THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



129 



caught only about a pint of bees and the 

 queen. That's what the trap has al- 

 ways done, friend D. 



Well, I have not got to promise the 

 readers of the Api that I "■expect io per- 

 fect mine by another" year ; it is here. 

 It has been thoroughly tested, and has 

 'not failed even in one instance to catch 

 and self- hive the entire swarm, too. 



Bro. D. says I have changed around 

 considerably on niyswarmer ; yes,^and so 

 has Bro. D., done liis best to change as 

 often as I have. 



In a recent issue of the Western 

 Plowman Mr. Dibbern says : — 



After carefully consicleriiiir all the vari- 

 ous devices so far presented-, we li.ive 

 come to tlie conclusion, tha' for running 

 an out-apiary, that can be visited Iput one 

 day in four or fi\'e, there is nothing that 

 suits us so wellas the plan we used so suc- 

 cessfully last year. We shall change it 

 somewhat, using but two rows of perfor- 

 ations at the bottom, and wire-cloth for 

 balance of frame. The lower part Avill be 

 made large enough to cover the front of 

 the hive and one case. There will also be 

 a double row of perforations at thr top of 

 the frame, so that some bees will work 

 through the upper part of the swarmer, 

 before the swarm occupies the upper hive. 

 1'he object gained is this : 



When the bees swarm, the two rows of 

 perlorations will not afford room for the 

 rush,, and many bees will run up the wire- 

 cloth and pass out through that part. 

 When the swarm returns, they will somi 

 clog the lower entrance, and as the queen 

 is in the upper part, and fully one-half the 

 bees Avill run up the wire-cloth, and nnite 

 with the new swarm. Put it down that 

 this is a new idea, original with me, and 

 from past experience I know it will work. 

 We shall ti-y the other plans also. 



Although this is the very principle I 

 have been working on for several years, 

 I cheerfully concede to Mr. D — all the 

 credit lie desires as the originator of the 

 above idea. I know it has not and 

 will not work in all cases either in Mr. 

 Dibbern's apiary nor in my own. 



The swarmer that does work success- 

 fully has a large and very free entrance. 

 The correct principle that should be ap- 

 plied to a practical hiver is the one that 

 will locale the queen some distance from 

 the entrance to the hive, yet so near 



that when the bees return in search of 

 their queen they will quickly find and 

 cluster about her. This is the principle 

 applied to our new swarmer, and it is 

 proving a grand success. 



In Stray Stmns, in the present numl)er, 

 Dr. Miller wants to know whether it is 

 the thorax of the abdomen tliat prevents 

 the queen from going through the zinc. 

 It is both; but more the abdomen than 

 the thorax, and that is the reason why an 

 occasional virgin qneen will go through, 

 when, after she begins laying, she Avill 

 fail to do so, so says the editor "of ''Ulean- 

 inys." 



Brother Root you are wrong. I am 

 sure it is the thorax that prevents a 

 queen from getting through the metal. 

 I have always noticed when a queen 

 got her thorax through she was out and 

 on the wing in a jiffy.— Ed.] 



How would it do to put the bees in 

 the cellar durmg the flow of "bug juice"? 

 They might die in the cellar, and surely 

 will die if compelled to winter on "bug 

 juice" honey. 



A long article from Frank Benton on 

 "Yellow Bees in Carniola" will be 

 found on page 1 1 7. Mr. B., owns up that 

 the quotations taken from the B. B. J., 

 and which were given in a recent issue 

 of the Api are in the main correct. 

 This is a valuable acknowledgment 

 so far as it concerns us, but wliat will 

 those fellows do who liave all the while 

 declared there are no yellow-banded 

 bees in Carniola? 



I know nothing about how yellow- 

 banded bees came in Carniola. yet I do 

 know that it is an easy matter to produce 

 such from the dark strains Mr. Benton 

 has sent us. 



In reply to those who have inqnired for 

 tlie price of the Perfection S<'ll-hiver will 

 SUV tliat a sample is shipped by express 

 for $1.00. 



