1900 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



167 



of buzzing robbers to make things de- 

 cidedly unpleasant during the latter 

 part of the day. 



We present herewith a crude sketch of 

 a device calculated to expedite the ex- 

 change of combs of honey for empty 

 combs ; and that without letting in 

 a lot of bees. For the idea we are 

 indebted to Mr. L. G. Hill, of Buffalo, 

 N.Y., who has grown from childhood to 

 old age in the study and practice of bee- 

 keeping. Though we have not tested 

 the arrangement practically, we have 

 no doubt that it will serve the purpose 

 for which it is designed. 



It is constructed of two circular pieces 

 of one-inch stuff, substantially cleated 

 to give the necessary rigidity, of the 



HILL'S TURX-TABLE. 



same diameter as the aperture in the 

 outside wall of the building, cut at a 

 convenient place and height. Another 

 firmly cleated piece, after the plan of a 

 plain door, and of the same size as the 

 opening in the wall, is securely fixed 

 between the circular pieces, which have 

 a journal centrally placed at either end 

 to hold it in an upright position, and 

 upon which it will readily revolve. 

 Eight brackets or braces placed at the 

 outer edges of the upright piece, and 

 securely bolted, top and bottom give 

 additional strength as do alsfi two nar- 



row uprights placed between the outer 

 edges of the circular pieces, although 

 these are not shown in the drawing. A 

 cleat is fastened on the upper side of 

 the lower shelves (which they virtually 

 are) to prevent a too-early application 

 of centrifugal power in the extracting 

 room. A stop is placed upon each side 

 of the aperture — one on the inside and 

 one upon the outside, against which the 

 swinging door comes in contact when 

 closed. 



If no bees are about to trouble, the 

 door may be placed transversely and 

 the honey and combs passed through. 

 If "robbers" are numerous, the hive or 

 box containing the honey is placed upon 

 the outer shelf, a few whiffs of smoke 

 applied to scatter them, one impelling 

 motion of the right hand and the 

 honey is on the inside, the combs are on 

 the outside shelf and the door is closed, 

 bee-tight. 



If any of our readers should carry the 

 idea into effect, we should greatly ap- 

 preciate a report of its workings. 



CHARACTERISTICS 



of Different Races of Bees — A Reply 

 to Mr. Doolittle. 



HY P. GREINEK. 



THE different races of bees, as we 

 know them today, are probably the 

 result of the prevailing conditions 

 in the different countries where these 

 bees originated. It would be a useless 

 speculation to try and estimate the time 

 it may have taken before the bees 

 adapted themselves to their surround- 

 ings, but when that happened they be- 

 came a fixed race. 



Constant irritation by wasps and ants 

 and other enemies has resulted in mak- 

 ing the Cyprian bee an irritable, most 

 vicious bee; the opposite condition made 

 the Carniolan bee a very gentle one, etc. 



The mixing up of already established 

 races of bees may have entered as a fac- 

 tor into the make-up of certain other 



