Peter Barrett wrote:
>
> Anyone interested in beekeeping history, particularly how beekeeping
> pioneers transported bees across the oceans (eg. from Europe to the New
> World - North an South America, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific
> Islands) in sailing ships in the 19th century and earlier. I have source
> material on Australian and New Zealand 19th century beekeeping history
> from which I published 'The Immigrant Bees 1788-1898' in late 1995. I'm
> building up material for a second edition so all contributions are
> welcome.
> I'm currently researching the activities of beekeeper and missionary
> William Charles Cotton ('My Bee Book', 1842) in NZ in the 1840's through
> his unique and fascinating set of journals he wrote while in NZ. They
> contain many attractive hand drawings of Maoris, bee houses, scenery,
> people, maps, buildings. Anyone with biographcal material on Cotton
> please mail me.
 
I am fascinated by this post about immigrant bees.  Is your book
generally available to order from bookstores?
 
I inquire because im my own family history, there is oral history passed
down from my grandparents that my great-grandfather brought bees with
him when he migrated from Germany to the US in the 1870's.  I often
wandered how this was done, and how anyone could have possible brought a
bee colony over by sailing vessel, then transported it by wagon through
the wilderness of those days.  I just can't imagine it!  So I would be
very interested in your book.
 
Ted Fischer
Dexter, Michigan USA