SHIPPING BEES 
741 
stand more than four or five days of hot 
weather. 
While the moving of bees from Florida 
to some northern State is attended with 
considerable risk, so much so that such 
long-distance shipments to and from these 
points have been practically discontinued, 
it is comparatively easy to move bees from 
Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming into Cali¬ 
fornia in the fall or early winter. (See 
Migratory Beekeeping.) The distance is 
much shorter and one is much more sure of 
catching a crop at either end of the route 
than he is when he moves a car to Florida 
and back to his own State, in the North. 
No one should attempt to move bees in car- 
lots anywhere without reading this article 
very carefully. If possible he should con¬ 
sult those who have already moved bees 
successfully. 
Where one desires to move only 100 or 
150 miles and the roads are suitable, using 
a large traction motor truck, with a trailer, 
will be cheaper than sending by rail. Even 
tho one has to pay at the rate of ten or 
fifteen cents a mile, the cost of moving will 
be less than moving by rail. Usually a 
motor truck with a trailer can be secured 
that will move one or two hundred colonies 
at a trip. The cost of loading will be very 
much less, because when bees are shipped 
by rail they must be securely fastened to 
take care of the severe end jolts of a 
freight train that are heavy enough to jar 
every hive loose from its moorings and 
let loose the bees. The motor truck, on the 
other hand, will be under the direct control 
of the owner of the bees. It can start 
gradually, and be run slow enough to avoid 
jolts over the Thank-you-ma’ams” and 
chuck-holes. 
HOW TO PREPARE A CARLOAD OP BEES EOR 
SHIPMENT. 
It is important to get the local agent to 
make arrangements all along the line to see 
that the bees are moved with all possible 
speed. At transfer points it is especially 
important to get an order from the operat¬ 
ing lines to have the bees transferred with¬ 
out delay. Arrangements should be made 
at least a week or two in advance, as it 
takes time for the correspondence to get 
over the lines. It is also important that 
the rate of freight be determined in ad¬ 
vance. 
If there are not more than 250 colonies 
to be moved, a small car should be secured, 
in order to reduce the minimum weight on 
which freight must be paid. Usually the 
average gross weight of the hives of bees 
will be below minimum freight; therefore 
the more bees there are loaded on to a ear 
the less the relative cost per colony. The 
average 36-foot car will take about 350 
hives, piled four tiers high, two rows on 
a side, leaving a small alleyway between 
the tiers of hives and an entrance-way 
opposite the car doors, for there must be 
room for the attendant to place a cot-bed 
where' he can sleep, when conditions will 
permit, either night or day. The minimum 
weight on a 36-foot car is 14,000 lbs. The 
average shipping weight of a colony is 
about 50 lbs., including the crate. This 
will make the gross weight 17,500 lbs., or 
3,500 lbs. in excess of the minimum. If 
one were to ship only 200 colonies he would 
have to pay freight on the minimum of 
14,000 lbs., and on this basis he would be 
paying for 4,000 lbs. of freight, with noth¬ 
ing to show for it. Hence it is important 
to load up to the minimum. 
Formerly it was thought necessary to 
build a series of shelving made of 4 x 4’s 
and 2 x 4’s to hold the hives one tier above 
another, as it was supposed that some colo¬ 
nies might need individual treatment en 
route. But experience shows that this is im¬ 
practicable. Moreover, the arrangement of 
shelving wastes space, and makes the load¬ 
ing and unloading very difficult and expen¬ 
sive. 
A better plan is to provide a series of 
cratings made of 2 x 4’s and long %-incli 
strips 4 inches wide. The cratings should be 
put together in such a way that the 2 x 4’s 
stand on edge. For cool or cold weather 
they might be laid flatways and thus save a 
little room. The long strips are to be hailed 
on each side, making in all a framework 4 
inches thick plus two %-incli strips, or a 
total of 5% inches. 
Figs. 1 and 2 show how the crating is 
put together. Each crate should be long 
enough to run from the car door to the 
end of the car, and wide enough to take 
two tiers of hives side by side the narrow 
way. The %-ineh strips are nailed on each 
