Apr. 15, 1912 



ful invention; but if I can get rid of foul 

 brood and still get a good crop of honey 

 with so little manipulation, I shall be satis- 

 fied. 1 started in the spring with 1(5 colo- 

 nies, and increased to 27. From la colonies 

 1 took 729 sections of honey as follows from 

 each: 153, 70, 53, 53, 52, 50,"47, 47, 42, 30, 28, 

 27, 26. I keep my bees at the outskirts of 

 the city, one mile by electric, and a half- 

 mile walk brings me to them. 



ROBBING OIIT PARTLY FILLED SECTIONS. 



I have been using a method for cleaning 

 up partly filled sections that works very 

 well and there is no danger of spreading 

 disease. When the last super is removed, 

 take out all good sections and put back on 

 the same hive the super with the partly 

 filled sections. In about a week after this, 

 place a pepper-box feeder, containing half 

 and half sugar and water, over the bee-es- 

 cape hole. When the bees get nicely at 

 work on the feeder, uncap the honey and 

 move the feeder a little to one side. The 

 bees will enter the super and remove the 

 honey. 



.lohnstown, Pa. 



235 



I have also a wintering device and feeder 

 combined that has proven very handy. 

 Two of them are shown on the box at the 

 further end of the picture. A shallow tray 

 holding about a quart of syrup is in the 

 center of the box, and is surrounded by 

 packing material. The whole thing is 

 about the size of a ten-frame super, being 

 16x20 inches outside dimensions, and about 

 6 inches deep. With this protection over 

 the brood-chamber in the spring I can feed 

 earlier and with less bother than with any 

 other feeder I have ever seen. 



Exeter, N. H. 



CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CROSSES BE- 

 TWEEN ITALIANS AND CAUCASIANS 



BY J. J. WILDER 



AN ENTRANCE SHADE-BOARD 



BY C. E. ADAMS 



I am using a shade-board that I believe is 

 a little better than any thing that has been 

 described. It is shown in the accompany- 

 ing engraving, the second hive from the 

 front on the right having one in position 

 over the entrance. It can be made of very 

 light cheap stuff, and yet can not be blown 

 away if it is firmly braced. 



The covers on these hives belong to the 

 winter cases, and they give excellent results 

 as shade for the upper part of the hive. 



Entrance shade-board used by c . K. Adams, Kxeter. N. Y 



In my previous article, page 455, August 

 1, 1 endeavored to show that Caucasian bees 

 are not only equal to Italians as honey- 

 gatherers, but that, under certain condi- 

 tions, and at certain times, they are superior 

 in this respect. 



Caucasians are great propolizers, and they 

 build considerable burr and brace comb, and 

 for these reasons some feared that they 

 would not be of much commerical value. 

 Now, it is true that these are serious objec- 

 tions, and one could hardly be blamed for 

 condemning the bees on this account. How- 

 ever, it occurred to me that, since the Ital- 

 ians do not propolize to any great extent, 

 and build but little brace-comb, a cross 

 might tend to eliminate these bad features. 

 Black bees are not prolific enough to suit 

 me, and the Italians are not satisfactory for 

 several reasons. Hence I began crossing 

 the Italians and Caucasians, and by selec- 

 tion succeeded in getting a strain that is far 

 more satisfactory than either of the two 

 races in their purity. 



CHARACTERISTICS OF 

 THE CROSSES. 



As a rule, pure Ital- 

 ians do not build up 

 fast enough in the ear- 

 ly spring; and not un- 

 til some nectar is com- 

 ing in do they make 

 rapid progress in rear- 

 ing brood. Then if the 

 honey-flow happens to 

 be heavy and of short 

 duration they are slow 

 at storing. This is not 

 true with the Cauca- 

 sians and their crosses, 

 for they spread brood 

 rapidly in the spring, 

 and kcej) the brood-nest 

 com])act besides, so 

 that, by the time the 

 honey-flow comes on, 

 their hives are boiling 

 over with bees reaiiy for 

 the harvest. They do 

 not start off with a 

 rush, and later become 



