1905 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1071 



due the bees by smoking and drumming, 

 then we load them on the wagon. Even on 

 a hot summer day it is rare for a bee to take 

 wing after the wagon is started. Our expe- 

 rience is with Italians and Carniolan- Italian 

 crosses. 



The crop here has been a failure; so in 

 August we decided to locate a yard of 100 

 colonies in a good range about 36 miles from 

 home, where prospects were better. For 

 this long trip we stapled lids and floors to 

 the hives. The first load of 27 hives was 

 started on a cool morning when bees did not 

 fly. This load was on a spring wagon, and 

 went right through to its destination with- 

 out any trouble. This same cool morning 

 we prepared two more loads, using "dead- 

 ax " wagons with hay-racks and a few inch- 

 es of hay. The first load started nicely, but 

 the incessant jar and rattle soon aroused the 

 bees, and from our position on the next load 

 we saw that the bees were annoying the 

 horses. We went perhaps half a mile with 

 our load, but the bees were so fearfully 

 shakpn up that they showed a disposition to 

 attack the horses, especially as a horse 

 shakes its ears so frantically when a bee is 

 near. Finally our team stopped, and, when 

 released, we had something of a tussle and 

 scrimmage before we got them away. Just 

 as we got our team safely away I saw that 

 Mr. Rinard, driver of the other team, was 

 having trouble. His team had stopped, and 

 was rearing and plunging. My assistant 

 helped him to unhook, but his horses broke 

 away and ran perhaps a mile before he 

 caught them. We had both sets of harness 

 repaired ; and that night, as soon as the bees 

 were all in the hives, we started again. 



My load made the trip successfully; but a 

 cloud of smoke was allowed to drift back 

 over the load. At every chuck-hole, cul- 

 vert, or stone, a few bees would take wing, 

 but the horses were not stung. 



After Mr. Rinard had gone about six 

 miles one of the tires came off and the bees 

 were set off to remain until the next week, 

 when we moved them with entire success on 

 our spring wagon. 



Now, when you go to move bees in this 

 way see that they are. first, subdued; then 

 load on a spring wagon, always. Use a 

 smoker to subdue any rebellious colonies 

 while loading. Cover tops and half way 

 down the sides of hives with a large wagon- 

 sheet, so that smoke blown under will reach 

 all the hives. Drive carefully, though you 

 can allow the team to trot where the road is 

 good. 



Next summer I shall have heavy muslin 

 covers for the horses, with head completely 

 protected, and so avoid any likelihood of ac- 

 cident whenever the horses need be near the 

 bees. 



In closing, if any one tries this method 

 and loses a valuable team, or has a bad ac- 

 cident, don't blame me, as 1 am not recom- 

 mending this method; but in this way all 

 our bees will be moved when moving is nec- 

 essary. The colonies come through with vi- 

 tality unimpaired, and ready for a honey- 



flow, without the disappointing dwindling 

 that many have noticed when moved by the 

 old methods. 

 Boise, Idaho. 



[We have had enough reports now rela- 

 tive to moving without closing the entrances 

 so that we may say the plan is a success 

 when carried out properly. 



But I do not quite understand why a spring 

 wagon would be better than one without 

 springs. After bees have been subdued 

 with smoke, and been bumped and jarred, 

 and this bumping and jarring are kept up, 

 they act demoralized, and are not inclined 

 to sting— at least that has been my observa- 

 tion and experience. The spring wagon 

 would serve, it would seem to me, to let the 

 bees get back into a quiet state, then when 

 there would be a sudden jolt they might 

 rush out and offer an attack. I can only 

 suggest that the reason why the moving in 

 the one case resulted in trouble was not 

 because of a lack of springs, but because, 

 possibly, some particular colony, ordinarily 

 easily irritated, had not been fully subdued 

 in the first place with smoke. I may be all 

 wrong, but I should be glad to have some of 

 our subscribers, who have had experience, 

 correct me if so. I expect to have one of 

 our outyards brought in without closing the 

 entrances; but. mind you, we will have the 

 king-bolt so that it can be easily withdrawn, 

 thus releasing the team in case of trouble. 



-Ed.] 



t«»»» 



IS THE ONE-POUND SECTION A MISTAKE? 



BY T. K. MASSIE, STATE APIARIST. 



On page 813, under the above caption. Dr. 

 ' Bohrer indorses Virgil Weaver's condemna- 

 tion of the "so-called" one-pound packages. 

 L. V. Rickets and others in the American 

 Bee Journal have expressed similar views. 

 I think these gentlemen all make a mistake 

 when they condemn the section as such. 

 The public has been taught by bee-keepers, 

 supply-manufacturers and dealers, and the 

 bee-journals, to look upon the section as a 

 one-pound package, and this, too, without 

 regard to their size or shape. Honey pro- 

 duced in the " Standard separatored sections 

 will not average a full pound, and consumers 

 are fast finding this out. Then they reason 

 like this: "Bee-keepers are cheating us in 

 quantity — this we know; and if they will 

 cheat us in quantity they would cheat us in 

 quality also, and sell us sugar syrup or glu- 

 cose, and call it honey." 



I sell all my own honey direct to consum- 

 ers (none of it is ever shipped to the con- 

 gested markets), and I know, therefore, 

 whereof I speak. I have frequently met 

 with that kind of argument. There is no 

 use in doubting the fact that the light-weight 

 section is largely responsible for the great 

 falling-off in sales of comb honey; and when 

 Messrs. Weaver, Rickets, Dr. Bohrer, and 

 others condemn the fraudulent part of the 

 sections — the light weights — they have my 

 hearty "Amen." 



