292 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW, 



I can suggest to E. R. or any others who in- 

 sist on carr>ing in the boards how to dispose 

 of at least a part of them to better advan- 

 tage than piling them up. Put them down 

 to set the hives on instead of stringers at the 

 bottom. Set an extra board in the corner at 

 the end of the row where you will begin to 

 set the hives. Then your first hive brought 

 in set just where you want the second board 

 to remain, leaving the desired space between. 

 Now lift the hive from the board and move 

 it over the open space between the boards. 

 The hive will now rest with one edge upon 

 each of the two boards with the open space 

 below. Proceed with the next in the same 

 way and so on. Then in carrying out you 

 have only to reverse the process. See how 

 much time and fussing this saves. 



I use bottom boards ( which are my regular 

 hive covers) for this purpose entirely, just 

 in this way, only I have extra covers which 

 I place in position before I begin carrying 

 in, and then I leave the bottom boards where 

 they stand until I set out the bees again in 

 the spring. 



If handled right the bees are disturl)ed 

 less in this way than by trying to confine 

 them to the hive. The fresh, cool air, only 

 makes them cluster up the closer. They 

 make a fuss very quickly on finding them- 

 selves shut in, and the disturbance is com- 

 municated very quickly to the whole colony. 

 The temperature should be falling as you 

 say. In an article in Gleanings two years 

 ago i gave .onsiderable emphasis to this. 

 As you have call 3d attention to it in your 

 leader I will only add, it is important and 

 illustrates again that there is a right way to 

 do everything. 



I make the open space between the hives 

 about two-thirds of the width of the hive. 

 It seems to be as good as more. 



This plan of an open space below the col- 

 ony for wintering, which I commenced sug- 

 gesting in a very modest way to my brother 

 bee keepers a good many years ago, I con- 

 sider valuable both for indoor and outdoor 

 wintering. I have been experimenting for 

 several years along this line, and recommend 

 it with confidence. This principle was em- 

 bodied in the plan of friend Clark's hiber- 

 nating hive. 



I use a hive cart. I consider it a success. 

 It has come to stay with me. It converts 

 the laborious work of carrying into a plea - 

 ant exercise, a mere pastime. If the yard is 

 not smooth enough for this purpose I would 



advise by all means to make it so, not only 

 that you may use the hive cart, but because 

 it makes the other work in the apiary more 

 pleasant. 



When I am ready to set the bees in I letter 

 and number each hive with a piece of chalk, 

 lettering the rows and numbering the hives 

 in the row, so that I may be able to set each 

 hive back on the stand from which it was 

 taken. I have always practiced doing this, 

 and I think it saves much confusion among 

 the bees on taking their first flight. 



East Townsend, Ohio, Nov, 6, 1891. 



Carrying in the Bees Without Labor Saving 

 Devices. — Arrangement of the Hives. 



K. m'kNIGHT. 



Roving BEES; when to do it 

 and how to do it," seems a 

 simple subject to treat, and 

 may be answered in a few words. Move 

 them into the cellar, or bee house, at the 

 proper time and by the shortest and most 

 convenient way. The proper time cannot 

 be well defined, as it depends upon locality 

 and the condition of the weather. Here in 

 Ontario I consider the proper time is the 

 second week in November if the weather is 

 suitable. They should be dry when put 

 away. I consider five months as the limit 

 that bees should be confined, and this should 

 regulate to some extent the time they are 

 put away. 



How to move them is a question that will 

 remain open. The man of devices will con- 

 trive something he thinks may aid him in 

 the work (and the devisors amongst bee 

 keepers are legion). The man of good sense 

 and muscle will pick them up and carry 

 them off without fussing much over devices. 

 My method of moving hives is to remove the 

 cover, bend my back, turn the first and sec- 

 ond joints of my fingers under the bottom 

 board, then straighten my back and walk 

 off with them. I have frequently an assist- 

 ant in the work, and then sometimes we use 

 the old fashioned hand borrow. Where 

 there are no abrupt descents to be made I 

 consider the hand barrow the best aid avail- 

 able. 



You tell us of people who use hand-carts, 

 slings and neck-yokes as aids in the work. 

 I think we have seen Dr. Miller, Mr. Board- 

 man, Mr. McFarland and others depicted in 

 bee papers, each harnessed to his hobby, and 

 the situation appears to me a trifle silly. 



