1893 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



of the super, the time of the day, the state of 

 the weather, the presence or absence of a honey- 

 flow all have their influence to vary this time. 

 As a rule they pass out most rapidly when all 

 conditions are such that they are naturally the 

 most active." 



As bees are more active during daytime than 

 at night, they leave the supers more readily 

 during the daytime. Bees, too, that, under the 

 influence of a good honey-flow, would leave the 

 supers in a few hours, may. in a time when 

 there is no nectar, and the weather is cool and 

 cloudy, be as many days in deserting the supers. 

 Thus it will be seen that those who wish to 

 accomplish the most that is possible with the 

 best escapes must work when all things com- 

 bine to their interest. 



As to the diffei-ence of time occupied by the 

 bees of any colony passing from a super through 

 a single escape, as compared with several es- 

 capes, it is not discernible. A whole colony 

 could pass through a single escape in less than 

 one hour, if their anxiety to move out could be 

 awakened to such a degree as to cause them 

 all to want to get out in that time. But as 

 there is no way by which such an anxiety 

 can be awakened, the only thing to be done is 

 to allow them their own good pleasure: and in 

 this direction a single escape is better than a 

 dozen, as there is less heat from below through 

 one opening than through several. 



Liverpool. 111.. Dec. 13. 8. A. Shuck. 



A NOVEL IDEA. 



A CHEAP HOME - MADE BEE - ESCAPE THAT 

 doesn't cost a CENT. 



To those wanting super - cleaners for next 

 season, but who did not realize enough from 

 this year's honey crop to pay for them. I will 

 try to explain my plan, which will not cost 

 them a cent for material, and but very little 

 labor to try it. All that is necessary in order to 

 clean a super of bees is to shut them off' from 

 communication with and the heat of the brood- 

 chamber, and then leave a door for their es- 

 cape. But in warm weather this door must 

 prevent them (or others) from going back. 

 This I accomplished with seventy-Hve colonies, 

 without a failure, last season, by simply fasten- 

 ing a sheet of newspaper over the pattern slats 

 of an empty super, or section - holder. This 

 cuts oft' most of the heat, and leaves a 4ii-inch 

 space between the surplus and the brood, when 

 in position. Then for a door (connecting the 

 two) or escape, take a stick M inch square, 

 sharpened from the four sides, and with it 

 punch several holes down through the paper. 

 Do this over the center of the bee- space be- 

 tween the slats, and you will have a combina- 

 tion of the spring and cone bee-escape, and I 

 doubt its infringing on either of them. Put it 

 on the hive in the evening: and if all of the 

 bees have not passed through it from the supers 

 above by next morning, then something is 

 wrong with the escape or else brood above. 

 The same plan may work over a super filled 

 with empty sections, with only a bee-space 

 between the paper and the surplus to be cleaned ; 

 but I have never tried it. J no. Haxdei,. 



Savanna, 111., Dec. 10. 



[It is very possible that you have given us a 

 valuable discovery. The bee-escape is so sim- 

 ple and so cheap that it does not -s-etm as if it 

 would be worth any thing; but if. as you say. 

 you have tried it on 7'> colonies, without a fail- 

 ure, there must be something in it, and should 

 merit at least a trial from every bee-keeper. 

 After mentioning the use of the newspaper, you 



say punch holes in it with a .stick }.2 inch 

 square. " sharpened from the four sides." This 

 makes the point, as we understand you, pyra- 

 mid-shaped, and holes punched with this in- 

 strument will be self-closing; whereas those 

 made with the point of a pencil, or any kind of 

 stick with a conical point, would not be. To 

 illustrate, suppose you prepare, as soon as you 

 read this, a stick '^^ inch square, pointed as de- 

 scribed, and another one of the same diameter 

 pointed like a lead pencil. Push both through 

 a newspaper, and note the difference. The 

 square stick, with its pyramid point, makes a 

 hole tluit will tear something in the shape of a 

 letter X. Bees can go through it easily one 

 way: but the other way, the four points coming 

 together close against the bee. The conical 

 point tears out some of the paper. We shall 

 certainly give the plan a trial next summer; 

 but while such an escape would not be a very 

 permanent affair, it would answer admirably 

 in lieu of .something more expensive and possi- 

 bly no better. The number of holes can be in- 

 creased to facilitate the passage of bees down- 

 ward; and this is one great point in favor of 

 this novel escape. Oh, say I if you forget to 

 take this escape off afterward, the bees will do 

 it for you, bit by bit.l 



RENDERING "WAX. 



SOAK THE COMBS BKFOKE MELTING: GOOD 



SUGGESTIONS. 



In the recent discussion regarding the render- 

 ing of wax in the most economical manner, the 

 chief reason for soaking the combs seems to 

 have been overlooked. It is recommended to 

 soak the slumgum. but it is the combs that 

 should get the soaking. Soak them in acidulat- 

 ed water (3 lbs. sulphuric acid to a barrel of 

 water) until the pollen and such parts of the 

 cocoons as are not impervious to water by rea- 

 son of propolis are thoroughly saturated. This 

 not only decomposes these substances, but pre- 

 vents their absorbing the wax. provided the 

 melting process does not cause the evaporation 

 of the water. But even if these substances, by 

 reason of drying out. as in a solar extractor, do 

 absorb some wax. it is far easier to get it from 

 this slumgum than from that in wich the 

 combs were not first soaked. 



I use my solar extractor only for cappings, 

 bits of new combs, etc. The old combs are 

 broken up and " put in soak " until I am ready 

 to render them, when they are dipped out and 

 melted in a large kettle. This hot mixture of 

 wax. water, etc., is poured through a double 

 strainer into a settling-can. The upper strain- 

 er is ot wire cloth, and the lower of cheese-cloth. 

 The matter that is caught in the upper strainer 

 is. while still hot, returned to the kettle, and 

 boiled in strongly acidulated water. It is then 

 poured into a cloth bag. and all fluids are 

 squeezed out by twisting the bag up tight. The 

 wax is afterward clarified by the usual process. 



Where combs containing granulated honey 

 are to be rendered they are uncapped and sub- 

 jected to slow heat until the honey is melted. 

 A solar extractor, if carefully watched, will do 

 this work nicely, and scarcely start the wax. 

 After the honey is out. the combs are treated 

 the same as other old combs. 



The refuse k^ft by the foregoing process is 

 hardly worth burning. I wish to emphasize the 

 fact that great care must be used in handling 

 sulphuric acid. Never pour water into tlie acid, 

 hut pour the acid slowly into the water. 



Arthur C. Milt.ku. 



Providence, R. I., Dec. 13. 



