THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



65 



keepers make and use a zinc division 

 board and confine tlie queen on 

 three or four brood combs during 

 the honey harvest, thus preventing 

 brood- rearing. As there will be but 

 little brood in the hive to feed and 

 nurse, more bees can give their at- 

 tention to comb building and to 

 gathering honey. In our opinion 

 but little is gained by such an opera- 

 tion, 



PERFORATED ZINC FOR MAILING CAGES. 



A few years ago we received sev- 

 eral valuable queens in some large 

 mailing cages. Each cage had in it 

 twenty-five worker bees besides the 

 queen. We had no colonies prepared 

 for the reception of the queens when 

 they came, and as the bees seemed to 

 be suffering for a flight, owing to their 

 long confinement, we drew out the 

 tin slide to the cage, and put a 

 piece of perforated zinc over the 

 opening and placed the cage on the 



Fig. 3. Perforated zinc for queen guards. 



window Stool. In a few moments 

 all the bees had taken a flight and re- 

 turned to the cage again. By such 

 treatment we could have kept the 

 bees in the cages several weeks. 



Those who purchase queens 

 reared at the "Apiculturist Bee 

 Farm" will, if they request it, receive 

 a small piece of zinc with each 

 queen. Perhaps we may arrange 

 our shipping cages so that the bees 

 accompanying the queen may take 

 a flight, unless the queen is to be im- 

 mediately introduced. 



A ZINC QUEEN GUARD. 



As we have stated, our queens used 

 as "breeders" are kept in small hives, 

 7 



before described. When forage is 

 scarce, such miniature colonies will 

 "swarm out," that is, the bees will 

 desert the hive. To prevent this 

 we place at the entrance of each 

 hive a queen guard, similar to the 

 "Jones' bee guard. "^ We have seen 

 such small colonies swarm, but as 

 the queen could not leave, the bees 

 would soon return and settle down 

 to business again, as though nothing 

 unusual had happened. 



The proper zinc to be used for 

 such a purpose is the same de- 

 scribed, in the "Beekeepers' Handy 

 Book," as Root's perforated zinc, 

 and is illustrated in Fig. 2. 



THE LOCKE PERFECTION FEEDER. 



We do not approve of feeding 

 bees in the winter, but when it is 

 necessary to do so, there is no bet- 

 ter feeder for the purpose than the 

 one devised by Mr. Locke. As we 

 have sold a large number of these 

 feeders mainly to the readers of the 

 "Apiculturist," directions are given 

 for using them in winter. 



To feed bees after they have been 

 placed in winter quarters proceed 

 thus : have at hand some fresh syrup 

 made of granulated sugar and water, 

 say, two parts sugar, one part water ; 

 fill the feeder, and place it under 

 the chaff cushion, or cover it (as 

 well as the top of the frames) with 

 some woollen material to keep the 

 bees as warm as possible. The col- 

 ony being fed should be placed in 

 the cellar, bee house or in some 

 place where the temperature is about 

 45°. Bees being fed in winter 

 should be given an opportunity to 

 take a flight as often as the weather 

 is sufficiently warm for them to do 

 so. 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 



QUESTIONS BY "OLD BKKKEKPKR." 



1. Suppose some colonies come 

 through the whiter strong in numbers, 

 but the combs are badly damaged by 



