966 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 15 



whether a queen is present or not, unless 

 we find the queen. If we do not find her 

 she may be there even then, or she may 

 not. In this case we may not know just 

 what is best to do. If we make a brushed 

 swarm, and she has been lost, the labor is 

 lost and we make a failure. By placing an 

 entrance-guard over the hive, and shaking 

 all bees in front of the hive, we find the 

 queen if one is present. If we find none we 

 may conclude the queen is lost, and we shall 

 do better to give back the brood-combs with 

 a ripe cell if we have one. All other cells 

 must be cut. This is not absolutely a safe 

 way as long as young brood is present from 

 which other cells may be started; but in 

 handling many colonies we have to take 

 some of these risks. 



I am not sure that I have before men- 

 tioned that, in clipping queens, I very sel- 

 dom touch one with my fingers. I find that 

 a curved pair of scissors does the work very 

 nicely. With it I clip the queens as they 

 move about among the bees on the combs. 

 When doing this 1 usually rest one corner 

 of the frame on the hive, as shown in the 

 photo, 



Naples, N. Y. 



hands. I got 19 fine cells built from 20 that 

 were grafted — 9 with larvae and royal jelly, 

 and 10 with larvae— into dry cups, but I had 

 to make three grafts to get the latter during 

 38 hours. I got accepted first, 2; second, 4; 

 third, 4; and they were larger cells than 

 those in which royal jelly was first used. 



Photo No. 2 is my wax- press. It is a $4.50 

 lard- press. The perforated steel and shield 

 on the left is what comes with it for press- 

 ing lard. The wooden iron bound tub with 

 skeleton bottom and follower, all slatted, 

 are what I made for pressing out the wax. 

 A burlap is spread over and pushed down in- 

 to the tub. The hot water and wax are 

 poured from the old brass kettle into it. 

 Tin sap-buckets are used to catch the wax 

 and water as they come from the press. 

 They are beveled, and the cake of wax comes 

 out readily. One of them stands in front of 

 the press; also a larger cake of wax and 

 some 3-oz. ones. They were molded into 

 egg-dishes like the one in front of the wax, 

 and sold from house to house for 10 cts. 

 each. Almost every lady bought one to lu- 

 bricate the flat irons. As I had such a small 

 amount of wax it woul J not pay me to send 

 it away to market. 



BOARDMAN'S SHADY RETREAT, WITH THE BEE-YARD AND WINTER REPOSITORY IN THE 



BACKGROUND. SEE PAGE 961. 



THE SWARTHMORE QUEEN-REARING 

 SYSTEM. 



A Lard-press for a Wax-extractor. See p. 938. 



BY PERCY ORTON. 



I am sending you some photos. If you 

 can use them, do so. No. 1 is a hive-super, 

 and frame of sealed Swarthmore cups, of 

 which there are eight. The top-bar is § 

 inch thick; if thicker the bees will attach 

 the cups to the under side of the top-bar, 

 and when you wish to remove them you will 

 twist off the cell. I had to trim off the 

 miniature combs on the cells before remov- 

 ing. I consider the Swarthmore cups the 

 most practical of any used in queen-rearing, 

 because I can remove them for examination, 

 without the use of a smoker, and with bare 



Before closing I wish to say Mr. E. R. 

 Root is right when he says, "You can't get 

 over 50 per cent until you use a press for 

 your wax." And I want to say that, when 

 you get a press, buy a German. They are 

 neater, and can be used on the kitchen stove; 

 they make a fine uncapping-can or honey- 

 press, and will be the most satisfactory in 

 the end. I will trade my outdt for one if I 

 ever get a chance. 



Northampton, N. Y., Aug, 9. 



[Then we understand that you get far bet- 

 ter results by using a little royal jelly, and 

 each cell grafted, than to attempt to get along 

 without. That has been our experience, al- 

 though I am satisfied Swarthmore succeeds 

 in grafting without the royal jelly. 



Before we put out the German wax-press 

 we tried a great number of different styles; 



