AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



303 



myself to what some have called the 

 "labyrinth" system, but have tried, long 

 ago, what could be done with springs, 

 traps, etc. I succeeded in producing 

 one escape, on the flood-gate principle, 

 that has pleased me greatly. I have 

 succeejied in producing a little escape 

 only 13^x4 inches, that has stood every 

 test. The little gates are made of broom- 

 wire, and are provided with a peculiar 

 device to prevent the bees propolizing 

 the hinges. 



The great advantage in this escape, is 

 that 4 or 5 bees can pass out at once, 

 and none can get back. This is a much 

 more rapid escape than where only one 

 bee can squeeze out at a time, between 

 springs. Should any propolizing ever 

 occur, the escape can be readily cleaned 

 by putting it into boiling water. 



These escapes ventilate the super, by 

 means of wire-cloth directly under the 

 large hole. This not only provides ven- 

 tilation but serves to draw the bees to 

 escape. This feature is entirely my own, 

 and is not found in any other escape. 



I have now fulfilled my promise to give 

 to bee-keepers a perfect bee-escape — in 

 fact, I now give them two. I ask, in 

 return, only for a preference in the trade 

 over other manufacturers, to repay me 

 for my efforts. 



Some men seem to think that I deserve 

 only ridicule, and abuse, but I care very 

 little for the opinion of such.- If I have 

 given bee-keepers a valuable invention, 

 as I fully believe I have, lam thoroughly 

 satisfied. 



Milan, Ills. 



PreTentioii of Increase liy Swarming. 



W. p. FAYLOR. 



Where the apiarist has all the be.es he 

 or she may desire, and wishes to work 

 the bees for honey, the preventing of 

 increase by natural swarming becomes 

 an important item to be considered. 

 How vexing to the bee-keeper it is that 

 when his bees are wanted to gather honey 

 during a good honey-flow, they spend 

 their leisure hours swarming or prepar- 

 ing to swarm. 



A great many inquiries come to hand 

 for some method to prevent swarming". 

 It is generally urged that plenty of room 

 for the bees to enlarge and spread, or 

 widen their borders, will have a good 

 effect against the swarming impulse. 

 Room, and plenty of room, is not the 

 chief requisite to forestall natural in- 

 crease. Cutting out queen-cells is 

 another means usually resorted to. This, 



in most cases, has the desired effect if 

 gone over the second time. If the 

 swarming impulse is defeated till the 

 bees get to storing in the surplus recep- 

 tacles, swarming will usually be over for 

 the season. Raising the brood-chamber 

 H of an inch from the bottom-board, so- 

 as to allow a free circulation of air will 

 have a better effect than any one thing 

 the apiarist can do besides, to prevent 

 swarming. 



As soon as I notice a brood-chamber 

 becoming pretty well filled with bees, I 

 place a little strip of lath under each 

 corner of the brood-chamber, raising the 

 hive the thickness of a lath all around 

 from the bottom-board. In nine cases 

 out of ten where this is resorted to, it 

 will not even be necessary to cut out 

 queen-cells. Raising the brood so as to 

 let the air go whistling underneath the 

 brood-frames, will always hasten the 

 bees up into the sections, or upper story. 



I have had but two natural swarms 

 during the last ten years, and none for 

 the last three years. The more we keep 

 our bees from swarming the less will 

 they be inclined to swarm in the future. 

 The instinct of the bee can certainly be 

 improved. 



State Line, Ind. 



Aplcultnralltems from Minnesota, 



C. THEILMANN. 



As the time has advanced far enough, 

 even in this northern climate, most bee- 

 keepers are looking for reports concern- 

 ing the honey crop. 



Bees in this vicinity, on the whole, 

 wintered poorly, and many colonies 

 dwindled in the Spring, while the cold 

 weather kept back those which were not 

 very strong, until midsummer. 



The outlook in June, for a big honey 

 crop was never better. Clover and 

 linden could not have looked any better 

 than they did about June 20, and the 

 bees had filled their combs all around the 

 brood-chamber nicely with honey, and 

 began work in the sections, as white 

 clover was in full bloom ; but the nights 

 became very cold and the bees could only 

 work by hours, and half days. 



On July 4 the linden blossoms opened, 

 and lasted until July 19. The trees 

 were covered with blooms, but the unfa- 

 vorable weather continued until the 

 bloom faded. My bees could work only 

 3 full days while the linden bloom lasted, 

 and since then, up to date, the bees 

 have not gathered honey enough for their 



