634 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 1 



eight queens fertilized where only one would 

 be ordinarily, then we have made a step in 

 advance. Swarthmore's method may be open 

 to criticism ; and if so, let those who have 

 had experience enlighten us, for it is only by 

 discussion that we can get at the full truth. — 

 Later. — We have just received word from 

 Carl F. Buck, of Augusta, Kan., who has been 

 trying the Swarthmore methods, that he had 

 "just taken from ten Swarthmore nuclei 

 boxes nine queens. I attached the boxes to 

 brood-chamber above an excluder. Will you 

 please let me know what you actually think 

 of the fertilizing of queens in Swarthmore 

 nuclei boxes, attached to upper chamber 

 above excluder? " Answering your question, 

 A. I. R. feels sure that the one-comb section- 

 box will not generally prove to be a success. — 

 Ed.] 



« f » 



THE SWARTHMORE SYSTEM OF QUEEN- 

 REARING. 



Continued from last Issue. 



BY SWARTHMORE. 



With open-top frames and shell cups, all 

 one needs to do, when he wants queens or 

 cells, is to roll the sheet back a bit and draw 

 one or a cageful — no smoke, no stings, no un- 

 due disturbance to the bees, no laborious work 

 in the hot sun, no fear from robbers — just the 

 simple act of "drawing one;" then replace 

 the hive-cover and come away. One has all 

 he needs, without lifting a frame. 



HOI^FMAN BARI,ESS FRAME. 



The above shows the manner of converting a Hoff- 

 man frame into an open-top or barless frame for re- 

 ceiving nursery-cages. 



It might be well to say, that the sheet should 

 be split directly over the " open frame," then 

 it is not necessary to skin the entire surface 

 of the frames every time one needs a cell or a 

 queen, or a cageful of queens. 



To convert a Hoffman frame into an "open 

 frame," remove the regular top-bar and fit a 



y% strip between the end-bars, two inches be- 

 low. Screw brackets of strap iron firmly on 

 to each end-bar, as shown in the sketch, to 

 form ears for the support of the frame in prop- 

 er position. One thin strip nailed edgewise 

 on to the flat edges of the end-bars will suf- 

 fice to steady the cages. 



MAKING PI.UG-CUPS. 



The molding of the plugs ready for com- 

 pression can be done on cool days — when a 

 little fire is welcome, you know. I prepare 

 500 to 600 plugs at a time, and do them all at 

 one melting, thus : 



The top-bars are laid flat upon strips of tin 

 in lots of 50 or more, and the shells are stood 

 upon end in shallow trays, in lots of 100 or 

 more. The melted wax is then poured into 

 each hole very quickly, with a long-nosed 

 ladle or small coffee-pot. If one is skillful 

 and neat, very little shaving will have to be 

 done afterward. 



BURNISHING OR FORM- 

 ING STICK. 



A hand tool for mend- 

 ing and smoothing plug 

 cups. 



HAND CELL-COMPRESS- 

 ING TOOL. 



The above is for re- 

 shaping cell-cups, or for 

 queen-rearing on a small 

 scale by the plug-cup plan. 



As soon as the wax has cooled hard, strike 

 the top-bars on the bench, and the tin strips 

 will drop off, leaving a perfectly smooth sur- 

 face upon the face of each plug ; then they 

 are ready for the compressor any time. 



The advantages of compressed cell-cups 

 over dipped or molded cell-cups are many. 

 First, they are not so fussy to prepare, and 

 they do not require so much skill in the mak- 

 ing ; second, they are not delicate waxwork — 

 the bugaboo of such a clumsy fellow as my- 

 self. The average bee-keeper can readily 

 operate a cell-compressor where the dipping 

 of cells would be an utter failure with him. 

 Third, compressed cell-cups will stand pretty 

 rough usage without being injured, where the 



