1904 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



761 



covered the possibilities of alfalfa in Cuba? 

 Is it because your ranch on the mountain- 

 side, with that unfailing- spring, is an ex- 

 tra choice kcality? — A. I. R ] 



BEE-ESCAPE FOR STRENGTHENING SWARMS. 



I send a picture of a bee-escape which I 

 used last summer. It is a perfect success 

 for the purpose for which I made it. It is 

 14 inches long by 2 wide by }& high. Three 

 sides are of wood. ysXj4, with the top cov- 

 ered with screen wire. In each end I cut 

 a hole an inch square. I then made a wire 

 one bj' forming it over the end of a square 

 piece of wood a few inches long, having one 

 end sharpened in the shape of a pyramid. 



After making a y$ hole in the apex of the 

 cone, and while it is on the stick. I turn up 

 the four corners so that they will fit on a 

 flat surface. I then fasten it over the hole 

 that I have made in the screen I have made 

 on the frame; then I nail a light strip of 

 wood on top of the screen that goes next to 

 the hive. I then put two small sharp nails 

 through the frame so that I can press them 

 into the alighting-board far enough to hold 

 the escape in place. 



When I have a swarm I hive it and put 

 it on the stand by the side of the hive it 

 came from, and so close that the two hives 

 touch. I then put the escape in front of the 

 hive from which they came, and in so doing 

 every bee that is old enough to work in the 

 field will come out; and when they come 

 back they will go into the new swarm, 

 thereby getting the entire working force 

 into the new hive. 



The first day after hiving I transfer the 

 comb-honey super, which is partially filled, 

 to the new hive, and let the old hive without 

 any super stand in its place from three to 

 five days, when I take it to a new locality. 

 All of the bees in it are young, and will 

 not be lost by their removal. The results 

 are, there is no need of cutting queen-cells, 

 for the queens will fight it out among them- 

 selves on the sixth or seventh day. There 

 are no after-swarms. The super partly 

 filled is filled in less time, and better, than 

 if left on the old hive. Before I tried it I 

 was afraid so manv bees would come out 

 that they would leave the colony so weak 

 they could not keep the brood warm; but I 



have had no trouble in that line. With the 

 swarm-catcher that I have previously de- 

 scribed and used in connection with the 

 escape, I see no need of clipping the queen's 

 wings or cutting out queen-cells. I intend- 

 ed to experiment with the escape this sea- 

 son by putting the old hive on top of the 

 new swarm the fifth day, with some of the 

 queen-cells cut and some uncut, leaving it 

 21 days, or until the bees were all unhatch- 

 ed, and then extracting it. In that way 

 the bees would have accomplished their de- 

 sire to swarm; would be in a better work- 

 ing mood after swarming, and would have 

 the entire force of the colony. That was 

 my "idea of preventing increase, and at the 

 same time not discourage the bees by pre- 

 venting them from swarming. 



But I am prevented from car- 

 rying out the experiment by the 

 adverse conditions prevailing in 

 this section of California on ac- 

 count of an extremely light rain- 

 fall. This is the time of year 

 we should be in the midst of 

 our first honey-flow; but in- 

 stead there are hundreds (and 

 I believe thousands) of full 

 colonies starving at the present 

 time. I have just fed mine 400 

 lbs. of sugar, so I shall be very 

 much interested if some one 

 would take up the experiment 

 of keeping down the increase 

 in the way I have mentioned, and report 

 his success or failure. J. M. Mack. 



San Diego, Cal. 



A FINE QUEEN TRADE BROKEN UP BY FOUL 

 BROOD. 



It will, perhaps, interest you to know that 

 foul brood has broken out in my home yard 

 to such an extent that it would be ruinous 

 to me and dangerous to customers, in my 

 opinion, to continue queen-rearing on a 

 commercial scale. One week ago all stocks 

 were considered sound. The "genuine ar- 

 ticle " has been found in five colonies and 

 one nucleus, and it is confidently expected 

 in others. The contagion must have come 

 from nearly three miks away, possibly six 

 miles, as there are no bees closer than the 

 former lot. Of course, that means extra 

 work in the honey-producing yards, which 

 means something to a man who is not 

 strong. But I have met many difficulties 

 which have scared me worse. An entire 

 change of management will, of course, be 

 necessary. 



While surrendering the queen-trade it is 

 with the belief that I held it down longer 

 than any one else who ever advertised 

 queens on the Pacific coast. Many pleas- 

 ant acquaintances have been formed and 

 older ones strengthened, which makes life 

 brighter and broader. The value of pood 

 queens has never appeared with more f irce 

 to me than now, and I feel able to compete 

 with any one in producing a superior grade. 

 The last three or four years have been of 



