May 3, 1900. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



275 



lodge. If the surface is rough it must be planed and made 

 smooth. For this propolis is necessary. Anticipating her 

 wants in this respect I made it a point to have tight joints 

 and a smooth surface. For this purpose I use tallow for 

 filling up all inequalities of surface. It also makes the 

 joints tighter when the device is screwed up against the 

 frame, thus preventing the wax-moth from getting between 

 the frame and board. I have never known the wax-moth to 

 burrow in tallow. It does not seem to be agreeable to its 

 taste. When the bee finds that her wants in these respects 

 have been attended to, and having no use for propolis, she 

 is well content to leave it outside. I do not recommend 

 tallow as necessary any more than I would axle-grease for 

 wheels. The purpose is almost similar in both cases. 



Some time ago I read a rhyme criticising the inventors 

 of fads and follies in the apicutural world. I believe the 

 reading of this rhyme run all the smoother for having in 

 its composition " lightning and tallow." 



As I have no further interest in the Notre Dame hive 

 than to place its good qualities before the public, I shall 

 leave its adoption and manufacture to whom it may concern. 



After all, it is only the application of the vise to a new 

 purpose. Since the screw of the steamer has wrought such 

 wonderful and beneficial results in navigation, shall it be a 

 greater surprise if the vise placed in a bee-hive should also 

 effect a like revolution in its manufacture — especially when 

 the principal requisites of a perfect hive are involved ? 



St. Joseph Co., Ind. 



No. 



9.— The Queen-Excluding' Honey-Board- 

 How to Get the Most Out of It. 



BY "OLD GRIMES. 



THIS very convenient implement for the bee-keeper has 

 received its due share of praise and blame, and of course 



with those who praise it the excluder has come to stay. 



Perforated metal, when first introduced, was chiefly 

 recommended for entrance-guards, and the Alley drone- 

 trap was constructed chiefly of this metal. When first in- 

 troduced a large number of the latter were sold, from the 

 fact that they were a new thing, and something of a nov- 

 elty, but we guarantee that not one in ten of those pur- 

 chast is in use, and the most of them will be found in the 

 pile of " has beens," and it is so to a considerable extent 

 with the entrance-guards. 



In the Grimes apiaries we use queen-excluding honey- 

 boards, but use a small amount of perforated metal ; it is 

 economy to use less metal, and not obstructive to the bees. 

 As ordinarily used the perforated metal is placed upon the 

 hive in sheets, or it is made into a wood-slatted honey-board, 

 and there is no way for the bees to pass except thru the 

 perforation. 



As previously stated, we use a 10-frame hive, and we 

 make a frame for our honey-board just as tho we were 

 going to use the slats and strip of zinc, but instead we in- 

 sert a thin board the whole size of the top of the hive ex- 

 cepting a three-eighth inch space on each side. This space 

 allows the bees free communication from brood-chamber to 

 super, but it is along the outside of the outside combs. The 

 queen scarcely ever visits the outside of the last comb in a 

 10-frame hive, or even an 8-frame hive, and the chances for 

 her to get above thru the openings are small — in fact, we 

 have had small queens get above even when perforated 

 metal was used. 



In the box-hive days the bees would work quite as well 

 in the supers, and have access thru only two or three auger- 

 holes, and in recent days some have recommended honey- 

 boards with only one row of perforated metal. Now, why 

 have any perforations if the bees work as well, or even bet- 

 ter, and the queen stays where we want her ? 



There are times, tho, when we desire the metal, and a 

 good share of our boards are provided with a simple device 

 whereby a strip of perforated metal can be attacht over the 

 spaces. This is used when we desire to rear a queen in the 

 upper portion of the hive, and is not intended to prevent 

 the old queen from coming up, but to pievent the young 

 queen from getting down. We also use the metal upon our 

 excluder when we first hive a new swarm and wish to keep 

 the queen from getting into the sections, but in this case 

 the use is only temporary, or until the brood-nest is estab- 

 lisht in the proper place, and then it is removed. 



