AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



13 



Combed and Extracted. 



Starting Bees in the Sections. 



Have the sections all ready before the 

 honey-flow begins, with good straight 

 structure of comb foundation fastened 

 into them, which is very quickly done 

 with a Parker foundation fastener, or 

 any of the section presses now in use, 

 or if you have no such machine, you can 

 do very good work with a common table 

 knife. Lay the edge of the strip of 

 foundation in the middle of the top part 

 of the section. You can then with the 

 point of a stiff knife press the edge of 

 the comb so firmly against the wood that 

 the wax will adhere. To do this, how- 

 ever, you must choose a warm day, for 

 if it is too cool the wax will not work. 



To get the bees started to work, it is 

 best to put in some sections with some 

 comb in them, if you have any unfinished 

 sections left over from the previous sea- 

 son, which all bee-keepers do have ; 

 these are very enticing to the bees, and 

 will not fail to start them at work, es- 

 pecially if the honey-flow is good, and 

 the colonies are strong in bees. — M. H. 

 De Witt, in American Apiculturist. 



Finding a Black or Hybrid Queen. 



To find a black or hybrid queen often 

 baffles the expert. Much care at the 

 beginning is the great secret of success. 

 Open the hive slowly, without jar, and 

 use as little smoke as possible. Be very 

 careful not to kill bees, and if possible 

 have an assistant to look on one side 

 while the operator scans the other. If 

 the bees run down and cluster on the 

 lower edge of the comb, by a movement 

 gained by practice, turn the comb bot- 

 tom side up, always keeping it on the 

 edge. 



As fast as the combs are examined, 

 place them in an empty hive, and if not 

 found after the combs are all out, look 

 in every corner of the hive, and also in 

 the entrance, to be sure that the queen 

 is not there, for black queens are very 

 apt to leave the combs and hide in a 

 corner, sometimes even running out and 

 under the hive. If not now found, pro- 

 ceed to replace the combs, giving them a 

 thorough examination as they are re- 

 placed. If still unfound, it is better to 



close the hive and try again in a few 

 hours. 



If robber bees are inclined to bother, 

 do the searching at about sundown, as 

 then the robbers cannot do much harm 

 before dark. These directions should 

 enable any one to find a black queen 

 without much trouble. — G-.M.Doolitti.e, 

 in National Stockman. 



Too Small Queen-Cages. 



Of four queens sent, about a month 

 ago, to E. G. Clark, of Wausau, Wis., 

 two, sent in % cages, arrived in good 

 condition. The other two were sent in 

 small %-inch cages, and one was dead 

 upon arrival, and the other in bad con- 

 dition. Mr. Clark writes that he has 

 had similar experiences before in getting 

 queens. I have always had a prejudice 

 against those small 3^-inch cages; I 

 must admit, however, that I have re- 

 ceived queens in good condition in these 

 cages. My opinion is that it will not 

 answer to crowd the bees. In cool 

 weather, when a larger number of at- 

 tendants are needed, then larger cages 

 are needed ; in hot weather, when eight 

 or ten bees are sufficient for a body- 

 guard, the small cages will answer ; but 

 to save a cent in postage by using a 

 little, cramped up cage, and lose a 

 queen worth a dollar, as the result, is 

 " penny wise and pound foolish." — Bee- 

 Keepers' Review. 



Making Honey- Vinegar. 



Those who work bees for extracted 

 honey should not lack for the best of 

 vinegar. Honey should not be extracted 

 until it is thoroughly ripened by the 

 bees, which ripening is shown by the 

 bees capping the cells. These cappings 

 are easily removed preparatory to ex- 

 tracting, with a honey knife. After 

 being removed, they are allowed to drain 

 for 24 hours, when they are rinsed in a 

 tub containing spring water. After re- 

 maining in the water a few hours, the 

 cappings are squeezed into a ball (like a 

 snow ball) and laid away. The rinsing 

 is continued until the water will float an 

 egg, when it is set in a cool place for 

 vinegar. In about one year it becomes 

 the best flavored and colored vinegar to 

 be found, and in all respects, and for all 

 purposes, is better than any cider vin- 

 egar ever made. It becomes vinegar 

 more speedily in stone crocks, covered by 

 mosquito netting, and set in a cool place, 

 making fine vinegar in 90 days, but 

 much better in 365. — Selected. 



