1902 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



469 



ready in the field. Go to them in a fair- 

 minded, manly way, and, ten chances to 

 one, you will be met in the same spirit; 

 and if there is a location you will get it, 

 and there will be no conflict of interests. 

 I grant that an occasional hog may be met 

 on this side too; but I hope they are scarce 

 upon both sides. 



The natives here have a peculiar way of 

 treating undesirable animals. See that na- 

 tive with his machete at his side. Let hogs 

 beware. When reason fails, there is al- 

 ways a resort to that wicked-looking instru- 

 ment. 



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CLIPPING QUEENS' WINGS. 

 An Ingenious Device for the Purpose. 



BY K. ]). WILLIS. 



I inclose one of my inventions to hold 

 queens while clipping their wings. When 

 the queen is found, just press this rubber 

 baud down on her back. Hold her fast, 

 and you can trim her wings as you wish, 

 with a pair of scissors. I used one of these 

 instruments on 300 (jueens last year, and 

 did not lose one. 



Montrose, Col., April 12. 



[This I regard as an exceedingly simple 

 and practical device. It consists of a piece 

 of broken section cut in the shape of a fork, 

 as shown. A small rubber band is stretched 

 moderately across the two prongs, being se- 

 cured at either end in the manner illustrat- 

 ed. Some care should be exercised in get- 

 ting a rubber band light enough, and then 

 drawing said band to such a point of ten- 

 sion that it will hold the queen down nicely 



on the comb. To de- 

 termine whether that 

 point is reached, try 

 the device after it is 

 made, on a few of the 

 worker-bees. If you 

 can succeed in hold- 

 ing any one of these 

 down, then you can 

 with reasonable safe- 

 ty trjf it on a queen. 

 While she is standing 

 still on a comb, re- 

 ceiving the attention 

 of her admirers, clap 

 it down across her 

 back. She will wig- 

 gle and squirm ; but 

 if the rubber band is 

 adjusted to the right 

 point it will hold her 

 firmly without doing i , .. 

 any damage. Now, 'jjj 

 then, deliberately pick 

 out one of the large 

 wings, pass it between the points of the 

 scissors, and clip. Lift the little tool, and 

 all is over. 



I have tested personally this little device, 

 and I consider it all right. While, per- 

 haps, the veterans would not use it, as they 

 have become accustomed to the old way of 

 picking the queen up, yet I am not sure but 

 they might do so to advantage, for it is 

 pretty sure in its action. 



Some enterprising supply-manufacturer 

 might make them; but any bee-keeper can 

 whittle one out in three minutes. I wish 

 some of our subscribers would try it so that 

 I may determine whether it is of sufficient 

 value to put in our ABC book; for, be it 

 said, a new edition is now under way. — 

 Ed.] 



WILLIS' QI"EEN-CLIPVIN(; DEVICK — HOW USED. 



