October, 1916. 



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339 



American Hen Journal| ^g^ 



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contend. 



Illustration No. 1, shows a stack of 

 hives that once contained flourishing 

 nuclei. Of the four hives still re- 

 maining on the ground only one now 

 contains bees, the others having been 

 cleaned out by yellow jackets. In No. 

 2, a trap has been stationed near a 

 nucleus containing a virgin queen, in 

 the hopes that the bait will lure the 

 enemy away from the ent''ance, at 

 least long enough to give the queen 

 an opportunity to take her nuptial 

 flight unmolested. 



In one of our colonies which had 

 become weakened owing to the pre- 

 sence of a drone-laying queen, the 

 harassed bees, together with a fine 

 new queen, deserted brood and stores 

 to escape the pests. In twenty four 

 hours devastat'on was connle'e. Not 

 only were the stores carr'ed away by 

 ri>b"ber-bees, but the brocd was torn 

 from the cells by the yellow jackets 



and the floor of the hive reminded 

 one of confetti-strewn streets on New 

 Year's Eve, so thickly was it covered 

 with particles of cell-cappings. 



We are rendering the bees all the 

 assistance possible, for it looks as if 

 we are fighting a very real yellow 

 (jacket) peril. 



M 



A Box Swarm Catcher 



lost beekeepers still prefer to 

 catch swarms by using a ladder, 

 saw etc., and by cutting down the 

 branch to which the bees are suspend- 

 ed. A large number also use the 

 swarm catchers advertised so gener- 

 ally. Messrs Roberts and Hartwick, 

 two Illinois beekeepers did not like 

 the ordinary swarm catcher, nor did 

 they like the exertion connected with 

 "shinning up trees". 



They have devised a swarm box 

 (see illustration) which by means of 

 a pole is inserted against the swarm 

 cluster. The box is made hollow and 

 long. They assert that the swarm 

 will immediately take advantage of 

 this improvised "hollow tree" and 

 cluster in and about it, when they 

 can be lowered and shaken in front of 

 a beehive. 



A Novel Feeder 



For years past there have been feed- 

 ers and feeders, but it has remain- 

 ed for \V. A. Chrysler, of Chatham, 

 Ontario to make one which combines 

 the good features of most of the others. 

 There are feeders which will take 

 enough feed at one time to provide 

 for winter, but the hive must be open- 

 ed in order to replenish them, which 

 is bad when there is a dearth and 

 robbers are about. There are others, 

 like the Alexander feeder which can 

 be replenished without opening the 

 hive but most of them hold but a 

 small quantity of syrup since they are 

 designed for stimulative feeding. Mr. 

 Chrysler's feeder will hold a liberal 

 amount of feed if it is desired to make 

 a quick job of it or a small quantity 

 can be fed each day as circumstances 

 Indicate. As will be seen at a glance 

 in the picture on the opposite page, the 



THE ROBERTS & HARTWICK SWARM CA ICHER IN USE 



feeder is made by means of a deep dou- 

 ble bottom with a partition across to di- 

 vide it info two separate compart- 

 ments. One is left wide open to serve 

 as an entrance to the hive and a 

 drawer just right to fill the other Is 

 made to hold feed. The lower 



photo shows the two slots in the bot- 

 tom board. One slot opens into the 

 feed chamber and the other into the 

 open entrance. This combined feeder 

 and bottom can be left In place the 

 year around and when feeding becomes 

 necessary for any reason it takes but 



W. A. CHRYSLER A.\D HIS BOTTOM FEEDER SHOWING SLOTS, ONE TO 

 FEED AND THE OTHER TO ENTRANCE 



