GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 15 



they are near enough for illustration. What 

 is true of the cube of wax is just as true of a 

 liquid block confined in a vessel. Pour melt- 

 ed wax in on either water or honey in a 

 bucket, and the wax all remains on top. But 

 suppose the bucket has a partition in it with 

 an opening through or under it at the bot- 

 tom. If you pour honey into one compart- 

 ment it Hows under the partition and stands 

 just as high in one as in the other. Now 

 drop the cube of wax in one compartment, 

 and immediately the honey in the other rises 

 in bulk equal to two-thirds the bulk of the 

 wax, and there they remain. If the cube of 

 wax is 8 inches deep, the honey level in the 

 other compartment will be one inch lower 

 than the top of the wax cake. Now start a 

 stream of honey running in where the wax 

 is, after punching a hole in the other com- 

 partment at the honey level, and, barring a 

 small per cent of friction, the honey will 

 maintain its level where the wax is, and flow 

 all day down and under the partition and up 

 and out at the hole provided. Now make 

 another hole in your bucket on the wax side 

 at its level, then start a stream of liquid wax 

 running in with the cake, and it will flow 

 out at the hole provided for it, and continue 

 so flowing as long as the supply continues 

 pouring in. That is the whole philosophy of 

 the separator. 



I have used in illustration the propoi'tion 

 of inches; but if the honey outlet be one inch 

 below the wax-vent you will always have in 

 your separator a body of wax three inches 

 deep. This is more than is necessary. I now 

 use a separator with the wax-vent half an 

 inch higher than the honey-vent, and this 

 works very satisfactorily. I have never tried 

 it, but I think even a J-inch variation abun- 

 dant. This would reduce the bulk of the 

 wax very materially — a half. However, if 



This partition Is ''s inch up ffom bottOTn. 



aikin's honey and wax separator. 



very large ([uantities of either honey or wax 

 are to be put through, if the variation be- 

 tween the levels be too slight there will be 

 almost sure to be sediment flow over with 

 the wax. So far as possible, all sediment 

 should be held back on the melting-pans; but 

 there is always some of it that goes into the 

 separator; but it remains between the honey 

 and the wax, and comes out with the cake of 

 wax that hardens in the separator. This has 

 to be removed the next moi'ning before anoth- 



er run is made, so I would recommend about 

 J -inch ditTerence in levels as most likely to 

 give best satisfaction. 



Herewith you will find an illustration of 

 the separator I have used for several years. 

 The levels in this vary \ inch. The thing is 

 made of tin, and is 5X12 inches at the top, 

 and about 2X10 at the bottom, and 7 inches 

 deep. The small compartment is about 2 

 inches wide — less would do, as all that is 

 necessary is a capacity to let the honey flow 

 up as fast as it pours into the other compart- 

 ment. I think half the length of this would 

 be just about as satisfactory, and require 

 much less remnant of honey and wax each 

 time. The flaring shape of the pan is for two 

 purposes: It makes it easier to remove the 

 wax remnant, and takes less honey and wax 

 to till. However, there is necessarily a limit 

 to the curtailment in size, for reasons already 

 indicated, about sediment, and this applies 

 more to the question of depth than width. I 

 would not recommend less than 5 inches in 

 depth. 



Now, friends, this is a valuable implement, 

 and effective; it not only separates the wax 

 from the honey, but the honey passing 

 through is in a measure strained. I set the 

 separator over the honey-tank, and the hon- 

 ey overflows to the tank. The wax flows in- 

 to a slightly shallower pan set beside the sep- 

 arator, which pan should have a little water 

 in it. If one pan is not sufticient, it in turn 

 can be made to overflow into another, and 

 so at pleasure. 



To be continued. 



THE ALEXANDER PLAN OF BUILD- 

 ING UP AVEAK COLONIES. 



Leaving the Weakest Colony on the Okl 

 Stand. 



BY A. A. ASHLEY. 



Seeing so many reports of the success and 

 failure of the Alexander plan of treating weak 

 colonies, I want to give my experience. I 

 tried it on three colonies, and it proved a 

 success with me. I think the reason some 

 fail is because they fuss with the strong col- 

 ony till they get them too thoroughly roused 

 up. I put on the excluder, then put screen 

 wire over that, and I set the weak colony on; 

 twenty-four hours later, I lifted off the weak 

 colony and quickly and gently removed the 

 screen, then very gently set the weak colony 

 back, and I never had a bee killed. After 30 

 days I separated them, leaving the weak col- 

 ony on the old stand, moving the strong one 

 to one side. This gives the weak colony the 

 most of the flying bees. I can't tell any dif- 

 ference in the strength of them. One of my 

 colonies was so weak there was scarcely a 

 handful of bees, and they had not attempted 

 to start any brood. I gave them a frame 

 from the strong one. This plan is at least 

 worth trying again, and I believe that if some 

 of those who have failed will try again, and 

 be a little more careful, they will succeed. 



Blanket, Texas. 



