166 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



Auguf 



CLOISTERING HIVE. 



Mr. Gouttefangas has invented a 

 hive 01" rather an addition to his hive 

 that could be "added" to almost any 

 kind. It has an anteroom, or closed 

 portico in front of the regular hive. 

 The front wall of it is hinged at the 

 bottom. Two tubes or pipes about 

 two inches in diameter, as far as I 

 can judge, by the figures given, ex- 

 tend from the bottom of the anteroom 

 through the roof or top to out- 

 side. The lower half of these tubes 

 is perforated with small holes. The 

 top is covered by a cap of .such shape 

 as to admit air but no light. The 

 size of the anteroom is perhaps near 

 one-fourth of that of the hive prop- 

 er. 



The readers of the this paper may 

 remember the mention made about a 

 year ago of the "consignator" of Mr. 

 Preuss. This was practically only a 

 kind of wire cloth cage placed in front 

 of the hive to prevent the bees from 

 flying and yet admit the necessary 

 ventilation. The defect of the Preuss 

 apparatus was that the bees worried 

 themselves to death in trying to get 

 out. At least, a certain portion of 

 them did before the rest finally gave 

 up the attempt. 



The invention of Messrs. J. M. and 

 J. B. Gouttefangas ayoids that defect. 

 The anteroom being completely dark, 

 the bees do not worry themselves out 

 in ti'ying to get away. The two tubes 

 give a far better ventilation than the 

 wire cloth. In fact, the apparatus 

 can be closed at any time without 

 any danger of smothering tlie colony. 



But the reader will now ask what 

 is the use of it? This requires some 

 explanation. The climate of Europe, 

 while on the average colder than that 

 of the United States, is far more regu- 

 lar. There are no such sudden changes, 

 no such intense cold waves as here. 

 Furthermore, the difference between 

 summer and winter is considerably 

 less. The result is what we would 

 call very cool summers and mild win- 

 ters, and as a consequence in winter- 

 ing bees out of doors, towards spring, 

 a number of bees fiy out every day 

 that is sufficiently warm and very of- 

 ten in days not warm enough to ^y 

 safely. The result is a considerable 

 loss of bees during the early spring. 



It is to prevent this loss that the 



Gouttefangas apparatus has been i 

 vented. It is known beyond doul 

 now that the bees go out so mu< 

 during the early spring in order 

 get water to thin down the old honi 

 and make it suitable for brood foe 

 The Gouttefangas apparatus has 

 feeder to give the bees the wat 

 necessary or if needed, any syn 

 or honey whenever the apiarist thin! 

 best to do so. 



The apparatus is useful in mai 

 other occasions. For instance, 

 feed weak colonies safely, to stop ro 

 bing. or to confine moved bees a fc 

 daj's and thus prevent them from g 

 ing back. Many times when workh 

 in the apiary during a dearth of hont 

 I haA'e wished for some way to clo 

 all the hives and work in peace 

 long as I wanted to. 



III! 

 IE 



Fifte 



LONG MEMORIES. 

 A correspondent in July, 1901, mov 

 some of his colonies in another 

 cality to take advantage of large fiel 

 of buckwheat. Seven weeks lal 

 they were brought back. Twelve c 

 onies were placed in another part 

 the apiary for some reason or oth 

 During the first few days they wf 

 frequently to the old place, and fr< 

 there to their hives. But that was ( 

 ly during a few days. The remarl 

 ble part of it is that the same fs 

 occurred the following spring. Foi 

 few days the bees from the displac 

 colonies, when coming from the fie 

 went first to their original stands a 

 from there to their hives. — L'Apic 

 teur. 



Another con-espondent hives 1 

 •swarms on foundation that has alrea 

 been drawn in full colonies. — L'A 

 culteur. 



LONG LIVED. 

 :Mr. Gapponi reports that a colo 

 bf'came queenless on the 27th of Ap 

 1902. That was the only Italian que 

 of the whole neighborhood. Anott 

 queen, a black one, was given. 

 :May, 1903. a year later, there W€ 

 yet in that colony a few Italian be 

 — L'Apiculteur. 



We would caution our readers w 

 live in cities, towns or villages, agalr 

 permitting their bees storing the jui 

 of Electric Currents. 





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