AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



275 



how quickly they withdraw it and fly 

 away. 



It is a grand sight to open a full colony 

 of Funics and see all the little "niggers" 

 at home, so quiet, so unconcerned, and, 

 to me, so beautiful — because of their 

 usefulness, and not of the 5 gold bands. 

 The Funics put the gold into their keep- 

 ers' pockets, which is better than on 

 their little backs. 



Their length of life and hardiness are 

 something remarkable. I had some 

 imported queens come a few weeks ago 

 that had been on the road 28 days, and 

 after the queens had been Introduced the 

 attendants lived fully two weeks longer 

 in confinement. 



The queens I have reared by improved 

 American methods, are what would be 

 called large queens, and when they com- 

 mence to lay are a beautiful sight on the 

 combs. The drones are unusually large 

 and powerful-winged fellows, as black 

 as jet. 



The worker-bees are very small, short- 

 bodied, large-winged and the most ener- 

 getic workers. Their motions are more 

 like those of a hornet»than of the honey- 

 bee. 



They work with more vigor than a 

 newly hived swarm. I believe a three- 

 frame nucleus of Funics will build up to 

 a full colony fit to Winter in less than 

 six months' time, without aid. 



What a poor show an apiary of any 

 of our present races would have in the 

 same field with tl^e same number of 

 Funic bees. A well-known apiarist says 

 it would settle the " Friority of Location" 

 business. 



Beverly, Mass. 



G. W. DEMAREE. 



Vaseline Preyeiits Propolis in Bee-Escapes 



By to-day's mail I send you one of my 

 trap-door bee-escapes for your Museum. 

 It was described in the Review, of last 

 month. 



The plan on which it is constructed is 

 entirely new, as applied to bee-escapes. 

 It consists of a tin chute, suitably 

 flanged to fit into a mortice in the escape- 

 board, while its essential feature is a 

 nicely-adjusted "trap-door," made of tin, 

 and so delicately hinged that the slight- 

 est touch causes it to swing outwardly 

 and the bee, or bees, pass out, while the 

 door swings back to its balancing poise. 

 But a "stop" prevents the door from 

 swinging back far enough for the bees 

 to return. Thus Tuechanical force is 



brought to bear to prevent tlie bees fronl 

 returning after they have passed through 

 the escape into the department of the 

 hive below the escape-board. 



The careful experimentation of Mr. 

 John S. Reese, of Winchester, Ky.. one 

 of the brightest geniuses in the bee- 

 keepers' ranks, and my own experiments, 

 have satisfied me that the labyrinth 

 idea is a failure. Though the bees, in 

 their restless, unceasing motion, may be 

 unable to systematically return through 

 the labyrinthine escape, still too many 

 of them will straggle through to make 

 the plan a success. 



When I began my experiments with a 

 mechanical device to pass bees out of 

 surplus cases, and prevent their return, 

 I found propolis, or "bee-glue" to be 

 the great hindrance. Bee-glue will soon 

 disable the delicate hinges — the finely 

 adjusted working parts— of any mechan- 

 ically planned bee-escape. 



On a fair trial of Mr. Forter's ingen- 

 iously contrived spring escape, in the 

 "heated term'' here, when propolis is 

 abundant and our bees handle it without 

 stint, the dancing little springs, so suple 

 and practical-looking, when new and 

 clean, would become disabled and work 

 sluggishly, and nearly fail at times, by 

 reason of being daubed with soft pro- 

 polis ; but I am pleased to be able to say 

 that I have overcome this difficulty by 

 the application of vaseline. 



With a little brush the odorless essence 

 of petroleum is applied to the hinges or 

 springs at all points where bee-glue 

 might do harm. It is a perfect remedy 

 against bee-glue, and I believe that vas- 

 eline will find extensive use about bee- 

 hives in the future, when its efficiency is 

 better understood. 



I have been suffering again this Sum- 

 mer with my old sciatic trouble, and had 

 it not been for the help my little trap- 

 door bee-escape gave me, I certainly 

 would have been unable to take a large 

 crop of surplus honey, as I have so 

 easily done by its use. I am so situated 

 that I cannot get intelligent help, and 

 therefore machinery must supply its 

 place. 



The honey yield was fairly good here, 

 this season. 



Christiansburg, Ky. 



[This bee-escape is the smaljest one 

 yet devised. The escape . proper is but 

 1x3^x2% inches. It is wonderfully sim- 

 ple, and the trap acts promptly upon the 

 least touch. It is placed in our Museum, 

 for the inspection of visitors. — Ed. | 



