1903 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



675 



PREPARING BEES FOR MOVING. 

 Entrance-Screens. 



BY Wir.MON NEWELL. 



Mr. Root: — I notice with interest your 

 sugg-estions on page 430 for rapidly and 

 conveniently preparing bees for moving. It 

 seems to me tViat one thing more should be 

 added to that outfit. Instead of tacking 

 wire screen directly over the entrances, we 

 have used for some time a device made as 

 follows: A piece of 1-inch pine is cut about 

 4 inches wide, and long enough to fit snug- 

 ly between the projecting cleats of the bot- 

 tom-board. If the bottom-board is of the 

 old style, without projecting cleats, then 

 the 1-inch piece is cut exactly as long as 

 the hive is wide. In this piece a notch is 

 now cut, about I'i inches deep bj' 12 in 

 length, and over it is tacked a piece of wire 

 cloth in such a shape as to fold over the 

 open side of the notch. This device is used 

 for closing the hives, by merely inserting 

 it and driving a couple of ^d nails through 

 it into the hive-body. Its appearance is 

 shown in the rough sketch enclosed. A 



cross-section of the device is shown in lower 

 right-hand corner — cross-section taken at 

 the point marked a. When ready to release 

 the bees, a screwdriver (the same one that 

 removes your crate-staples) is thrust under 

 the device, given a turn and a pry, and the 

 thing is off. It can be used repeatedly, 

 saves many minutes of time, and there are 

 no tacks to pull out of the hive, nor sharp 

 ends of wire to stick your fingers. 



I am much interested in your comments 

 on smokers in the same issue (May 15). I 

 am strictlj' in favor of a large hot-blast 

 smoker. If properly managed, the smoke 

 can be kept cool, and sutTicient fuel is con- 

 tained in the large smoker to last for some 

 time. 



Vv'e use as fuel very dry rotten wood; and 

 when the smoker is filled we place over the 

 rotten wood a small piece of burlap wrung 

 out of water. This wet burlap cools the 

 .smoke, insures a heavj' volume, prevents 

 the wood from blazing, and prevents the es- 

 cape of sparks when it is necessary to use 

 the smoker rapidly and continuously. 



It is also convenient at times to know how 

 to light a smoker in a strong wind. To do 

 this we laj' a handful of excelsior, or a 



piece of thin paper (such as comes with 

 foundation), on the ground, and cover it 

 with a piece of burlap about six inches 

 square. A match is now lighted, and 

 thrust into the paper or excelsior, which 

 ignites at once; and the harder the wind, 

 the harder it burns, igniting the burlap. 

 The burning burlap is now picked up on a 

 stick or screwdriver, jind dropped into the 

 smoker, and the wood or other fuel placed 

 on top. of it. 



I can hardly agree with your plan of 

 holding the smoker with thumb next to the 

 barrel. It works first rate when there is 

 but little wind; but when our Texas breezes 

 get to moving, you have to hold the smoker 

 with both hands and push on it in the bar- 

 gain. At times the wind blows hard 

 enough to blow the bees from the combs 

 when the latter are taken from the hive, 

 and then it is necessary to get the smoke 

 down between the frames, as well as over 

 the tops of them. Nor will it do to wait 

 for the wind to go down, for it sometimes 

 blows a week at a stretch, without inter- 

 mission. I have found no way to handle 

 the smoker satisfactorily except with fin- 

 gers next to the barrel. 



WiLMON Newell. 



College Station, Texas, June 1. 



[We have for years used entrance-screens 

 exactly as you describe; but our artist fail- 

 ed to show them in the illustrations for the 

 simple reason that we did not explain to him 

 their general form and structure. 



Excelsior fuel does very well, but a com.- 

 bination of dry rotten wood and excelsior is 

 more satisfactory. Dry hard wood, sound 

 maple, stovewood cut into short lengths, is 

 very good ; but the smoke is less pungent 

 than that from rotten wood or some materi- 

 al more spongy. 



Every one has his own way of handling 

 smokers. I grant that for many purposes 

 one finds it necessary to use the fingers 

 next to the fire-cup. He has a little more 

 powerful leverage over the bellows when 

 handling the smoker in that way. — Ed.] 



STARTERS OR FULL SHEETS. 



A Quicker Method of Clipping; Loss of Bees from 

 Poisoning. 



BY GEORGE W. STRANGWAY. 



When I made the trial with full sheets, 

 as mentioned on page 387, the wires were 

 run perpendicularly in the frames. I think 

 Dr. Miller is somewhat extreme in what 

 he says on page 424: " But hundreds of us 

 have made many trials on a large scale, 

 without any failure." What has the doc- 

 tor to say with regard to Mr. Doilittle's 

 chat, page 426? But, really, wouldn't that 

 worry if you did accordingly? 



Yes, after all I believe Dr. M. and E. R. 

 are as near right as need be with regard 

 to full sheets. I believe a person starting 

 with the full intention of making a pro- 



