THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



smokers, and wire-nails of all sizes from one 

 inch upwards. 



Now. if the shipper aims to secure an early 

 flow at tlie North from fruit or other bloom, 

 but little attention can be paid to obtaining 

 either honey or increase at the South, but 

 preparations for shipping must be pushed to 

 completion before the flow from poplar and 

 the gums render it impracticable. In this 

 case, the risk of sliipping by car lot is much 

 less than it would be after this flow. A 

 stock car is commonly used in shipping bees, 

 but for early shii)nient I think a box car 

 with doors at the ends as well as sides pref- 

 erable, as it affords protection from the 

 cold, sure to be present at night, and likely 

 to be met by day toward the northern part of 

 the route. Such a car is also protection 

 against the showers of cinders that come 

 with an unfavorable wind. Of course, in 

 loading, the combs must run parallel with 

 the track, and it is very desirable that a 

 space be left the whole length of the car 

 rather wider than the width of a hive : then 

 by having the second tier of hives rest on 

 racks built clear of the tier below, it is pos- 

 sible to handle any colony that may need at- 

 tention, and sprinkle them all when desired, 

 by means of a fountain pump. 



If the apiarist prefers to ship by express in 

 small lots, he should endeavor to buy at 

 enough lower prices to nearly cover the ex- 

 pense of hives, and ship in cages prepared 

 for the purpose. If these are made of thin 

 Cottonwood, a timber plentiful in most parts 

 of the South, they need not weigh over five 

 or six lbs. complete, and yet be plenty 

 strong enough to cor tain a poiiulous colony 

 with all its brood, and stores enough to 

 last for a week. The cost of material for 

 these, including wire-cloth +or top and one 

 side, is about 18c., while the saving in express 

 charges is about .50 per cent. If the shipper 

 were to begin shipping in lots of ten, at the 

 end of the first month, and average five 

 shipments a week, allowing one week for the 

 return of cages, there would be time enough 

 if fifty cages were used, to ship 200 colonies 

 within the limit of a sixty days ticket ; but 

 it would be well to have an extra ten for use 

 in emergency. The cages should be two 

 inches deeper than the frames to be shipped, 

 and part of one side, as deep as the frame, 

 should be cleated and hinged as an aid to 

 rapid handling at each end of the route. 

 Where two or more persons are engaged in 

 shipping in such cages, one can go north 

 with the first lot, pave the way for the rest, 

 and care for all on their ai-rival. Printed 

 cards tacked to these cages requesting that 

 the bees be sprinkled with water during the 

 heat of each day, and that the wire-cloth 

 sides of cages be turned against each other 

 in case of cool weather, might serve a good 

 purpose. 



Whatever plan of shipping is adopted, 

 where natural stores are used, too much 

 pains can't be used to provide each colony 

 with pure water. This can be supplied in 

 combs. At least two should be given a col- 

 ony. Care should also be taken that all 

 combs are properly fastened to the 

 frames to which they belong, as well as 

 frames to their proper places. As a number 



of queens are likely to be lost in shipping, it 

 is important that a suijply of extra ones be 

 kept constantly on hand. 



In case the shipper has a good many weak 

 colonies to build up in the home yard, or a 

 (piantity of combs to cover, a great saving in 

 the first cost of bees, and also in cost of 

 shij)ment, can be made by buying a lot of 

 bees in box hives, shipping the natural 

 swarms in cages, driving such coloiues as 

 fail to cast swarms, and taking all the bees 

 left in the hives, as soon as the worker brood 

 is all hatched, and shipping all in cages. 



In conclusion. I will venture to estimate 

 the cost of 2(K) colonies delivered at some 

 point 500 miles north of the shipping point, 

 ten days before clover bloom, where secured 

 by the plan given above : First cost of 1(X) 

 colonies, $800: freight by car lot, $70: 

 railroad fare of two men, $'>0 ; board of 

 same twelve weeks, |8o : wire-cloth, nails, 

 and cartage, *2.") : lumber and sundries, $20 : 

 total, $.oi'50. They would cost at the North 

 $1,0.')0. Besides the surplus, this would 

 leave $500 as the wages of two men for two 

 months. 



Capac, Mich., Feb. 2, 1889. 



A Light Shallow Hive for Summer Only. 



OHALON FOWLS. 



l^^pjHE CAPITAL invested in my apiary 

 (^VP ^'^ l'ii"gely in the brood combs. I have 

 J^ more than one thousand fine brood 

 combs built on foundation in Simplic- 

 ity wired frames. I must therefore use hives 

 that will take tliese combs as far as they go. 

 I have chaff and Simplicity hives, but for 

 convenience in raising comb honey I use the 

 old style Heddon hive and case. 



While I have practiced contraction for some 

 years, and do yet with moderate sized 

 swarms, I find that reversing the combs 

 gives the most important result of contrac- 

 tion: viz., forcing the brood right up to the 

 top of the frames. This may be done on the 

 first day of the honey flow, and the sections 

 will be entered promptly at the beginning of 

 the season. 



For new swarms I use a hive that I have 

 tested during two seasons, and like very 

 much. It takes eight frames ■i''-^ inches 

 deep, made without bottom bars. In short, 

 it is a Heddon case without the divisions. 

 ( )f course, a queen-excluding honey-board is 

 used. 



I don't winter bees in these "flats." 

 When the season is over I shake the queen 

 and part of the bees into a hive having the 

 regiilar sized frames supplied with stores. I 

 then clap on a lioney-board, then on top of 

 that set the flat hive containing the rest of 

 the bees, where it is left until all the brood 

 hatches, when the "flats" are gathered up 

 and put away to put new swarms in the next 

 season. 



Of course, where no increase is desired, it 

 is an easy matter to unite with the old stock 

 that has the young queen and stores. 



To those who iirefer a light, summer hive 

 for new swarms, this hive has the following 

 points in its favor: Cheapness, best method 

 of contraction, and two of the small frames 



