Published Monthly by The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. 



, Vol. XI 



JUNE, 1901 



No. 6 



DRONE CATCHERS. 



An Exposition of the Shortcomings of 

 Our Arrangement for this Purpose, 

 Together with Specific Instructions for 

 Their Rectification. 



BY W. H. PKIDGEN. 



YOU say. Mr. Editor, on page 6, cur- 

 rent American Bee-keeper, that 

 ••it is rarely indeed that any com- 

 bined machine or device really combines. " 

 Now, while your drone trap may be 

 quite an improvement on the orig-lnal, I 

 will suggest a combination that prevents 

 clogging and admits of better ventilation 

 even than yours does. As I see it, there 

 is "one thing thou lackest," and that is 

 a double bottom-board, with an entrance 

 and bee-space between, the top one 

 being a regular queen-excluder, with 

 an entrance between it and the hive 

 to which the drone-trap is adjusted, or it 

 may be a solid board with opening cut 

 out and the same covered with perforat- 

 ed zinc. By hooking the trap to the 

 hive the top bottom-board or excluder 

 need not project at all, as the zinc of 

 the trap can be put in to fit against the 

 end just below the upper entrance, or, 

 moi'e properly, the exit, as the entrance 

 would be between the boards. Besides, 

 the exit and trap for drones can be at 

 the back of the hives and thus overcome 

 any confusion and clogging, and at the 

 same time add to the ventilation. The 

 weather Is usually warm when we wish 

 to trap drones and we often want to raise 



the hive on blocks rather than cut ofT 

 ventilation by attaching a drone trap, 

 and by using an excluder as above sug- 

 gested, we can trap the drones with one 

 trap and still have an entrance wide 

 open at each end between the excluder 

 and bottom-board proper as well as get- 

 ting the usual benefits from the one to 

 which the trap is attached. The ex- 

 cluder can remain in place all the while 

 and have all the openings closed except 

 one when no trap is adjusted. This ad- 

 junct gives the operator control of the 

 situation in the matter of ventilation as 

 well as trapping the drones without in- 

 terfering with the progress of the colony, 

 even if the old style trap be used. 



In using the combined queen and 

 drone trap on hives that are sending out 

 objectionable drones, I usually have 

 trouble in separating the queen from 

 the drones in case a swarm issues, with- 

 ou t allowing the escape of many drones. 

 This can be overcome by a double or 

 combined trap. There should bo a 

 division made of drone-excluding zinc 

 through which the queen can freely 

 pass with an additional trap with ordi- 

 dary cone above, to catch the queen. 

 That is, to separate the queen from the 

 drones, we want two traps, one above 

 the other, with the slide in the top of 

 the drone trap, with perforations large 

 enough for the queen to pass through 

 without allowing the drones to do so. 

 Where one is on hand in such cases to 

 care for the swarms, it would be better 



