1908 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



147 



graceful insects are always in quest of our 

 insect enemies, and so do much good as well 

 as some evil. 



THE PRAYING JIANTIS. 



These curious insects are limited in our 

 country to the South and West. They be- 

 long to the order that includes the crickets, 

 locusts, and grasshoppers, and so we might 

 expect them to be voracious feeders on 

 plants. They are the only exception, and 

 feed exclusively on insects. Like the sting- 

 ing bugs they have the front legs modified 

 to serve as grasping organs. These, how- 

 ever, are long ; and as the insect rests on 

 these great jaw legs it looks as if it were on 

 its knees. As it raises these same legs it has 

 much the attitude of the minister as he pro- 

 nounces the invocation — hence the name, 

 though it might well be preying mantis, as 

 the insect is a fierce destroyer of other in- 

 sects. I have never seen these insects kill- 

 ing bees here, where they are quite common, 

 though not as large as the ones I have from 

 Florida. It is also true of these that they 

 do much more good than harm. 



THE MILLER IMPROVED INTRODUC- 

 ING CAGE. 



Tinned v. Black Wire Cloth for Introducing. 



BY DR. C. C. MILLER. 



The Miller introducing-cage, gotten up 

 some years ago, has been very kindly receiv- 

 ed, and has found its way for some time into 

 supply catalogs. A few years ago I discard- 

 ed it for what I thought an improvement, 

 and this improvement has in its turn been 

 thrown aside for the one shown in the illus- 

 tration. A trial of some 50 of these for a 

 year or more has confirmed the belief that 

 they are much bettter than the Miller cage 

 in more than one way, and more up-to-date 

 in meeting the requirements of present-day 

 practice. 



With the aid of the illustration I'll tell you 

 how one of these cages is made. The block, 

 1, is 3iXliXfV' the part that is cut out be- 

 ing l|Xi. On this, as shown by ■^, is fasten- 

 ed a piece of tin HX2 inches. The tin is 

 bent so as to leave a space to be filled with 

 candy; and to make sure that this space is 

 not too small, a round lead-pencil is held in 

 it while two small wire nails are driven 

 through the wood and tin, and clinched. 

 Holes are punched in the tin on the side 

 where the nails start in, but they are not 

 needed on the other side. The block is laid 



on a smooth pine surface, and mere driving 

 sends the nails through the tin on the under 

 side. The diameter of the pencil is a little 

 less than "^ of an inch, which, as you see, 

 makes a very slender pencil. A larger space 

 could be used, but it must be remembered 

 that, the more slender the candy-passage, 

 the longer it takes the bees to gnaw through. 



When you have got thus far you will see 

 that the queen will have to tui'n a pretty 

 sharp corner to get out. She would prob- 

 ably make it all right: but to make it easier 

 for her, cut away a little more, beginning 

 back yL or | inch, and making a slanting cut. 

 Of course, the block might be cut so in the 

 first place. 



The cage proper (3) is made of extra-heavy 

 bright wire cloth, which costs five times as 

 much as common painted wire cloth, but it 

 will last ever so much longer, and is not so 

 easily crushed out of shape, and the cost for 



THE LATEST FORM OF THE .MILLER INTRO- 

 DUCING-CAGE. 



each cage is so little that it is economy to 

 use the better kind. Cut apiece 3|X4; wrap 

 it around a stick liX/.y. and perhaps 4 inches 

 long (unless you wrap it a little loose, better 

 have the stick f thick), letting the wire cloth 

 project over the end of the stick about f 

 inch. About \ inch from the other end tie 

 around a wire, then fold in the projecting 

 ends and batter them down. That com- 

 pletes the cage. 



At the open end there should be a selvage 

 edge, or else the edge should be folded out- 

 ward about \ inch. In the latter case, of 

 course the piece should be cut enough larger 

 to allow for the folding. 



It is well known that we sometimes want 

 a queen to be caged in a hive for a time with- 

 out allowing the bees opportunity to liberate 

 her, and at other times we want them to have 

 that opportunity. This is especially the case 

 in the up-to-date plan of having two queens 