When working for extracted honey the excluder is used 

 for a considerable period, for it enables the bee-keeper to 

 secure combs solidly filled with honey, instead of half 

 honey and half brood. In an ordinary season all of this 



brood in the super would hatch, or the young bees would 

 become mature too late to gather honey, and they become 

 consumers, as they have already been in the larval state. 

 With a close watch of tjie honey-resources of a given 

 locality, much money can be saved that would otherwise be 

 u.selessly consumed. 



There are other times when the queen-excluder can be 

 used to advantage. During a short honey season it is well 

 to restrict the number of bees, and to keep the colonies 

 weak instead of strong — it means less feeding. 



In the Grimes apiaries we use the Porter bee-escape, 

 and a few of our honey-boards are fitted with them. Strips 

 of tin are placed over the two open spaces, cutting off all 

 communication except thru the escape. We use this device 

 for the removal of the most of our comb honey. 



We use the bee-escape only to a limited extent upon our 

 extracting supers — it is hardly quick enough in operation 

 for our work. Our honey extracts better when taken 

 directly from the bees. When the escape is used several 

 hours must elapse before the supers can be removed, and if 

 the escapes are put upon the hives in the evening, the honey 

 is quite cool by the time we extract, and does not flow so 

 freely from the combs ; and, on the whole, the boys prefer 

 the brushing and shaking process. With our shallow 

 supers the bees are soon removed, and sometimes the brush- 

 ing is not resorted to. 



We expect that further developments will enlarge the- 

 usefulness of both the queen-excluder and the bee-escape. 



Increase— Its Control and Management. 



BY JOHN R. SCHMIDT. 



ALL bee-keepers, practically speaking, are troubled with 

 their bees increasing more or less beyond only a cer- 

 tain number of colonies which they desire to care for. 

 This additional increase, especially in the production of 

 comb honey, is hard to control. Numerous plans have 

 been given in the bee-papers explaining how this evil may 

 be overcome, but most of these plans either cause much ex- 

 tra labor or are altogether unprofitable. It is not a ques- 

 tion of what ran be done to prevent this increase, but a 

 question of what can be Aon^ profitably. 



The plan I propose, I think, will meet all requirements, 

 and also saves one-half the work when preparing for win- 

 ter, such as packing, feeding, etc.; in short, only half the 

 number of colonies are to go into winter quarters that have 

 produced honey during the season. I say produced honey, 

 because if there was any nectar to be gathered all colonies 

 would have been in a condition to store a surplus. Now, 

 you undoubtedly know from what I have already said, such 

 a state of affairs can only be brought about by uniting. I 

 know many are opposed to uniting, but do not condemn it 

 just yet — it is so easy when done right, and this is what 

 saves lots of labor, and allows the bees to work according 

 to nature the following spring. This is how it is done : 



For example, the bee-keeper desires to keep only SO col- 

 onies, and 25 hives contain bees at present. These colonies 

 are built up in the spring by the various methods until all 

 the hives are overflowing with bees, and all are ready to 

 swarm. Now instead of removing queens and the like to 

 prevent swarming, give room in the supers, and all that 

 are ready to do so will begin to store their honey in the 

 supers ; some will give up the swarming inclination and 

 continue to store in the supers thruout the whole season. 

 So far so good ; but there are others that are not so willing, 

 and persist in swarming, and if prevented will waste much 

 time in loafing. Now all colonies which act thus are 

 actually encouraged to cast a swarm, for the sooner we re- 

 lieve this pressing desire the sooner they will be willing to 

 work, for it was long ago proven that it is wrong and 

 almost useless to attempt to force a colony in such a condi- 

 tion to store honey in sections. 



As soon as the swarm issues it is hived and placed next 

 to the parent colony ; thus the hives are always arranged in 

 pairs, which prevents the loss of queens to a great extent 

 as when the hives are in long rows, and also gives lots of 

 room to work between each pair. 



From now on the swarming can be controlled quite 

 easily, and is under perfect control, as far as these two col- 

 onies are concerned. They are now given plenty of room 

 in the supers, but not too mucli, just enough for them to 

 occupy comfortably and keep warm. The old colony may 

 be either supplied with a young laying queen, or allowed to 

 rear one. In a few days if it shows any signs of swarming 

 again, it is taken bodily and set on the opposite side of the 



