1904 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULIURE. 



75 



use too much smoke. A little is better than too 

 much — yes, far better. Remember that too 

 much smoke makes cross bees. 



Do not foreret to flip-flap the oilcloth 

 when you pufl' a little smoke in. This alone 

 is why oilcloth is better than a board. 



West Groton, N. Y. 



THE KEYES (SWARTHMORE) METHOD OF FER- 

 TILIZING QUEENS. 



A Cheap Home-made Feeder and Hive-cover. 



BY \V. S. BLAISDRLL. 



I hereb}' submit my report of experiment- 

 ing" in the line of the Keyes method. It 

 works satisfactorily under only two condi- 

 tions — a queenless colony and one when 

 they desire to supersede their queen. But 

 this makes practically a failure. I have 

 tried only the full-size frame. But I went 

 further. I could not see the purpose of the 

 communication from the nucleus to the 

 brood-nest, and I closed them up so far as 

 I had gone in opening- them. After that I 

 had no trouble whatever, more than in an 

 ordinary three-frame nucleus. With this 

 change it makes an admirable device. The 

 sides are lo-^sely made and fastened on. A 

 case of hatching- brood can be taken from 

 the brood-nest, a matured cell given them; 

 the fertilized queen can be taken out, and 



blaisdell's feeder from corn-beef 



CANS. 



the frame of bees given back to the brood- 

 nest, and no loss will be felt. Or two 

 queens can be reared before the bees get too 

 old to do good work. 



But stimulative feeding is necessary in 

 all queen-rearing undertakings; hence my 

 device for nucleus feeder: Take two empty 

 corned-beef cans, small size; slit down from 

 the top of one 1)4 inches long by ;s deep, 

 turning the lip down on the outside. Then 

 take the other can, and in the side of the 

 reverse end cut a slot the same size as the 

 opening, and remove the core. Now insert 



blaisdell's 



SHADE BOARD 

 COVER. 



AND HIVE- 



the lip of the one in the slot, and you have 

 the two joined. Fill the one with feed, and 

 put a few floats to bridge a passage up and 

 down, and cover both with cloth to prevent 

 odor, and a weight to keep it close. Then 

 place the inverted side over a half-inch hole 

 in the cover. 



Again, while I have my pen in hand let 

 me give you what I may call a poor man's 

 perfect cover. I got tired of handling sep- 

 arate shades, hence my contrivance. I do 

 not want my bees near tree or brush or 

 grapevine, except what I myself put out for 

 the swarms to cluster on. Take thrte or 

 four or five inch flooring, and cut it up into 

 sections 15 inches long (mine are), depend- 

 ing on the width of hive. Put these togeth- 

 er the length of your hive. Now take a 1X3, 

 the exact length of the cover; nail on the 

 rough surface across the ends, one nail in 

 each piece and two in the end- pieces. Take 

 another 1X3, and nail on the reverse side 

 across the opposite ends. The dressed side 

 goes down, the rough up. 



Now take shingles or shacks and cover 

 the rough side — 18-inch shingles project 

 over mine a little, both on the upper and 

 lower sides. I shall use 20-inch shacks 

 when I can get them. This cover has stood 

 the test under the burning suns and whirl- 

 ing tornadoes of Florida. There is no more 

 ripping oflF of shades under the stormj' 

 blast. Without any other protection I have 



