268 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Sbipping; Bees. — Questions are 

 continually coming in about how to pre- 

 pare bees for transportation. Indeed, 

 there are several queries about it in this 

 issue of the Bee Journal. Mr. D. A. 

 Jones has had much experience in that 

 line, and we here reproduce from the 

 Canadian Bee Journal an article from 

 him on the subject, which will be inter- 

 esting to those who contemplate trans- 

 porting bees by rail : 



We have frequently been asked the 

 question, How to Ship Bees ? We have 

 just received a few colonies from a 

 friend, who is one of our best bee-keep- 

 ers. They were all strong colonies and 

 very full of brood, and just as soon as 

 they arrived, we sent for them from the 

 Station, and as our teamster drove into 

 the yard, we remarked that there would 

 be plenty of dead bees if the colonies 

 wore strong when shipped. We put 

 them down and got the entrance opened, 

 and found three of them clogged with 

 dead bees ; in fact out of five colonies all 

 the old bees were dead in four hives. We 

 think we are safe in saying that there 

 were dead bees enough to make more 

 than two colonies out of the five. The 

 bees had died for want of air. 



They were packed as follows : Over 

 the entrance there were screens, and on 

 the top of the frames were cross sticks 

 about an inch high, with thin cotton 

 spread over them. Had the colonies 

 been weak they would have come through 

 in that condition all right, or had the 

 weather been cold, it would have 

 amounted to the same thing. As it was 

 very warm, however, the bees left the 

 brood and crowded to the top of the hive 

 — the entrance being clogged with dead 

 bees, they soon stopped all circulation of 

 air and consequently a great many 

 smothered. 



In order to ship bees successfully they 

 must be prevented from stopping the 

 free circulation of air. We question 

 very much, however, whether there could 

 be enough ventilation given at the bot- 

 tom of the hive. It only takes a few 

 bees to clog the entrance, and then the 

 rest crowd up between the frames to the 

 top, and the excitement resulting there- 

 from causes an unusual amount of heat. 

 The bees will then pack themselves 

 tightly together on the top, and in be- 

 tween the frames, which prevents the 

 heat from escaping, and shuts off air. 



This causes a great deal of prespira- 

 lion or moisture to be given off by the 

 bees, which makes them damp. We 



have seen colonies which had every 

 comb packed solidly with bees on top of 

 the frames a half an inch or more deep, 

 and half way down between the frames. 

 In lifting the combs apart, one would 

 almost imagine that these bees had been 

 drowned, so wet and closely packed were 

 they. Now, how can we prevent this? 



Well, we will tell you what we have 

 done and how we do it. It will never do 

 to ship bees, when they are strong, in 

 warm weather, unless there is plenty of 

 room given on top of the frames. We 

 think it better to give them too much 

 than too little ventilation. We find that 

 the bees will always stay on the brood 

 during cold weather and keep it covered 

 and warm, but if it should turn hot, they 

 then try to get above the brood instead 

 of below it, and for this purpose we 

 usually put a rim from four to six inches 

 high, on top of the hive, allowing the 

 bees to cluster on the wire cloth that 

 covers it, leaving the top open — if the 

 colony is very strong. Should the 

 weather become cold, they will leave this 

 cluster on top of the frames and go right 

 down and take care of the brood, so there 

 is less danger in giving too much than 

 too little ventilation. We do not think 

 there is any more risk, or perhaps not as 

 much, in shipping bees at the height of 

 the swarming season, if proper precau- 

 tions are taken to give them plenty of 

 clustering room above the frames. We 

 have sometimes shipped them so strong 

 that we have had to put a second story 

 on top. We seldom had a loss of bees 

 when shipped in this way. Of course, 

 if the combs are new and not well 

 attached to the sides of the frames, or if 

 too heavily filled with honey, there is 

 danger of them breaking down, but we 

 usually select combs attached all around, 

 or as strongly attached to the frames as 

 possible. Old combs are better than new 

 ones to ship bees in. — Canadian Bee 

 Journal. 



Tlie Springffield, Ills., Exposi- 

 tion opens on Sept. T, and closes on the 

 11th. Over $100 are offered in pre- 

 miums on bees and honey. Mr. James 

 A. Stone is the Superintendent. Special 

 premiums, in addition to the above, are 

 offered by the Capital Bee-Keepers' 

 Association, James E. Hemmick, of Des 

 Moines, and the American Bee Journal, 

 of Chicago. Premium lists can be 

 obtained of Charles F. Mills, Secretary, 

 Springfield, 111. 



