BOX HIVES 
137 
The passing of the log gum in the South. 
or gums just as it was done in England 300 
years ago. They have no knowledge of 
modern methods. The moth miller, swarm¬ 
ing, and poor wintering are the handicaps 
that prevent them from getting much hon¬ 
ey. The most of them, for example, know 
nothing of hiving the first swarms on the 
old stand, and placing the parent colony to 
one side or in an entirely new location in 
order to catch all the flying bees with the 
swarm. They leave the parent colony on 
the old stand, and, of course, it continues 
to swarm itself weak. In the meantime 
the moth miller and winter perform their 
destructive work. The result is that little 
or no increase is made, and the prime 
swarms are the only ones that yield any 
return. If foul brood ever gets a foothold 
here, the business, such as it is, will be 
wiped out. 
No matter what the season is, even tho 
the crop has been only half harvested, the 
colony must be brimstoned and the honey 
taken off at some particular phase of the 
moon. 
Possibly, here is a case showing that if 
ignorance is bliss ’tis folly to be wise; but 
the United States evidently thinking other- 
Avise, has recently been sending experts 
doAvn into this country to teach modern 
methods; for statistics show that there 
are more bees and beekeepers in this South¬ 
land than in any other portion of the 
United States. The country is exceedingly 
favorable for the keeping of bees, and the 
day should not be far distant when modern 
apiculture will supplant the old boxdiive 
system, coupled as it is with ignorance and 
superstition. 
It is only fair to state, however, that the 
class of box-hive keepers here described 
does not represent all of this Southland: 
but there are enough of them to require the 
earnest attention of the extension workers 
or county agents sent out by the Federal 
Government. 
Log gums used for producing comb honey, with the 
“supers” in position. 
As a matter of fact, extension men have 
done a splendid work in instructing the 
beekeepers of the southern States on how 
to keep bees by modern methods. Many 
hundreds in the South are now transfer¬ 
ring to modern hives; and Avitli the neAV 
