1905 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1089 



A SWARM-CATCHER ON WHEELS. 



I am sending you an illustration and de- 

 scription of a device in the form of a derrick 

 which I have mounted on the hind axle of a 

 wagon. This I use for getting swarms of 

 bees out of trees, and high and difficult 

 places; and it works so well, and I am so 

 highly pleased with it, that I wonder the 

 idea was never thought of before. To make 

 it, get two scantling, 2X4, 16 feet long; saw 

 one in two in the center. To make the up- 

 right pieces, bolt them to the hind axle about 

 two inches apart, then at least one bolt at 

 the top to hang the sweep in. Then procure 

 a shallow box or framework, at the end of 

 the sweep to hold the hive, and tie a small 

 rope on the other end of the scantling. 



When you get to the swarm, pull down on 

 the rope until the hive is just under the 



bees, then tie the rope to the end of the 

 coupling or reach; then with a forked stick, 

 or something of that kind, reach up and 

 shake the bees off on top of the hive, then 

 back off a foot or two, and they will soon all 

 settle on the hive; then swing the cart 

 around clear off the limbs and let them down 

 with the rope. 



I can get a swarm of bees with this rig, 

 from a few feet high up to 18 feet, and the 

 Manum swarm-catcher could be attached 

 to the end of the sweep in order to get 

 swarms at a still greater height. 



If a swarm of bees should settle near the 

 top of an evergreen, say twelve or fifteen 

 feet high, or any kind of a tree and right 

 around the stem where they would be well 

 protected by small limbs, it is quite difficult 

 to get them with a Manum swarm-catcher. 

 With my way you can shove the hive close 

 up to the tree just under the bees; then go 

 up on the ladder on the opposite side; punch 

 them off into the hive, or smoke them out if 

 no other way. Then, again, if they were to 



settle near the center of a large apple-tree 

 where it is quite brushy this rig will be 

 found very valuable. Then for ordinary 

 work, where a swarm is settled out on the 

 end of the limbs, it is so handy to run up 

 with the cart and then fix the hive on the 

 end of the sweep, then raise it up just under 

 the bees and shake them off. 



Robertson, la. N. Young. 



[Your machine may work very satisfacto- 

 rily; but when a swarm is higher than 15 or 

 16 feet above the ground, a swarming-pole 

 would be more serviceable. But a better 

 practice is to clip all queens' wings, or put 

 entrance-guards on all the hives. It ought 

 not to be necessary, except in case of after- 

 swarms going out with virgins, to shin up 

 trees after swarms; and even these after- 

 swarms can be avoided, to a great extent, 

 by good management.— Ed.] 



SELL COMB HONEY BY THE POUND. 



I see in Gleanings for Aug. 1 some arti- 

 cles on section honey and weight. I think 

 the trouble is in the producer catering to the 

 wants of the retailer. I insist that it is 

 right that all honey in comb be sold by the 

 retail dealer by the pound or ounce, as well 

 as by the producer and wholesaler. 



In buying honey of a grocer, if you have 

 the pick you will try to select the finest one 

 in the crate, leaving the others, and so on 

 until there are three or four culls which he 

 sells to somebody at a discount by the weight 

 system. He has nothing to discount on, and 

 so it Js more fair to himself and the buyer. 

 But most of the retailers are a little near, 

 and insist on a 24-section case weighing only 

 about 20 lbs. net. Now, that is not right. 

 It is not fair. I insist that the producer 

 and wholesaler have honey retailed by the 

 pound and ounce. I insist that that plan 

 will hurt no one, but be an advantage to the 

 retailer. We shall always want honey in as 

 nice form as can be, and comb honey in the 

 section is about the best yet. Do you not 

 think so? I have made another start in 

 bees, and I send you a picture of that start. 

 I shall keep you posted in regard to its 

 growth along scientific lines. 



E. A. Newell. 



Massillon, 0., Aug. 7, 1905. 



[Mr. Newell has presented in a nut-shell 

 the best arguments I have seen yet against 

 selling honey by the. piece. If the grocer 

 really desires to deceive his customers by 

 representing that his sections are full weight, 

 then we should discourage the practice by 

 every means possible; but I can not believe 

 that this is the intent of the average retail- 

 er. Of course, if a whole case of sections 

 were presented, and the customer were al- 

 lowed to take his pick at so much a piece, 

 the last few sections would be the poorest, 

 and yet scarcely below the general average. 

 But such a practice as this could be checked 

 by keeping the case under the counter, and 

 setting only a few sections on top of the 

 showcase. But if the sections have been 



