THE BEE-KEEPERvS' REVIEW 



I expect to use less expensive cases 

 another season by leaving out the su])- 

 porting cleats and paper, as well as mak- 

 ing other slight changes. In the mean- 

 time I trust our supply manufacturers 

 will anticipate all these things. In a let- 

 ter from Mr. F. L. Thompson, my atten- 

 tion was called to this requirement. In 

 consideration of low prices we nuist have 

 cheaper shipping-cases. 



Although having described my separa- 

 tor in the December Review, there are 

 one or two essentials which I will further 

 explain in detail. First. The verticals, 

 or transverse openings, or passage-ways, 

 for the bees afford access to the sections 

 not only laterally, to each adjoining row, 

 but longitudinally through each indixid- 

 ual row. This practically makes the 

 sections accessi'jle from all sides; which 

 would be impossible if cleats were used 

 instead of the short metal projections. 

 I regard the vertical openings, in com- 

 bination with the short metal projections, 

 as essential to a perfect .separator. Sec- 

 ondly. A tin separator is sufficiently 

 strong to support the sections without 

 end-pieces; and adapted to hold sections 

 of any desired wdth. 



The item of cleaning is also important. 

 To scrape propolis from a thousand .sep- 

 arators is no small task. But with a large 

 kettle of boiling water, a thousand or 

 more made of tin niaj- be cleaned in fif- 

 teen or twenty minutes. 



Technical observance is also necessary 

 in hive construction and appliances. The 

 best results can be obtained only 

 when our colonies are unresiricted in 

 their workings. This is true both win- 

 ter and sunnner. Unrestricted flight is a 

 prime requisite in successful wintering. 

 It is even so regarded by those who are 

 advocates of cellar wintering, some of 

 whom occasionally remove tireir colo- 

 nies during a warm spell in winter for a 

 clean.sing flight. 



• Queen-excluding zinc is objectionable, 

 not' only in restricting the passage oi 

 laden bees to the supers, but it induces the 

 building of burr-cond)s. The thin edges. 



like cell-walls of comb, naturally invite 

 the bees to build thereon. Unless the 

 queen is impeded in her work of laying, 

 by over-crowded combs, she will confine 

 herself to the brood apartment. In my 

 hives, dummy combs lessen the crowd- 

 ed condition to such an extent that 

 queens seldom venture above. The pres- 

 ent season I found only three sections 

 containing any brood. Thej- were from 

 a single super provided with drawn combs. 

 As edges invite comb-building, so drawn- 

 combs invite the queen to laying, and 

 the workers to deposit pollen. Taking 

 all into consideration, I regard perfora- 

 ted zinc as worse than useless. I know 

 of no place in which it serves a useful 

 purpose, and I have an abhorrence for it 

 when used in the form of a drone-trap. Not 

 only does it restrict the passage-way to 

 s.ich an extent that much pollen is lost, 

 but it is a cruel and filthy method of elim- 

 inating the drones. The traps are fre- 

 quently daubed to such an extent as to 

 render them actually filthy. I can not 

 understand how any one can tolerate the 

 torture inflicted upon creatures so harm- 

 less and defenseless. 



■•Let each living creature share thy warm love 

 and be thy care. 



Let whHtVr thine eyes may see form a link 

 'twixt heaven a'ld thee " 



Let us accept the oft-advised plan of re- 

 moving all excess of drone comb during 

 the early spring; sub.stituting worker comb 

 for it. 



In 1865 I\Ir. Ouinby stated, " Bees will 

 store more honey in a barrel, box, or 

 hallow log, just large enough to hold all 

 that is gathered, than in any patent fix- 

 ture ever ])resen ted for the purpose." — 

 Ouinhv's Bee-Keeping, 2nd edition, page 

 49. For correct and accurate conclusions, 

 I think no writer on the subject of bee- 

 keeping equaled Mr. Ouinl)v during the 

 decades from 1850 to 1870, uidess it was 

 L. L. Langstroth. I believe he was cor- 

 rect when the above statement was made; 

 but we are advancing in knowledge, and 

 developments are taking place in bee cul- 

 ture, which, according to my judgment, 

 render the above statement obsolete. I 



