1901 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



745 



And now that we have exhausted the hive- 

 and-cover matter, I will show yon another de- 

 vice the editor indorsed. The half-tone will 

 show you the nature of the device, without 

 much description. It is for loading a queen- 

 cage with queen and bees, and not touching a 

 bee. The broad end of the cage has a sliding 

 cover ; the narrow end, a little tin gate or 



slide. To operate, take the slide off the large 

 end ; and when a-ou have found the queen, set 

 that end down over her. As soon as she runs 

 up into the cage, place the finger over the 

 end, then slip on the tin slide, and you have 

 her. Now place the beveled small end under 

 the wire cloth on the shipping-cage ; pull out 

 the little gate, and the queen will immediate- 

 ly run into the cage. Now withdraw the 

 catcher, and with the big end and your finger 

 scoop up a lot of bees, and run them in, or as 

 many as you need, and the work is done. It 



OUEEN-CATCHER. 



may be done as quickly by the plan of pick- 

 ing up one at a time ; but this way is certain- 

 ly safer for the queen. 



As I walked by myself I said to myself, 

 " John Rambler, you are a back number." 



An echo from the editor under the fig-tree 

 whispers, " Not in the line of flapjacks." 



I found myself asking myself a queer ques- 

 tion a few mornings ago. Said I to myself, 



and myself said unto me, "Say, John Ram- 

 bler, did you know you are getting to be a 

 back number? " 



"So ho, John Rambler, that may be ; but 

 there's lots of company on the same road. 



"There is Doolittle. His queen-rearing 

 was away up to date ; but now Swarthmore 

 leaves Doolittle away down cellar under the 

 back kitchen Yes, sir ; Doolittle feels it, 

 and is trying to catch up by whacking at long 

 tongues. Can't do it; out of breath; knees 

 stiff ; under the fence. 



"There's Dr. Miller, a back number, hold- 

 ing on to the T super like a tick to a sheep's 

 back, out of date fourteen years ago, don't 

 you know ? Then the doctor keeps grinding 

 away with that same old Straw-cutter ; cogs 

 slip ; the feed-gear all out of whack ; needs 

 oiling. If you must run the old machine, do 

 grease it up, doctor. 



"Now I am getting right down to business, 

 there is A. I. Root. You wouldn't think it, 

 but he is a back number. He used to tell us 

 how to make good serviceable hives out of 

 good well-seasoned %-inch lumber. Some- 

 body shows him a hive made of ^-inch lum- 

 ber ; claps his hand on the fellow's back, and 

 says, ' Yes, sir ; that is a good thing.' Dear 

 me ! It worries me to think of it." 



WEE-WAW HIVES. 



Look on the accompanying picture. The 

 first hive on the ground is a good J/^-inch one 

 ■ — has seen much service, but it is still strong. 

 The super upon it is made from a kerosene- 

 case, )^-inch sides, and improperly labeled ; 

 for if the super itself does not explode, the 

 fellow who handles it will use explosive lan- 

 guage. After a few months' use it becomes 

 what I term a wee-waw super, remarkably 

 loose jointed, and, when plac;d upon the top 

 of the good square hive, see how much out of 

 square it is — just the thing for a careless help- 

 er to use. He would leave half of the colo- 

 nies in the apiary with center ventilation. 



Anybody can readily see the season why it 

 becomes "wee-waw." There is not enough 

 thickness of lumber to hold the nails firmly. 

 To be sure, it might be nailed often; but 

 man)' nails weaken the holding parts, and it 

 spreads at the corners as shown in the next 

 hive. The only way to hold it in at the cor- 

 ners is with those corner-clamps used on 

 fruit-boxes, and shown on the next two hives ; 

 but even these clamps do not prevent the 

 wee-waw appearing in due time. 



