1909 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



223 



The first principle of this machine consists in its having two 

 oscillating knives, which, being driven by foot power, have a re- 

 verse motion, while the comb is passed down between them by 

 the operator, and the^cappings are removed from both sides at 

 once, in the quickest manner possible. These drop into the up- 

 per can. which has a strainer at bottom, through which the honey 

 drains into the lower vessel, where it can be drawn off by a trea- 

 cle valve. 



We do not introduce this reference to antedate 

 in any way the claims in the Miller patent on 

 the machine shown elsewhere in this issue, but to 

 show how others have been working at the same 

 problem. 



But Mr. Miller has doubtless worked out this 

 more thoroughly than any of his predecessors. 

 While the illustration showing the Simmins ma- 

 chine in the April issue of the 5/vV///z Bee Journal 

 for 1886 clearly shows an uncapping-machine 

 with oscillating knives operated by a crank 

 movement, yet the principle, if we may judge by 

 the cut, appears to have been very crudely work- 

 ed out, and very possibly was not a success. 



We hope to have a zinc etching, copied from 

 the original Simmins decapping-machine, togeth- 

 er wirh a full description that goes with it, in our 

 rext issue. In the mean time we have recollec- 

 tions also of a similar machine in one of the Ger- 

 man publications printed about the same time. 



Stray Straws 



By Dr. C. C. Millep, Marengo, III. 



Lubricant for foundation-machines: 1 lb. of 

 dextrine in 3 qts of ro/</ water. — Bienen-VaterjlSi. 



When setting a bee-tent, if there is the least 

 breeze set the door toward the wind. Robbers 

 will not trouble that side so much. 



Easy to believe that, with wire-cloth separators, 

 sections will be filled fuller, page 205, but why 

 " more rapidly ".'' tWe do not know. Perhaps 

 Mr. Sorter can tell us — Ed.] 



Which tree is meant, p. 155 — the big cocoa 

 that pro3uces cocoanuts, or the little cacao that 

 produces Baker's cocoa.? or does neither of them 

 yield nectar? [T/ieobroma cacao. Cocoanut-trees 

 are fine for bees — W. K. M ] 



Two OR THBEE have suggested wire cloth with 

 coarse mesh for bottom-rack in deep bottom- 

 boards Better for ventilation, but more expen- 

 sive, and on cold mornings might be uncomfort- 

 able for the bees' footsie tootsies. 



Cowan says, "Wax Craft," p. 48. "Wax can 

 not be produced at all times, but its secretion is 

 voluntary." [Mr. Cowan is pretty good author- 

 ity; and until some one will produce facts to con- 

 trovert this statement it will stand. — Ed.] 



The T SUPER is objected to because too short 

 to cover well a dovetailed hive. That's an ad- 

 vantage. Part of the time I want an open space 

 at the back end for ventilation. When not need- 

 ed it is very easy to close it by tacking on a cleat. 

 [The T super is not too short when it is cleated 

 top and bottom at both ends — Ed.] 



E. D. TowNSEND says, p. 173, "there will be 

 more honey in the brood-nest when the excluder 

 is used " That's new to me. I supposed the 

 excluder, holding the queen down, would make 

 more brood in the brood-nest, hence less honey. 



[We should like to have reports from others on 

 this proposition. — Ed.] 



My BEES were cellared Nov. 27, 1908. Dead 

 bees swept up Jan. 26, Feb. 24, March 20, 1909. 

 Amount of dead bees that fell on the floor dur- 

 ing the three different periods, expressed in frac- 

 tions of a hodful, per day, were as follows: 



First period, .0183; second period, .0580; third 

 period, .0625. Usually I think there is a greater 

 difference in the last two periods. 



Kramer says physical heat is not sufficient for 

 sealed queen-cells. The intimate contact of the 

 bees with the cell has its effect on the character 

 of the future queen, and the larger the cluster 

 about it the better. So if a cell is caged at all it 

 should be the shortest time possible before the 

 queen emerges. Up to that time a cell had better 

 be in a strong colony. 



Robbing is said to be cured, Schiveiz. Bztg., 

 381, by putting flour on the alighting-board. 

 The robbers give it up because of so much trou- 

 ble in cleaning themselves. [A correspondent 

 recommends flour sprinkled on bees as a quick 

 way for introducing, see page 231 of this issue. 

 If it serves a good purpose at such times it may 

 be useful during robbing. It is very easy te try, 

 any way. — Ed.] 



The editor of Gleanings is in doubt as to 

 what we meant (page 62) by "white wax," and 

 proposes to try our recipe, using paraffine for the 

 white wax. He will not succeed. Over here, 

 "white wax " is beeswax bleached by exposure 

 to sun and air With that in our recipe he will 

 be able to see his good-natured face in his polish- 

 ed furniture. — Iris/i B. J., 97. [We accept the 

 correction. — Ed.] 



"Shaking energy into bees," p. 196. When 

 Mr. Alexander said, " That is the way to fix col- 

 onies that will not work," did he mean shaking 

 them or giving foundation in place of full combs.'' 

 [By reference to page 196 it is apparent to us that 

 Mr. Alexander included both the foundation and 

 the shaking. Perhaps his son, who is still operatng 

 his father's large apiary, can enlighten us. — Ed.] 



Louis Scholl reports, American Bee Journal, 

 91, that last year at a time when bees were secret- 

 ing wax so freely that some would consider it a 

 waste to give them foundation, he gave full sheets 

 of foundation in supers to part of his bees, and to 

 others only yi and ^ sheets. He says the result 

 was a great surprise. He found that in the last 

 lot he " had saved an average of 10 cts. in foun- 

 dation per super, but lost $1.20 of honey for it." 



Simmins' uncapper is the latest, Irish Bee Jour- 

 nal, 100. Looks like two mowing-machine sick- 

 le-bars, one on each side of the comb. Must 

 cost, but may be good. [In our opinion this 

 machine will not be so very expensive, as it has 

 no moving parts. We hope to have illustrations 

 of it in these columns as soon as we can have 

 some engravings made. We have some doubts 

 as to whether the machine will fit American con- 

 ditions. — Ed.] 



Speaking of deep bottom-boards, the "eke" 

 of the " W. B. C. " hive (see British B. K. Guide, 

 46) is practically a three-inch-deep bottom-board 

 in winter, and in connection with a shallow-frame 

 box may be used, in an emergency, as a tempo- 

 rary brood-chamber. Mr. Cowan writes that he 



