68 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



laid upon the alighting board. He 

 gives queens and not roj^al cells as 

 I have said, for the reason that he 

 "wishes to see if they are handsome, 

 and if they well represent the 

 mother. He only makes use of 

 cells when he is obliged to absent 

 himself from the apiary for a day 

 or two, and when he cannot over- 

 look the births at the moment they 

 take place. In my presence he 

 rolled some sheets of wax obtained 

 by plunging a flat piece of board, 

 first dipped in warm water, into a 

 vessel warmed by a water bath 

 Avhich contained melted wax. The 

 board has a handle at each end 

 made of wire fixed into the body 

 of the wood. When the wax is of 

 the density of S3a-up, and not too 

 hot, he plunges into it the damp- 

 ened board, holding it suspended 

 by one of the handles, and with- 

 draws it rapidly, allowing it to 

 drain ; then if he needs a very thin 

 sheet, not necessitating a second 

 film of wax, he turns over the board 

 holding it by the other handle and 

 plunges the other side. This done, 

 he has only to cut along the edge 

 of the board to detach two sheets 

 of wax that he proceeds to pass 

 through the cylinders of the ma- 

 chine. These cylinders are kept 

 constantly wet with a soapy solu- 

 tion held in a tin pan underneath 

 the lower cylinder. Tlie slieets of 

 comb foundation are of large size, 

 but can be cut to fit any frame. 

 I took a kilo to fit my frames. The 

 wax is fixed to the top bar, and 

 should not touch the side or bot- 

 tom bars. If it adheres to one side 

 or the other, the sheet is liable to 

 bend or Avarp and not get finished 

 in an acceptable manner. Mr. Pom- 

 etta furnishes the foundation made 

 in yellow or Avhite wax. 



He showed me also his manner 

 of shipping Italian queens by mail 

 as samples of no value. He takes 

 a block of wood measuring G4- cm. 

 on four sides by o\ cm. thick. 



With the American boring machine- 

 he cuts in this a cylindrical cavity 

 of 5 cm. diameter, and 3 cm. deep. 

 Into this cavity penetrates from top 

 to bottom, by a lateral hole of 

 12 mm. diameter, a tin tube closed 

 at the top, and open at the bot- 

 tom where it projects into the 

 large cavity. Into tlie open ex- 

 tremity of the little tube is intro- 

 duced a small cork which closes it, 

 but wliicli has on one side a little 

 cut which gives passage for a cot- 

 ton thread. The tube is filled with 

 water and tlie thread dips down 

 into it which comes out through 

 the cork. The tube is now turned 

 upside down and introduced into 

 the small lateral opening in such 

 a manner that the thread which is 

 kept damp comes out at the bottom 

 of the large cavity. In this latter, 

 and on the opposite side to the 

 cotton, is poured sugar which has 

 been melted over the fire with very 

 little water, and which solidifies 

 into'a solid mass. The damp thread 

 must not touch the sugar or it 

 would dissolve it little by little; 

 this is done by the twelve to fifteen 

 bees that are enclosed in the cavity 

 with the queen. 



The Americans, and even Mr. 

 Jones who has imported the Cy- 

 prian bees to Canada, make use of 

 water (which should be boiled) in 

 little glass tubes closed with a cork 

 and cotton thread. But the tin 

 tubes cost less and are stronger, 

 although by oxidation the water 

 becomes of a reddish tint. They 

 can be bought for three centimes 

 each. 



For a considerable journey, stop- 

 ping off in London, Mr. Jones put 

 160 to 300 bees to each queen in 

 an appropriate sized box having 

 above and below an opening cov- 

 ered b,y wire-gauze. 



To the water and the solidified 

 sugar fastened in an angle of the 

 box, he added a piece of honey 

 comb fastened in the centre. 



