66 THE BOOK OF BEE-KEEPING. 



it, shift it to the back of the hive, and unroll a portion of the 

 second cloth on top of it ; you thus have only one frame 

 uncovered at a time, and only a very small quantity of bees to 

 contend with, as the rest are being kept in a state of subjection 

 all the time by the subjugating cloths. The bees flying will have 

 little to do with the hive while these cloths remain on. 



112. Packing for Travelling. — The bee-keeping industry 

 has made such rapid strides during recent years, that bees 

 have become quite frequent articles of commerce ; this being so, 

 many railway and other journeys must be made by them, when 

 often, through the fault of inexperienced people, accidents occur 

 which under a different method of packing would have been 

 averted. If greater care is not taken in the packing of bees 

 for railway journeys, the railway companies will, as in some 

 parts of America, refuse to carry them. We give directions how 

 to pack bees for travelling in safety in the United Kingdom. 

 For foreign countries the packing is too difficult for novices. 

 We have, however, sent full colonies with perfect safety to Natal, 

 Cape Colony, and Australia. 



113. To Pack a Straw Skep. — These should never be 

 sent on a railway journey between the middle of June and the 

 end of October, as the combs being laden with honey, the 

 temperature high, and the hives crammed with bees at such 

 season, the whole structure will give way, and the bees be drowned 

 in their own honey. Swarms of the current year in straw skeps 

 must not be moved until December at the earliest, or certain 

 destruction will ensue, the combs being so very tender. It is 

 much the best plan to defer any railway journey during frost 

 or very cold weather. A straw skep, if not laden with honey, 

 and at least a twelvemonth old, can be so packed as to travel any 

 distance. The following is the best plan of packing for a long 

 journey: Provide a number of pieces of cork — wine corks cut up will 

 do nicely — fin. thick (each having a hole bored or burnt through 

 the centre), a piece of stout wire three inches longer than the skep 

 is wide, and pointed at one end, three-quarters of a yard of strainer- 

 cloth, and some string ; place these articles handy and close to the 

 hive to be packed. Now intimidate the bees as before directed 

 when Driving, and then invert the skep in a pail to keep it steady ; 

 now take one of the pieces of cork, and placing it between the 

 middle top edge of the first comb and the inside of the skep, 

 push the pointed end of the wire through the skep from the 

 outside through the cork and comb ; then place another piece 

 of cork between this first comb and the ne.xt, and push the wire 

 through this piece of cork and comb ; and so on until the whole 

 of the combs have a piece of cork between each two, the wire 

 skewering them all solidly together : this keeps the combs from 

 swaying and consequent breaking. Turn the wire at each end 



