

^ ^"%r'N AMERICA J^^' 



42dYEAR. 



CHICAGO, ILL, OCT, 9, 1902. 



Na41. 



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^ Editorial Comments. 





Methods of Clipping Queens' Wings.— Bee-keepers 

 differ in their practices, and each one is perhaps a little too 

 much inclined to think his own way is the best, if not the 

 only way worth considering. Clipping may be done by 

 means of scissors or knife, or clipping device. The way 

 one starts out with, and becomes accustomed to, is perhaps 

 his best way. Those who have for years used either scis- 

 sors or knife without having tried anything else may not 

 be willing to potter with any kind of a clipping device, but 

 if they had begun in the first place with a device of some 

 kind, they might have quite a different feeling. There are 

 some so nervous that it is almost torture to attempt to take 

 hold of a queen, and for such persons some clipping-device 

 is a boon. There are others — and their number may be 

 larger than supposed — who have no nervous feeling in the 

 matter, but whose hands are so shaky, or the sense of touch 

 so dull, that a queen may be mashed in the catching. Such 

 persons must have some kind of clipping-device, or refrain 

 from clipping altogether. 



Probably most bee-keepers use scissors for clipping. 

 Others use a knife, and of these some are inclined to speak 

 as if it were a great mistake for any one to use scissors. 

 While allowing that the knife maybe the best for those 

 who have always preferred that plan, there may be no harm 

 in making some defense for those who are addicted to 

 scissors. 



One argument in favor of the knife is that it is not 

 necessary to handle the queen at all except to take her by 

 the wings, and thus no foreign scent will be given to the 

 queen to make the bees attack her. But one is not supposed 

 to have anything but clean fingers, except as they are 

 daubed with propolis, and no harm would come from this 

 latter. If one's fingers have such an objectionable odor as 

 to endanger the queen, even taking her by the wings might 

 not be safe, for the same odor would be given to the wings, 

 and if that objection be valid it will rule out knife as well 

 as scissors. 



The great point claimed in favor of the knife, is that 

 every one has a pocket-knife — so it is always handy. This 

 ignores utterly nearly all bee-keepers of the female persua- 

 sion ; for they are not supposed to carry pocket-knives, and 

 are much more likely to have scissors somewhere about 

 their persons. Leaving them out of the count, however, a 

 knife, to make good work at clipping, must have a keen 

 edge to cut off a wing laid against a finger or thumb, and 

 one does not always have handy a knife that is very sharp. 

 To be sure, one can in a pinch use a dull knife, cutting the 

 wing against the edge of a board, but no one recommends 

 this as a desirable way, and if the fact that one has nearly 

 always present some kind of a knife be a sufficient argu- 



ment in favor of the knife, the same argument might make 

 finger-nails come off victors over knives, for finger-nails 

 can be made to mangle oft' a wing, and they are more sure 

 to be on hand than knives. 



But the scissors-clippers may reply that it is just as 

 easy to have a pair of scissors constantly on hand as to 

 have a knife, and the knifers must admit the truth of the 

 reply for all who are willing to be to the trouble of having 

 the scissors constantly on hand. 



If the scissors-clippers should not be satisfied with re- 

 maining on the defensive, but take up the aggressive, they 

 might say that however the queen's safety might be con- 

 cerned, the operator would be in many cases much safer 

 with scissors. One of the veterans with finger-tips cal- 

 loused with handling frames might safel)' cut an appre- 

 ciable distance into the skin without danger from a sharp 

 knife, but one with tender finger-tips, especially if a little 

 nervous, would feel much safer with scissors. To put it in 

 stronger terms, with the scissors there is no possible dan- 

 ger of cutting the fingers, and there is danger with the 

 knife. 



There, now, it may not be best to say anything more 

 against the knife for fear of being knifed by the knifers. 



Moving an Apiary a Short Distance The apiary at 



the Hawkesbury Agricultural College in Australia was 

 moved a short distance the last week in December, that 

 date corresponding to the weather of the last of June in 

 this country. The result is thus given in the Australasian 

 Bee-Keeper : 



On the morrow not one percent of the bees returned to 

 the site of their old home, although it was in such close 

 proximity. This is the way it was done : All things being 

 in readiness, a moonlight night was selected. The en- 

 trance to each hive was closed by means of damp rags, and 

 the hives were placed on hand-barrows and carried to the 

 concrete stands ; these were all in place beforehand ; pieces 

 of board, two or three bricks, bushes, in fact anything, was 

 placed in front of each hive ; these, when the bees came, 

 caused them to study their new location, and at the same 

 time caused them to forget the old. A clean sweep had 

 been made of their old homes. Every piece of loose wood, 

 brick, bush, etc., had been removed. There was really 

 nothing left to indicate that an apiary had ever stood 

 there. 



Any one wishing to remove an apiary to a new site 

 near by, if he follows his plan, need ha%'e no apprehension 

 that the bees will return to the locality wherce they came. 



Denver Convention Notes — In our notes last week we 

 had just arrived in Denver. We were met at the Union 

 Depot by Mr. F. H. Hunt, and at once escorted to the State 

 House, where the Colorado Bee-Keepers' Association was 

 in session, with Pres. J. U. Harris in the chair. There was 

 a good attendance. At their closing, or afternoon, session, 

 those from outside of Colorado were called forward and 

 introduced to the convention, among them being Dr. Miller, 

 Editor Root, Frank Benton. Dr. Mason, W. L. Coggshall, 

 -W. F. Marks, O. L. Hershiser. E. T. Abbott. C. H. W. 



