1907 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



109 



the average standard Italians, Init only by a 

 very small variation, probably j^'g^ to 1-^%^^ 

 of an inch across the waist. It may be that 

 our correspondent has a race that is a little 

 larger than the average. 



1 might quote the late Capt. Hetherington 

 who, some years ago, wrote us that he had 

 been having considerable trouble about 

 queens going through his perforated zinc. 

 He had been using a metal with perforations 

 about }§g(5 wide, as I now recall. We sent 

 him some with \^^,^,. and with this he seem- 

 etl very much pleased. He reported that his 

 bees went through it with comparative free- 

 dom, and yet the perforations w»?re small 

 enough to exclude the majority of his queens. 



I should be glatl to hear from extracted- 

 honey producers from all over the country, 

 using all strains of bees. If the standard 

 metal now sold has perforations too small, 

 let's know it — the sooner the better. — Ed.] 



THE ALEXANDER FEEDER; A WIRE SPRING 

 TO HOLD THEM TO THE HIVES. 



We used the Alexander feeder last spring 

 for the first time, and were a little puzzled 

 at first as to how to fasten them to the hive. 

 If blocked up with a piece of wood or a brick 

 they are liable to settle and leave a crack for 

 robbers and cold wind to enter. After 

 studying the matter a little we hit upon the 

 device shown in the accompanying illustra- 

 tion. 



It is simply a piece of stiff wire bent in the 

 shape shown, the upper end lient in a short 



hook which catches into the haud-h(jld of the 

 hive, or over the cleat, if cleats are used, and 

 the proper length to go under the feeder 

 when bent into the long curved hook as 

 shown. It can be easily made from any old 

 (or new) stiff wire with a pair of pliers; and 

 if made of the proper length it will go on 



with a spring, and holds the feeder with a 

 spring pressure. It can also be easily bent 

 or straightened to accommodate any little 

 difference in different hives. 



To fasten the covers on the feeders where 

 they project from under the hives we drive 

 a line cement-coated nail of the proper length 

 to project al:)out j inch through each side the 

 cover near the outer edge, which nails are 

 pushed into the feeder with the cover, and 

 hold the same from blowing off. 



After trying some without the nails, how- 

 ever, we find that they stay in place very 

 well as the bees soon daub them more or less 

 with propolis. 



The same arrangement holds entrance- 

 blocks on nicely too. Just di-ive a cement- 

 coated nail through the blocks about 2 or 2^ 

 inches from the thin point, leaving the nail- 

 points to reach through about ^ inch or a lit- 

 tle less, to be pushed into the alighting-board. 



Denison, Iowa. E. 8. Miles. 



[Your wire-spring arrangement for hold- 

 ing the Alexander feeder in place is most ex- 

 cellent. It is so simple in design, and cheap 

 as well, that we do not doubt many of our 

 readers will be glad to use it. — Ed.] 



WILL A LARGE NUMBER OF BEE-STINGS 

 CAUSE RHEUMATISM? 



1. Last spring, being in a hurry, and the 

 bees being cross, 1 received over thirty stings 

 during the afternoon on the back of my right 

 hand, since which time my right arm has 

 shown severe rheumatic symptoms. Do bee- 

 stings act on the homeopathic principle 

 when received in large numbers? I am al- 

 ways indift"erent to stings, and can not ac- 

 count for the rheumatic attack. 



BEE-PARALYSIS AND MALARIA. 



3. Have data ever been collected, in regions 

 where bee-paralysis exists, as to whether that 

 section is malarious? Duiung the late 80's 

 and early 90's chills and fever were very bad 

 here; so was bee-paralysis. Both disappear- 

 ed together. May both bees and humans not 

 have been "shaky" from the same source of 

 water infection? 



3. The bees disinfect combs. Why can't 

 we? Would not 34 hours soaking in strong 

 brine, and combs soaked fresh in clear water, 

 bring the answer? I shall tiy it next season 

 anyhow. W. W. Case. 



Frenchtown, N. J. 



[1. We never knew of a case before where 

 a large number of stings induced rheumatism; 

 but we have had a large number of reports 

 where they had apparently the opposite ef- 

 fect — that is, cured the malady. 



3. We have never seen it stated before, 

 that bee-paralysis and malaria would come 

 and go at the same time. We should be in- 

 clined to believe that in this case it was only 

 an accidental coincidence. Perhaps some of 

 our readers who have been troubled much 

 with bee-paralysis could enlighten us. 



8. Possibly, but we would not like to take 

 the risk. Brine is only a mikl germicide, and 



