me great- 

 ly, when all of my other knowledge goes to 

 show that it requires at least 92° to perfect 

 brood properly. ' ' 



Bee KEEPING IN THESOUrKWESI 



BY LOUIS H.VCHDLL. COLLEGE STAt I tfW TEXAS 



MOVING A SHORT DISTANCE. 



After last year's experiments the follow- 

 ing plan was adopted as a satisfactory and 

 practical one. It was tried recently on one 

 of my own apiaries of 50 colonies which was 

 moved about a hundred rods, and I am in- 

 <lebted to the manager of my apiaries, Mr. 

 H. C. Sattler, of New Braunfels, Texas, for 

 faithfully carrying out this plan. He says: 

 "Tuesday I moved that bee-yard, as we had 

 a nice sunny day. At 9 a.m. I stopped all 

 the entrances with moss. The bees did not 

 fly earlier, as the morning was cool. Then 

 we moved all the colonies to the new stands. 

 We did not leave a few weak ones in the old 

 yard, as I overlooked that in your outline. 

 Next day, at noon, I opened all entrances, 

 smoking each one well. The bees came out 

 and flew around, and marked their new lo- 

 cation, except the ten colonies of Holy 



Lands. They came out with a rush, and did 

 not pay much attention to my smoke. 



" I went to the old place to see how many 

 bees were returning. There were about ten 

 or twelve to a stand of Italians; but three 

 times more of Holy Lands, and hardly any 

 goldens. They did not stay longer than 

 about ten minutes, and I saw them all re- 

 turning to the new location— at least all the 

 Italians and goldens. At 8 P.M. some of the 

 colonies on the new stands were working, 

 but no bees returning to the old places. I 

 will not say that it works as well with Holy 

 Lands, but it worked successfully with the 

 others. On the third day the weather turn- 

 ed cooler and the bees did not fly." 



Bees can be moved in this way almost any 

 time during warm weather when bees are 

 flying, if it is not too hot. The entrances 

 are only slightly stopped with moss or green 

 grass, and in very warm weather a piece of 

 section placed under each corner of the cov- 

 er aff'ords ventilation. There is no danger 

 of suffocation, as the bets can easily free 

 themselves at the entrance. When they 

 gnaw out, the obstruction causes them to 

 mark their location, so very few bees go 

 back to the old one. This obstruction should 

 be partly left when the entrances are open- 

 ed the second day. In many cases it is hard- 

 ly necessary to make the extra trip for that 

 purpose. 



I think it unnecessary to leave any colo- 

 nies in the old yard to catch returning bees. 

 If they find nothing but the bare places 

 where these hives used to stand they will 

 be more apt to remember the hive they 

 came from, and will return to it. 



OPEN-ENTR.\NCE MOVING. 



Moving bees with open entrances, long or 

 short distances, proved unsatisfactory in our 

 experiments. If it can be done, the danger 

 of accidents is too great to admit the use of 

 the method. It may work with gentle bees, 

 weak colonies, and the right weather condi- 

 tions. Strong rousing colonies would cause 

 trouble, for they could hardly be kept in the 

 hive by .«moking the entrances. It would 

 simply be out of the question if the bees 

 were cross or the weather were such as 

 \;hen even gentle bees are irritable. Some 

 of our Southern strains of bees can not be 

 moved with their hive entrances open. No- 

 thing but a closed entrance will keep them 

 in when their hive is handled. Some Holy 

 Lands and Cyprians, and their hybrids will 

 rush out in spite of the smoke. If much 

 smoke is used it irritates them the more. 

 Smoke causes them to rush out of the hive 

 instead of keeping them in. Just imagine 

 a wagonload of forty rousing colonies of 

 these bees! An attempt to move them with 

 open entrances would end most disastrous- 



I have tried the plan of moving with open 

 entrances several times. It is not practical, 

 and the risk involved is too great. The as- 

 sertion th?.t one man with a smoker can keep 

 the bees quiet in the hives while the horses 



