1907 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



715 



Well, in the evening of the fourth day I 

 went over to bring the bees and queen home, 

 and you can well imagine my surpx'ise and 

 dismay on finding that the queen and bees 

 had taken French leave, or swarmed out. 

 The bees had started to build some comb in 

 the frame that was partly built out, and the 

 queen had laid a few eggs, but probably she 

 was not sufficiently fertilized, and tried to 

 go out and find some drones; but there were 

 none around there. I think I was foolish for 

 not clipping her wing. 



Deerwood, Minn. G. H. Peterson. 



[Ordinarily the bees would have stayed all 

 right without swarming out; but it would 

 have been better to clip the queen's wing, 

 and, in addition, given the bees a frame of 

 unsealed brood. — Ed. J 



AN AUTOMATIC SWARM-CATCHEK. 



I send you a drawing of an automatic 

 swarm-catcher, of which I desire your opin- 

 ion as to whether it would be practical and 

 efficient. The tube and cage are made of 

 fine wire screen, which prevents the bees 

 from killing the queen on finding that she 

 can not leave with them, and the rest is made 

 of perforated zinc. William Bacon. 



Burt, Iowa. 



'Libera ting Sl idb 

 I ClUEEN Cag£ 



[Your plan would probably catch the 

 swarm; but a far cheaper plan would be an 

 Alley trap. Bees very seldom if ever kill a 

 queen in an Alley trap. After making one 

 or more fruitless attempts to swarm they 

 may supersede her in the hive. Your device 

 would be no better than the Alley trap, and 

 cost more. — Ed.] 



PAINT for hives MADE OF OIL AND PORT- 

 LAND CEMENT. 



I paint the covers of my hives too, with 

 three coats of boiled oil and Portland cement. 

 It hardens like stone, and the covers do not 

 leak. I have some covers and hives that were 

 painted this way 13 years ago, and they are 

 good to-day. 



Mix like paint. The last coat is sprinkled 

 with cement. Rub it in with the hands. 



TuUy, N. Y. J. W. Tufft. 



[Such paint is excellent, as we know from 

 tests.— Ed.] 



A question CONCERNING INCREASE. 



Does it set a strong colony working .well 

 in supers now to take two frames of hatched 

 brood from them and give full sheets of foun- 

 dation in return, the same brood being used 

 for increase? Would you advise me to take 

 one colony and divide it up in four nuclei 

 rather than take a little from hives over my 

 apiary? E. D. Russell, M. D. 



Clare, Iowa. 



[There would be nothing in particular 

 gained, but something lost, by taking away 

 two frames of hatching brood. A colony, to 

 work in a super, should have a large force 

 of bees; and while young bees can not for 

 some days go to the fields, they serve to keep 

 up the necessary animal heat of the colony 

 for comb-building. 



Better by far make your four nuclei out of 

 one colony than to take a few bees from 

 many colonies, thus reducing the strength of 

 all of them in proportion to the number of 

 bees taken from them. — Ed.] 



feeding OUTDOORS TO STOP ROBBING. 



It is with much pleasure I read the article 

 from the pen of Mr. Wm. McEvoy, and your 

 comments thereon, in current No. 8 of Glean- 

 ings — especially that portion referring to 

 feeding bees outside the hive. I am delighted 

 to hear some one who is regarded as authori- 

 ty on subjects about which he talks, say 

 that robbing can be stopped by feeding out- 

 side. Feeding has been practiced by me in 

 the yard, not ten feet away from the hives, 

 to prevent robbing; but there has been so 

 much said against the practice of feeding 

 outdoors that I've been afraid to mention 

 the fact that it has been my practice for at 

 least ten years, fearing I might get a sharp 

 pen, or something else sharp, jabbed at me. 

 My first experience was immediately after 

 reading a very authoritative article against 

 the practice. You know I am curious to 

 know if these things are so, consequently do 

 some experimenting, though it may be risky 

 sometimes. I have found out a lot of things 

 myself by so doing, and think then I know 

 that sometimes they are not so. 



Lake Geneva, Wis. Wm. M. Whitney. 



[Orthodoxy does not even yet recognize 

 the possibilities of outdoor feeding to stop 

 or prevent robbing; but it will some day, es- 

 pecially when such old wheel-horses as 

 Boardman, McEvoy, Whitney, as well as 

 some others, vouch for it. For extracting 

 after the season it will prove a great boon. 

 —Ed.] 



alexander plan for weak colonies. 



I tried Mr. Alexander's plan of strength- 

 ening weak colonies by placing them over 

 strong ones and failed completely. I feel 

 sure the fault lay in not placing something 

 between to prevent their killing each other. 

 I think I will try it once more, putting screen 

 wire between and making an opening above 

 for the upper colony. R. C. Morrison. 



Rutherford ton, N. C. 



