Moving Bees

This is the season of the year when manj' stocks of bees are being moved. 'he oíd saying that "what is worth oing at all, is worth doing well," is as applieable to moving bees as to anyhing else. We have seen stock which ïad traveled hundreds of miles, and which, when opened, were found to be ïone the worse for their journey and all the rough handling incidental to ailroad travel. We have seen other stocks which ïad been taken but a few miles, and hat on a spring wagon, that lost half ,heir value by the moving. All the lifference wascaused by the difference n packing for shipment. A hive is best prepared for shipment as follows : Place the combs at regular intervals apart - say half an inch. ïake strips of wood inch by half irch, and as long as the hive is deep. Place one of these strips between every two combs, one tt each end commencing on the outside; whcn the last one is reached wedge it flrinly against the side of the live. ííow the combs are in no danger of moving sideways. Next, lay a similar strip over the enda of the frames and fasten it to the sides of the hive. Xow the frames cannot move up or down ; and if the combs are oíd and strong, and not too full of honey, the hive will be safe with almost any kind of treatmeut: though tor the sake of still i'nrther safety it would be best to write on the front or back of the hive, "This end forward" so that whatever jolting the hive receives will be from end to end, and not from side to side. The bees should be confined in the hive with wire clolh, which should cover the whole top and if the weather is warm, the bottom too. This insures ventilation, and that is necessary, as bees, when excited, as they are by moving. genérate a great amount of heat, often enough to smother them and to melt l)oth comb and honey.