22 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



Getting Bees Cheaply from the South. 



BYKON WALKEB. 



(Ol^INCE the last issue of the Review we 

 "^Sl have passed two days at the hospitable 



^"^ home of that enterprising bee-keeper, 

 Mr. Byron Walker, of Capac, Mich. Our 

 readers will remember that he is the man 

 who secures such wonderful yields of fall 

 honey, but this same honey is death to his 

 bees ; and in the spring he finds it advisable 

 to go South and bring home bees by the car- 

 load : or else send them by express in light 

 shipping boxes. At our request he furnishes 

 an aticle on this subject ; and any one who 

 for any reason wishes to secure a large lot of 

 bees very cheaply in the spring can do no 

 better than to profit by the experience of our 

 friend as given below : — 



I will mention some of the most serious 

 drawbacks that I have had to contend with 

 in getting bees from the South. First, the 

 cost of transportation. This is a serious 

 objection ; at least, where the shipper is 

 obliged to ship full colonies by express ; 

 since Southern hives are commonly much 

 heavier than those of Northern make. The 

 cost of such shipment often equals the first 

 cost of the bees. Of course, where light 

 shipping boxes can be had, or a car-load is 

 shipped, this item of freight can be cut down 

 largely. In the one case, however, the cost 

 of the boxes is in addition to that of the 

 hives, which are likely to be of no use to the 

 purchaser. 



At this time of the year a difference of 

 60° in temperature in thirty-six hours of 

 travel is not uncommon, hence it is obvious 

 that the ventilation that might be all right 

 for the colonies at the time of shipment, 

 may be far too great before they reach their 

 destination. 



The difficulty of securing a large number 

 of strong colonies on frames of a required 

 size, and also of getting suitable help at 

 points desirable for shipment, are other 

 hindrances that the shipper is likely to meet. 

 Then, too, there is often quite a variation in 

 the size of frannes and hives, that are s»p- 

 2J0SPd to be of one size. A diffei-ence of 

 half an inch or more in one or more dimen- 

 sions, is not an unusual thing. I will also 

 mention the necessity of having help at the 

 Northern home-yard to care for the bees as 

 they arrive. 



On the other hand, I will notice two im- 

 portant considerations that strongly favor 

 the scheme in (piestion. The first of these 

 is, that strong colonies of bees can be bought 

 in the South at one-lialf or less what 

 they would cost in the North : prices ranging 

 from !|1.()0 to $1.M pei- colony in box hives : 

 and from !|2.00 to ){;;!.( !(l in frame hives. As 

 a great many colonies are kept throughout 

 the South, notably in tlie states of Ai-kansas, 

 Tennessee, Mississip[)i and North Cai-olina, 

 and as but few Southern bee-keepers find 

 their apiaries a source of much pi-ofit, there 

 is no end to the bees that are offered for sale. 



The second consideration arises from the 

 fact, that for every hundred miles travelled 

 South in the spring, other things being equal, 

 there is a gain of from eight to ten days in 

 the time when fiowers begin to bloom, and 

 bees to swarm. From twenty-four to thirty- 

 six hours by rail, will show a gain of from 

 six to nine weeks in climate. Last spring I 

 found fruit trees in full bloom the first week 

 in April, in the latitude of Memphis, and 

 two months afterward I found them in tlie 

 same stage of advancement five hundred 

 miles further north. It is hardly necessary 

 to point out the use that one shipping bees 

 from the Soutli can make of this fact. 

 However, let us suppose that two persons, 

 desiring to secure two hundred strong colo- 

 nies, have finally bought one-half that num- 

 ber at some convenient place for shipment, 

 where they can eventually take advantage of 

 this difference in climate. And further, that 

 they hold excursion tickets good for sixty 

 days, that the privilege of the location, bee- 

 house, and fixtures have been secured for 

 that length of time, and that it is then about 

 the middle or last of March. With favorable 

 weather, the very strongest colonies will be 

 preparing to swarm, and as increase is the 

 chief object, the management must be such 

 as to attain that end. The swarming ten- 

 dency should be encouraged, and a large 

 number of young laying <iueens secured as 

 soon as possible : while the upper stories 

 with combs are to be used in hiving natural 

 swarms and building n\-> artificial ones. 

 Where the extra stories and combs, (common 

 at the South where the L. hive is used), are 

 not available, frames of wired foundation, 

 and shipping boxes will have to be substi- 

 tuted. By this method the exi)ert bee-master 

 can double the number of colonies in five 

 weeks or less, besides securing considerable 

 surplus ; and in the meantime preparations 

 for shipping can be completed. 



Certain poii:ts with regard to buying bees 

 and preparing them for shipment deserve 

 attention, as tliey have a bearing on the 

 hindrances referred to above. The first step 

 necessary where a man is planning a trip of 

 this kind, is to make known his wants 

 through the advertising columns of the bee 

 journals, at least six weeks before the time 

 fixed for starting, inviting correspondence 

 with parties having bees for sale at the 

 South. In conducting this correspondence 

 he can't be too particular in having it cover 

 every essential point that may enter into the 

 value of the colonies offered for sale, the 

 sources of honey fiow, the facilities for hand- 

 ling and preparing for shipment, freight and 

 express rates, the standing of the party with 

 whom he is i)roi)Osing to deal: and. (as 

 strong colonies only will pay for the purpose 

 wanted), let him insist on knowing liow 

 many frames of brood well covered with 

 bees at a certain time, are to be considered a 

 strong colony. It doesn't pay to travel 500 

 miles or more from home in pursuit of an 

 unknown quantity. By this course a toler- 

 ably correct oi)inion may be formed of the 

 inducements offered shipjiers in different 

 localities. Having decided on a shipping 

 point, and arranged for excursion tickets, it 

 remains to secure a supply of wire-cloth, 



