1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



569 



* '^'A^, 3»'i ^^, 



A CONVENIENT CAGE FOR HOLDING BABY NUCLEI DURING ROBBER TIME. 



The upper portion is hinged to the lower framework, so that the operator can get out without disturbing 

 the hive or his appliances on the shelving. 



bor thought this was hardly necessary in 

 his case, tor with the blankets in question 

 he got along very well. 



WIRE-CLOTH CAGES DURING ROBBING TIME. 



In order to see how the fence looks inside 

 we will step within the inclosure. It looks 

 really higher on this side than the other. 

 The trees, together with this fence, shut out 

 to a great extent light and air. It is almost 

 too shady. 



We find Mr. Mell Pritchard, the man who 

 has charge of this apiary, handling a baby 

 nucleus in a wire-clotn cage that he has de- 

 signed. By reference to the larger engrav- 

 ing of the same thing the reader will see how 

 he opens it so that an assistant can bring 

 him any tools or frames. It will be noted 

 that it consists of two parts, the lower frame- 

 work mounted on four legs. To the hori- 

 zontal side-bars are nailed curtains of com- 

 mon muslin, to fit the inecjualities of the 

 ground or grass. This is to prevent any rob- 

 bers from passing up under and into the 

 cage. In one corner and on one side are se- 

 cured two boards, one of which serves^thc 



purpose of a seat and the other a shelf to 

 hold material and tools. 



There is no top to this cage, because our 

 men at both yards find that robber bees will 

 rarely pass downward through the top of a 

 wire cloth inclosure of this kind, and, what 

 is more, any bees within can easily escape. 



When Mr. Pritchard desires to work on 

 another baby nucleus he picks up the whole 

 thing and walks off to another. When he 

 wishes to get out of the cage, and still is not 

 through with his work, all he has to do is to 

 tip the upper half over and step out. 



We have stated that a good many visitors 

 call at this apiary as they likewise do at the 

 home yard. In the following issues we hope 

 to show our own readers, as well as the gen- 

 eral public, what we do there and how we 

 do it; how a man and a boy have turned out 

 as many as OOO queens in a month. All this 

 and more will be the subject of a future ar- 

 ticle. Later on we will give snap shots of 

 every-day work at our other yards, where 

 our men will show some tricks of the trade 

 that may be of value to the public generally. 



