20 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE, 



Jan. 1 



Two rims are made, of half-inch strips, 

 A^-kSYz. One rim is covered with wire 

 cloth, while the other is covered with a thin 

 board. A ;V-inch hole is cut in the center 

 of the thin boards, from side to side, but 

 close to the lower rail of the rim. Small 

 staples driven into the board- covered half, 

 one at each end, and then forced into the 

 screen-covered half, serve to hold the parts 

 together. If for any reason it is necessary 

 to cast the bees from the confining--screeu, 

 as in strenothening- nuclei on their stands, 

 simply separate the parts, jar out the bees, 

 and replace. Staples serve very well for 

 holding the screens in place, although some 

 prefer wire nails driven in diagonally at 

 either end. If for any reason it is desired 

 to confine bees in the screens, a Swarth- 

 more shell will just fit the escape-hole. 

 These screens are very useful for trans- 

 porting bees for strengthening purposes. 



Nearly everj' bee-keeper nowadays starts 

 his cells by taking up a few bees in a 

 screen-covered or ventilated hive-body; and, 

 after the cups are well under waj', said 

 bees are returned to the hive from which 

 they were borrowed, the cups being given to 

 full colonies to be completed. 



Instead of returning such bees to the loan- 

 in,'- colony the}' may be used in forming 

 small nuclei b}' the use of the screens just 

 explained; and at the height of the season 

 the loss will not be felt by any strong col- 

 ony. 



Place the escape-hole toward the light, 

 and darken all other openings. Now place 

 a con fining-screen above the escape-hole; 

 and as 3'ou draw the cork, slide the screen 

 downward and over the hole, in alignment 

 with the hole, into the hive-bodj'. The bees 

 will immediately pour out of the hive-body 

 into the confining-screen. It's like draw- 

 ing honey from the extractor. Let them 

 fill the screen full, then slide it up, and at 

 once cork the hole. Place the thumb over 

 the hole in the confining-screen (keeping 

 the wire toward the light), and at once 

 clap the screenful on to the point of a nu- 

 cleus-box, as shown in the first photograph; 

 attach it there by the use of staples, as 

 plainly shown. Now bring on another 

 screen and another, until all the bees have 

 been drawn from the hive-body. If any 

 are left they can be returned to the hive 

 from which they were borrowed, in the 

 usual way. 



After all the boxes have been supplied, 

 drop a just-hatched virgin into each box, 

 or supply a hatching cell through the hole 

 in the lid, and at evening set out the boxes 

 and remove the con fining-screens. 



In the photograph (see next page), the 

 mating-boxes are set out singly, but they 

 may be grouped in twos and fours as illus- 

 trated in Gleanings by Mr. Greiner. 

 Each is provided with a little stand and 

 covered with a board. Feeding is done by 

 means of vials covered with muslin or 



SWAKllIMOKE FORMING NUCLEI WITH HIS CON KINING-SCREENS. 



At one end of your screen-covered hive- 

 body bore a ;V-inch hole and provide a cork 

 which can be quicklj' drawn and replaced 

 in said hole at will. Remove the started 

 cups at about 10 o'clock in the forenoon, 

 and by noon (or before) the bees will be 

 w ild to escape from their confinement in 

 the screen-covered hive-body. 



screw-tops, or candy forced into a cage in- 

 verted on top of each hive. 



Remove all queens as soon as mated, and 

 in three days drop in another just-hatched 

 virgin or a ripe cell. 



If tes ing is desired, cover the flight-hole 

 with a bit of zinc to prevent the queen from 

 leaving the box after fertilization. 



