1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



i.jTd 



AN ir.LrSTRATED DESCRIPTION OF 



SOME THINGS CONNECTED AVITH 



THE ALEXANDER APIARY. 



Raising One's own Queens for 10 Cents 

 Apiece; some of the Conveniences. 



BY E. W. ALEXANDER. 



AVheu Dr. Lyon was here last summer he 

 took a few photos of different things he 

 thought woukl be interesting to the readers 

 of Gleanings. In one of my late articles I 

 spoke of our extractors and uncapping-cans 

 standing so that all three deliver their honey 

 into the pipe leading to our honey-tanks be- 

 low. 



In Fig. 1 you can see them in their place. 

 The pipe is under the tloor out of the way, 

 and runs along through the top of the cellar 

 into the tank-room as shown in Fig. 2. 



the door to know that our honey is safe from 

 honey-thieves, and that neither rats, mice, 

 nor even a honey-bee can enter the building 

 wlien the doors are shut. This is one of the 

 principal reasons why we pat on a galvan- 

 ized- iron roof. 



We did not want any shingles warping or 

 shrinking so l)ees could enter from above, 

 for you undoubtedly know they are very an- 

 noying if they can iind a place to enter ami 

 get at honey inside. 



Fig. 3 shows Frank adjusting the alighting- 

 board to a hive on the scales. Although this 

 colony was not as strong in its working force 

 as many others in the yard, still its average 

 gain in honey during the August harvest was 

 about 6 lbs. per day. We like to keep track 

 in this way of what our bees are doing. 



In Fig. 4 you have a view of the north end 

 of the building as Frank is passing in a car- 



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FIG. 3. — FRANK 



ALEXANDER ADJUSTING THE ALIGHTING-BOARD TO A COLONY ON THE 

 SCALES. 



When we are extracting we put wire-cloth 

 scu'eens in all the windows and doors of this 

 building, with bee-escapes in them. This 

 keeps the Imilding free from bees, and makes 

 it nice and cool to work in. Before I leave 

 this extracting-room I must speak of some of 

 its convenient points. We Iind it very handy 

 to store our hives of extracting-coml)s near 

 the extractors at the close of the season, and 

 then to have all those thousaml and one 

 things connected with the Inisiness kept sep- 

 arate and in their place so they can be got in 

 a moment when wanted for use, and the 

 whole thing near the center of the apiary. 

 In this way we save many steps and much 

 annoyance when in a hurry. Then it is such 

 a satisfaction when we walk out and lock 



rier of heavy comljs. By pulling on the cord 

 at the other side of the window it raises the 

 slide door where the empty combs are, and 

 he can take out a carrier of these in a mo- 

 ment. In Fig. 5 you will notice a carrier 

 that has a covered top made of canvas in two 

 pieces which can l^e opened from the center. 

 This is handy if Ijees are inclined to rob, as 

 it can he opened or shut quickly when put- 

 ting in or taking out combs. 



Fig. is a general view of the northwest 

 side of the apiary. I wish we could have a 

 picture of the whole yard in one view; but 

 it now covers so muc^h ground that we can 

 not unless we could get high above it. 



In Fig. 7 you can see some of our queen-rear- 

 ing nuclei. I now speak of these as having 



