1904 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



809 



callbreath's improved miller intro- 

 ducing-cage. 



I send by this mail an introducing--cage 

 which I think you will consider an improve- 

 ment on the Miller cage. The side- piece 

 extends the whole length, and the wire 

 cloth is nailed to that as well as the short 

 front-piece. In the Miller cage there are 

 two of the short front-pieces, which, with 

 the two tins nailed on, form the space for 

 filling with candy. In this cage one of the 

 front pieces is made to extend the whole 

 length,, so that, when putting it in an or- 

 dinary entrance with a queen inside of it, 

 there is no danger of pushing the slide- 

 piece in and killing or injuring the queen; 

 and, when removing the cage from the en- 

 trance, it all comes out together instead of 

 only the slide piece, as is likely to be the 

 case in removing a Miller cage. 



Before nailing on the two flat pieces of 

 tin I bevel off one end of the side- piece and 

 one end of the front- piece. After the tins 

 are nailed on I cut off the projecting parts 

 (with a pair of scissors) to match the wood; 



then when I want to fill the candy-com- 

 partment all I have to do is to give it two 

 or three jabs into the candy, turning it 

 sidewise each time, and the candy is just 

 where I want it. To prevent the candy 

 from going right on through into the place 

 for the queen I first push the slide-piece 

 clear in against the back of the front-piece, 

 thus closing the back of the candy-compart- 

 ment. 



Sometimes it is convenient to use this as 

 a confining- cage. In that case it is neces- 

 sary to have something besides candy to 

 stop up the front opening with. This plug 

 or stopper I make when I make the cage, 

 and keep it at the back end of the slide- 

 piece by folding a piece of tin over it and 

 nailing the tin to the slide piece. The 

 drawing I inclose will make it plain if this 

 does not. 



MEASUREMENTS. 



Side- piece, 8XKXJ4^; front- piece, IXj^X 

 %', slide-piece, ^YzY^WXli', plug, l>4x>^X 

 X; wire cloth, GX^yi; plug-holder (tin), % 

 X2; two tin cleats, IXl^. 



Twelve inches would be the best width 

 for the wire cloth; then, when cut into 

 pieces, there would be one woven edge to 

 each piece. That edge should be put on 

 the front end. The back end should be 

 folded under one inch for four reasons: 1. 

 The queen will run in better over a folded 

 edge than over a ctit edge with the sharp 

 points sticking out; 2. They are nicer to 

 handle, as the fingers are less likely to get 

 pricked; 3. It is easier to insert the slide; 

 4. If the slide is a little loose, so that it is 

 liable to fall out when handled, the double 

 thickness can be pressed in on each side 

 with the thumb and finger, and be stiff 

 enough to hold the slide, while a single 

 thickness is not. 



The outside edge that is nailed on the 

 side- piece ought also to be a folded edge. 



After folding over the back edge one inch, 

 and the outer side edge nearly )'z inch, I 

 use a stick \{^ wide by W thick for ?Lform. 

 to get the wire cloth in the right shape to 

 nail to the side-piece and front-piece. 



I nose off the front end of the slide-piece 

 so that it can not catch on the wire cloth in 

 being pushed into place. It is better to 

 round off the edges also by drawing them 

 over a plane a few times. 



In making I use j^-inch wire nails. To 

 cage the queen, remove the slide; take the 

 queen in the left hand; slip the opening be- 

 tween the thumb and fore finger of the left 

 hand, and the queen runs tip where she is 

 wanted ; then replace the slide. 



All the wooden parts shou d be of pine, 

 as it swells less than basswood in case it 

 gets wet. John S. Callbreath. 



Rock Rift, N. Y., July 13. 



ACT OF MATING OF QUEEN AND DRONE, 

 WITNESSED BY E. L. PRATT. 



I have this day witnessed the act of cop- 

 ulation between a queen and drone. About 

 2:30 o'clock on the afternoon of Thursday, 

 July 21, I was standing near a fertilizing- 

 box filling a feeder when my attention was 

 attracted by an unusual commotion in the 

 way of extra loud buzzing, as of drones on 

 the wing. I looked, and saw a queen rap- 

 idly flying toward the fertilizing- box, 

 evidently her home. She was closely fol- 

 lowed by two drones, one of which turned 

 and flew off, but the other remained in pur- 

 suit. They were flying not six inches from 

 the ground, and were not over eight feet 

 from the fertilizing box when the act took 

 place. It was all done so quickly that I 

 marvel at it, and I wish here to record the 

 facts as I witnessed them. I could not see 

 that the queen was flying in any but the 

 usual way when returning to her hive, but 

 the drone was unusually swift of wing. 

 They were both flying rapidly; and as they 

 flew the drone made two circles about the 

 queen as though to head her off; and as these 

 circles were made about the queen she rose 

 slightly each time. Directly after making 

 the second circle about the queen the drone 

 flew at her as a worker flies with the in- 



