1902 



THE AMi:h'l('A\ BEE-KEEPER 



l[ 



The Best Bee — Neatness in the 

 Apiary. 



(W. W. iMcNeal.) 



LAYING aside all idle dreams and 

 taking the facts for what they 

 are worth, the much abused hy- 

 brid bee is a pretty safe one to tie to 

 in the race for honey. 



I do not mean that class of hybrid 

 which shows but one yellow band, but 

 a first cross of the old Italian with 

 the common black race. This combines 

 in one colony the good qualities of 

 both races with an added tinge of vi- 

 tality that is refreshing to look upon. 



The queen of a hybrid colony com- 

 mands the admiration of all by reason 

 of her great size and capabilities, for 

 she is of the flower of the Italian race 

 of bees. It is a great pity that these 

 representative queens cannot be con- 

 trolled when taking their mating 

 flight and not allowed to roam far be- 

 yond the range of choice drones in the 

 home yard. As it is, second rate 

 queens are of necessity largely used 

 for breeders for the sake of yellow 

 bands. 



I believe I am safe in saying, that, as 

 a rule, bees are kept for honey, which 

 in short means money, for ought bee- 

 keepers may say they are in the busi- 

 ness for fun. At any rate "the fun" 

 seems to materialize best when well- 

 filled supers are in evidence. And for 

 this reason the type of bee that is best 

 fitted for rough and tumble work 

 should be given the preference over 

 the others. Yes sir, all things consider- 

 ed, the bee that suits me best is a first 

 cross of the original Italian with the 

 common black bee. 



SE4TNESS IN THE APIARY. 



I love neatness in the apiary. I love 

 to see the grass well-kept as on the 

 lawn. I love to see the hives clean and 

 white with paint, standing in military 

 order throughout the yard. I love to 

 see every stone and chip in its place be- 

 yond the bounds of the apiary. In 

 short I do love to see the apiary in 

 apple-pie order and at all times. But 

 does it pay in dollars and cents? Nay, 

 verily! I am sorry to admit this, but 

 in the flurry and bustle of "the funny" 

 season when one has to get his dish 

 right side up and get it that way 

 quickly, then it is seen that the stone 

 and the chip are conveniently arrang- 



ed when lying promiscously about the 

 yard- A hive-stand needs to be leveled 

 up; a coverboard weighted down and 

 — well isn't it annoying to be compel- 

 led to run to the wo..idyard for every 

 little piece that is needed'-'' Then again 

 how nice it is to always have your bee 

 brush right at hand in th'^ shape of a 

 tall bunch of grass. What is more 

 suitable for brushing bees than a hand- 

 ful of these grassy tender shoots?. 

 Bees show as little resentment when 

 using such a brush as it is possible to 

 receive from them at any time. But in 

 brushing bees off their combs it is best 

 to give the combs a gentle tremulous 

 twirling or shaking before the brush 

 is applied. Dipping the brush in water 

 adds much towards the prevention of 

 stings; but the real beauty of a brush 

 of grass and of having the grass right 

 at your feet is that so soon as it be- 

 gins to smell of poison from the bees 

 it can be thrown away and replaced 

 with another- 



Then we find that the practical and 

 the ornamental effects do not readily 

 combine in the bee, nor apiary either. 



River Forest, III, July 14, 1902. 



A Home=Made Decapper— An Im= 

 proved Section, 



(M- F. Reeve.) 



I have made handy uncapping devices 

 out of two wooden chopping bowls 

 or dough trays which I picked up 

 one day on the bargain table of a de- 

 partment store at ten cents apiece. 

 They were over two feet long with 

 handles at the ends. I bored inch and 

 a half auger holes in the center, and 

 painted the whole inside of the bowl 

 with melted paraffine making them 

 honey proof. Then I made a frame to 

 fit on top of the bowls, from wooden 

 strips one-half inch wide on which I 

 tacked screen cloth. When I have any 

 uncapping ' to do I set the w^ooden 

 trays over enamelled or agateware 

 dishes, put on the screen wire frames 

 and drop the capping on them- The 

 honey runs down to the center hole 

 and into the bov.'l beneath and the cap- 

 pings drain themselves nicely ready for 

 the solar extractor. 



A little warm water cleans the bowls 

 and they dry off soon behind the stove 

 or range; and there you are. 



Mr. John Hooker, a veteran bee- 



