212 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



they were still imperfect, as it was abso- 

 lutely necessary that they should be 

 capable of being instantly acLjusted 

 tightly to the hive, by any unskilled 

 person, to make them a complete success, 

 and now I have accomplished that end. 

 Those that I used this year, any bright 

 boy of ten years can adjust to a hive in 

 ten seconds, just as certainly as the 

 skilled bee-keeper, provided the hives 

 are made ready for their reception, which 

 consists in having the bottom-board of 

 the hives project three inches, or more, 

 in front and be the same width as the 

 hive. 



The catcher is made of a light frame of 

 wood, 16 inches square at the large end. 



and the bees that were out before it was 

 placed, will alight on the outside, pro- 

 vided it is allowed to remain a few 

 minutes for that purpose. I do not care 

 whether I get the few bees that are 

 flying or not, as I hive the* swarm on the 

 old stand, and the mature bees will all 

 return to the new hive, on the old one 

 being moved away. When the bees are 

 in, I close the place of entrance and set 

 the catcher, big end up, in the cellar, or 

 in a cool, shady place, and hive the 

 swarm at my leisure, either the same 

 day, or the next, as most convenient. 



When ready to hive, place the new 

 hive on the old stand, spread a sheet in 

 front, bring the catcher out. stand it on 



SIJ^J^Tll^ - C-^^ITCIE^EIE^, 



and 4x16 inches at the other, and S}4 

 feet long. The bottom, sides and two- 

 thirds of the top, are covered with com- 

 mon cotton sheeting, painted, and the 

 remaining third of the top is covered 

 with wire-cloth. The large end is fitted 

 with a movable frame, covered with wire- 

 cloth, held in place by two buttons. The 

 small end, that fits to the hive, is made 

 of a strip of cheap carpet 3 inches wide 

 and 16 long. When the bees are in the 

 catcher the small end is closed by a thin 

 board, 8>o inches wide and 16 inches 

 long, with a piece of leather three- 

 fourths of an inch wide, nailed across its 

 middle, which buttons over two %-inch 

 screw heads, to hold it securely in place. 

 In using them, I watch until I see the 

 swarm commencing to issue, when a 

 catcher is quickly adjusted, and in five 

 minutes the bees are inside the catcher. 



the small end, unbutton the'movable end, 

 and carefully lift it out, as nearly all the 

 bees will be clinging to it. Shake them 

 off in front of their hive, and they will 

 go in, very few of them taking wing. 



This season the bees have deserted 

 their hives in this section at an alarming 

 rate after being hived from 12 hours to 

 4 days ; some bee-keepers losing one-half 

 of their swarms in that way. My loss 

 would have been very great in that way 

 but for the catchers. W^hen a swarm 

 was seen coming out after having been 

 hived, they were caught and returned 

 to the cellar for 30 or 40 hours, and 

 then rehived without further trouble. 



I have made a square, upright catcher, 

 which is intended to act automatically. 

 I think I shall make it a success, and 

 will report on further trial : but I had 

 been laboring this year to equalize all my 



