THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



149 



cups to cool, and then repeated until the 

 cups are sufficiently heavy. Then the 

 wheel is carried over to the water trough 

 and the cups removed. If the weather is 

 cool, the water should be kept at a tem- 

 perature of about 100° Fahr. , to make 

 the cups slip off easily. 



The machine automatically varies the 

 depth of dip by means of a plate with a 

 thick side and thin one, that is moved 

 around one notch every time the point is 

 reached where no pegs touch the wax. 

 Over this is arranged a piece of hoop iron 

 that moves up and down, on which the 

 thumb screws rest that are used for ad- 

 justing the machine to the quantity of 

 wax, and for lowering it as the wax is 

 used up. 



.-Vs ((ueen breeders generally will not 

 consider such a machine practical for 

 making cups for their own use, as more 

 simple arrangements can be used for se- 

 curing satisfactory cups in a wholesale 

 way, I will not go into all of the particu- 

 lars, but will add for the benefit of those 

 who want to make them for sale, that the 

 pins should have sharp shoulders the 

 right distance from the points to give the 

 cups the desired depth, which will trim 

 each cup to a uniform depth, and remove 

 the feather edge so liable to be broken off 

 in handling. It should be a square cut 

 in, and the cup made on the head or 

 larger portion. The cells made on 

 pointed sticks are just right for use when 

 the transfer is made liy using the cocoon 

 and there is nothing to do when they are 

 placed over the holes but make the trans- 

 fer and they will be fastened in the bar 

 at the same lime. If larvie only are to 

 be transferred, a peg the same size and 

 shape of the transfer slick, except the 

 end should be round and smooth instead 

 of concave, can be u.sed for pressing the 

 cups in the bar, which will stretch them 

 and make them the right shape inside. 

 No attempt should ever be made to fasten 

 them in unless they are soft enough to 

 mash up without cracking. 



Inasmuch as the bees more lavishly 

 supply larval food to royal larva; than to 



worker for the first three days, and all 

 agree that the resulting queens are no 

 worse for it, while the e.xperience of 

 many verifies the fact that they are bet- 

 ter, I prefer a plan of transferring where- 

 by newly hatched larvae can be used. 

 This is done by supplying the creeder 

 with combs so old that the bottoms of the 

 cells have lost their hexagonal shape, and 

 are thick and dark. A piece of such 

 comb may be shaved down with a keen- 

 edged, slightly heated knife, so as to cut 

 it smooth, within "s of an inch of the 

 bottom of the cells; and, by bending it 

 back and forth, the cocoons will drop from 

 it, unless it has been sufficientl}' exposed 

 to moisture to mould. 



It will be found that all do not work 

 alike; some seem to be glued in,' while 

 others almost fall out, with all degrees 

 between, but usually thej' can 

 be transferred by taking them 

 up on the transfer-stick, here- 

 with shown, which is sufficient- 

 ly rounding at the points to slip 

 into them without bruising 

 them; although they may be 

 stretched a little thereby, which 

 should be the case. The end 

 has a funnel shaped cavity in it 

 that fits over an egg, or small 

 larva, and takes the cocoon 

 up, fitting like a gun cap on the 

 tube, which by a slight press- 

 ure and little twi.st, is trans- 

 ferred to the cup. 



It is more satisfactory when 

 the comb is old enough so that 

 the outside of the cocoon is 

 black and glossy, and any ad- 

 hering thin tissues that are 

 liable to come above the edge 

 of it in the cup can be rubbed 

 from it while it is on the stick. 

 Whenever only a transparent 

 tissue is taken up it is useless to 

 insert it into the cup, as it has 

 not the stability to preserve its 

 form while the transfer is being 

 made. Whenever they loosen up by 

 simply beading the comb back and forth 



