130 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 15. 



touched to melted wax, and each was quickly 

 attached to the top-bar of a frame. A little 

 hot wax was dropped into the tubes to form 

 the bottom of the cells, when they were ready 

 to receive the royal jelly and larvae of suitable 

 size. Cells prepared thus were accepted by 

 the bees, and finished up. After being sealed, 

 the wax coating that had been added by the 

 bees was carefully removed from the glass 

 parts of the cells, when the development of 

 the larva to pupa and perfect queen could be 

 noted. 



A most unique experiment the convention 

 was greatly pleased with, and certainly does 

 Mr. Benton great credit. In the Benton ship- 

 ping-cages an improvement had been made. 

 As he stated, the customary cage is made out 

 of an oblong block with three holes bored in it, 

 and overlapping each other. This feature Mr. 

 B. objected to. A thin wall should be left stand- 

 ing between these holes, connecting them by 

 a smaller perforation through the walls, which 

 may be effected by boring a small hole from 

 the end into the cage. Formerly the sides 

 of the cages were made flat or smooth. 

 Packed tightly in the mail-bags it might cause 

 a lack of ventilation, which can be easily in- 

 sured by grooving the long sides of the cages 



INTRODUCING CAGE. 



BENTON SHIPPING-CAGE. 



as shown in the drawing, and boring, not 

 punching, the little holes for ventilation from 

 the grooves into the cage. By thus ventilat- 

 ing only chamber I, the bees may retreat to 

 compartment II, if they should find it more 

 congenial there. In fact, here they will gen- 

 erally be found clustering. 



A cage that had been used on long journeys 

 several times was shown around. It was coat- 

 ed inside with bits of newly secreted, white 

 wax by the bees that had occupied it, proving 

 thus how comfortably they must have felt. 

 The food consists of pulverized sugar and hon- 

 ey kneaded to a stiff dough. Before it is put 

 into the cages, compartment III is slightly 

 rimmed out at the top edge with penknife or 

 other suitable tool, and coated with beeswax. 

 The food is carefully put in, a piece of comb 

 foundation (heavy) of circular shape and 

 proper size laid on the top for a cover, and 

 sealed down with the hot blade of a knife 

 or screwdriver. Protected and hermetically 

 sealed on all sides, except the little place 

 where the bees have access to it, the food will 

 keep in good order for a year or more. In 

 some instances, when the food had nearly all 

 been consumed the bees had drawn out the 

 cells of foundation on the under side to some 

 length. 



Mr. B. prefers for an introducing-cage the 

 one illustrated by F. Greiner in Gleanings 

 over a year ago, and later by Mr. Hutchinson 

 in the Review, but made more substantial by 

 rolling an oblong piece of wire screen around 

 a two-inch-thick round stick, fastening the 

 ends together. He closes up one end of the 



thusconstru cted 



gauze tubing by first 

 making man}' inci- 

 sions with a pair of tin- 

 ner's shears, about an 

 inch deep, then bend- 

 ing over and hammer- 

 ing down over the end 

 of the stick. After 

 being thus treated it 

 is taken from the 

 form, laid down on 

 the bench, closed end 

 down, and newly built 

 comb is mashed into 

 iti to make the top solid, and covering or hid- 

 ing all wires. The open end of the cage is 

 raveled so the straight projecting wires may 

 be pushed into the comb. Mr. B. does not 

 deem it essential to cage a queen on brood. 

 Miscellaneous subjects were touched on by 

 Mr. Benton in course of the day, 

 as " Improving Bee Pasturage," 

 "Good Winter Hive," etc. But 

 little can be done about improv- 

 ing bee pasturage except, per- 

 haps, sowing such things as clo- 

 vers, buckwheat, etc.; but Mr. B. 

 had noticed, when he first moved 

 his large apiary into Maryland, 

 that a change took place in the 

 flora, caused by the bees them- 

 selves. There was at the time 

 a white aster present in limited 

 numbers among other varieties 

 of asters, which latter by far outnumbered 

 those first named. Only the while asters 

 were visited by the bees to any extent, but on 

 them they worked steadily. Not bemg enough 

 of the asters, no gain in the hives could be 

 noticed. But as the years wore on, the white 

 asters increased. The bees in all probability 

 assisted those blossoms in cross-fertilization to 

 such an extent that plenty of seed was pro- 

 duced where before only a few grew to perfec- 

 tion. These seed became scattered, more 

 plants grew up and produced more seed, etc , 

 ad infinitum. Now there is a good stand of 

 white asters everywhere, and they have almost 

 driven the other varieties to the wall ; the bees 

 also reap now a plentiful harvest from them. 

 A hive on scales has made a gain of 7 to 8 lbs. 

 some days, which, however, fell back during 

 the night by a third. On this account it seems 

 this white aster might be introduced into oth- 

 er sections to good advantage. The plant can 

 hardly be called a bad weed or a pest. There 

 are plenty of blue asters growing all over the 

 country. If the white species could be sub- 

 stituted it would certainly be a boon to the 

 honey industry. The yield, however, comes 

 late in the season, somewhat like the golden- 

 rod Mr. Hershiser reported last year ; and in 

 order to secure the best results, Mr. Benton 



