296 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 



THE SECTION BOX QUEEN CAGE-IH- 

 PROVE1YIENTS. 



fllAVE made two boards, size 4'ix4 14, like those 

 mentioned on page 2, Jan. No., and tacked wire 



"" under the hole (diameter 3 inches), to fasten on 

 to my section introducing- cage, and find them quite 

 handy for putting in and taking out the queen, &c. 

 So I said to myself, "Why can't friend Root cut tin 

 of the proper size, solder on the wire cloth, turn 

 down the edges of the tin so it would tit nicely over 

 the section, and furnish them to his customers, thus 

 saving this tacking- and pulling of tacks and bother 

 with wire cloth? They will answer nicely for ship- 

 ping queens. Simply tie a string around, and it is 

 complete. Now, friend Root, I don't expect $25. for 

 this invention, but hope you will try them, and I 

 think you will be satisfied that it is a step in ad- 

 vance. L. S. Jones. 



New Philadelphia, O., July 11, 1879. 



There would be two objections to your 

 wood board, — you could not see the queen, 

 unless she happened to come before the hole 

 in the board, and you have more extra pieces 

 to make and handle. For some time, we 

 have been using wire cloth folded as in the 

 following cut : 



WIRE CLOTH CAP FOR SECTION BOX QUEEN 

 CAGE. 



The lines show where the folds come. 

 When done, it shuts over the section cage, 

 like the lid to a bandbox, and two rubber 

 bands will hold it perfectly secure. You 

 will observe the ragged ends of the wire cloth 

 are all folded in out of the way of catching 

 on clothing or other objects, as wire cloth is 

 so apt to do. We can furnish such wire 

 cloth caps'for lc. each, and the pair of rub- 

 ber bands for lc. more. This makes about4c. 

 for the section-box queen-cage complete. 

 They can be sent by mail, complete and set 

 up, for 6c. The wire cloth band, shown last 

 month, to unite two such cages for holding 

 iib. of bees, will cost 3c. ; or the cage, com- 

 plete, for -Alb. of bees, 9c. ; if sent by mail, 

 14c. I am thus particular in going into all 

 these details, because the selling of bees by 

 the lb. promises to be a great industry. The 

 new arrangement of the wire cloth caps en- 

 ables us to dispense witli turning the combs 

 down on their sides, while tacking, which 

 operation is pretty sure to shake new honey 

 out of the cells. The remaining point to be 

 considered is, getting into the sections combs 

 that will not break out. We first fastened 

 them with thorns or pegs ; but, of late, have 

 been using tinned wire sewed through, both 

 ways. For comb, we use all the old comb 

 about the apiary, and thus get rid of all odd 

 bits. For very warm weather, it is desirable 

 to have the honey capped. 



IIOW TO GET THE BEES IN THE CAGES. 



Have a light hive made to represent exact- 

 ly the hives you use, but have it so that the 

 cage can be put into it in such a way that 

 all bees going in at the entrance must go in- 

 to the cage, the wire cloth being omitted on 

 one end, of course. Well, just lift your hive 

 off its stand, and set this one in place. Set 

 aside the frame containing the queen, then 

 shake bees from other frames, in front of 

 the entrance, until you judge your lb. or 

 half lb., as the case may be, has gone in. 

 Now slip on the wire cloth cap, and place 

 the box on your scales. If not enough bees, 

 put in some more bees in the same way ; if 

 too many, slide the cap back until enough 

 take wing, to have your scales show the 

 proper amount. Of course, you have taken 

 the weight of your cage, before putting your 

 bees in. The "Favorite Family Scale 1 ' is 

 very handy for this purpose. With the 

 troubles we have had, and are continually 

 having reported, in regard to loss of queens, 

 it is no wonder that the plan of buying $ lb. 

 or more of bees with them is rapidly gaining 

 favor. It is almost equivalent to buying a 

 colony, with the queen already introduced. 



FEEDING AND FEEDERS. 



H'N spite of all that has been said and the 

 number of feeders that have been of- 

 ~~ i fered, it seems we are not through yet. 

 Both Prof. Cook and L. C. Root, in their 

 new books, describe feeders made in, or on, 

 a division board. The idea of feeders in the 

 division board or sides of the hive is very 

 old, having been suggested as long ago as 

 the first volume of Gleanings; and modifi- 

 cations of it have been presented several 

 times since. The objections are, that the 

 openings in the division board, or the sub- 

 stitution of metals for wood, render the hive 

 less impervious to frost; also the use of 

 floats, I consider too much machinery, and 

 that of a kind, too, that is continually get- 

 ting out of order. A feeder, like a hive, 

 should, if possible, have nothing loose about 

 it. It should also never daub or kill bees, 

 and, if possible, should keep itself clean and 

 free from stickiness. 



As oyster cans are cheap almost every 

 where, several devices for using them have 

 been sent in, during the past few weeks. 

 D. S. Given, of Iloopestown, 111., sends the 

 following : 



given's oyster can feeder. 



The can is laid flat on its side, as you see. 



A part of the top is broken away to show 



the construction. The end is bent up 



obliquely, as shown at A, making a sloping 



