1893 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



495 



Trade Notes. 



BEE-ENTRANCE GUARDS. 



Along last summer, when we had hybrid col- 

 onies in the apiary, we had occasion to use 

 quite a few drone-guards over the entrances, to 

 keep in any undesirable drones that might be 

 amonn the bees. The guards we used were 

 like those shown in the accompanying cut; but 



we soon discovered that they did not afford suf- 

 ficient ventilation, and, as a consequence, on 

 warm days the bees clustered out. Observing 

 this, we instructed one of our workmen to make 

 a few guard!> having twice the number of holes, 

 or doubl(» the entrance capacity, of the other 

 guard. These we put in place of the smaller 

 guards, and were surprised to notice how much 

 better the bees kept in the hives. The subjoin- 

 ed engraving shows that it reaches the full 



length of the hive — is wide enough to take up 

 the surplus of the bottom-board projecting in 

 front of the hive, and deep enough to take in 

 three rows of perforations. If put on the other 

 way up. there will be a little of the alighting- 

 board projecting. 



In the case of some of our colonies of doubtful 

 purity we kept these guards on throughout the 

 season. Indeed, many of them were left on 

 over winter, so that many of the colonies hardly 

 know what it is to be without the guards. 

 Occasionally, when a few drones accumulate 

 by getting hung with their heads in the holes, 

 we remove the guards, and, with a sharp stick, 

 scrape off the surface of the zinc. This rubs 

 off the heads like a lot of buttons, freeing the 

 zinc, after which the guards are replaced as be- 

 fore. 



Such guards are an absolute necessity in 

 ■queen-rearing apiaries, or in apiaries where it 

 is desired to rear queens from choice mothers 

 of the honey strain. And then, too, they will 

 prevent the escape of runaway swarms, accom- 

 plishing the same purpose as clipping queens' 

 wings, without the attendant danger of the 

 •clipped queens becoming lost by crawling in 

 the grass, in the hopeless effort of following 

 the bees. 



POSITION OF THE SMOKER BELLOWS. 



When we decided upon the details of the 

 Crane smoker, there was no uncertainty as to 

 which position the bellows should occupy; i. e., 

 whether the large end should point toward the 

 •cone, or vice versa. From some experiments 

 that we had made, we were decidedly of the 

 opinion that it was better to have the large 

 end upward, or pointing toward the cone, p?-o- 

 vlding the stream of smoke was suppesed to be 

 delivered at right angles to the cylinder of the 

 fire cup. With the old-fashioned straight cone, 

 it is probably better to keep the bellows the old 

 way. 



When we reversed the position of the bellows, 

 we wondered that friend Bingham did not see 

 the point and fall in line, particularly as he had 

 recently put on a detachable nozzle, to turn the 



smoke at right angles from the 

 old position. Very recently we 

 were pleased to notice, from his 

 advertisement, that he had done 

 so. Fig. 1 siiows the old position 

 of the bellows, and Fig. 2 the 

 position adopted in the later 

 smokers. It' will be evident, 

 %j that position No. 2 is very much 

 _|i more handy when the smoke is 

 directed as shown. The hand 

 has more leverage, for the very 



reason that it is pressing on the 

 smoker- boards at the point of 

 the greatest leverage; whereas, 

 by the old way the hand has 

 to press the be) lows- boards at 

 the point of the least advan- 

 tage. We do not claim that 

 friend Bingham was copying 

 aftiM- us; indeed, this plan was 

 first brought extensively into 

 .^ praet.ce by A. J. Hill. Recent- 



FIC4. ^. ]y a writer in the Bee-keepers^ 



Review for February, page 37, demonstrated 

 clearly the advantage of having the large end 

 of the bellows pointing toward the cone, when 

 said cone has a curve in it so as to deflect the 

 smoke at right angles. As we were then work- 

 ing on the Crane smoker, preparatory to put- 

 ting it on the market, we very quickly saw the 

 point, and, as a consequence, every Crane 

 smoker has gone out with the curved nozzles. 

 It may be proper to remark, however, that 

 tho-^e who prefer the old straight nozzle, with 

 the original position of the bellows, can be 

 accommodated without extra charge. 



CLEATING SMOKER-BOARDS FOR SMOKERS. 



The first dozen or so of bellows of the Crane 

 smoker that we made had uncleated boards. 

 Noticing the disposition on their part to warp 

 occasionally on such a size of bellows, we very 

 soon had the ends of the smoker-boards rab- 

 beted out one-half the thickness and % inch 

 wide. In this was glued a cleat 34 inch thick 

 and J4 wide. Any disposition to warp now is 

 eft'ectually prevented. 



THE CRANE VERSUS THE CORNEIL SMOKER. 



In speaking of the relative merits of the 

 check-valve blast and the blast of the Cornell 

 smoker, it will be remembered that we were to 

 send to Mr. Cornell himself one of our very late 

 Crane smokers. He has kindly acknowledged 

 the receipt of it, and promises to conduct some 

 experiments again. We may, therefore, look 

 for interesting results further on. But let it be 

 understood that we want the Crane smoker to 

 stand entirely on its own bottom. From the 

 tests we have made, we firmly believe that the 

 principle of the Crane secures a stronger blast 

 than that of the Corneil. But as we are all 

 liable to make mistakes, especially when self- 

 interest comes in. we ahall take special pleasure 

 in reading what Mr. Corneil discovers ri'gard- 

 ing the relative merits qf the two smokers 

 placed on an equal basis. 



My liivc came the ;;Otl). I think the workmanship 

 is complete. I like it very much. I have put all 

 together that I have. Herman Loohis. 



Salisbury, N. Y., May 31. 



