AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



873 



bee that does not sting, and will build 

 up from 1 to 20, and possibly yield 

 1,000 pounds of surplus honey. 



I have seen enough of these bees to 

 satisfy me that every claim for them 

 will be fulfilled to the letter. I shall 

 winter 80 colonies of the Punic bees, 

 and thus give their wintering qualities a 

 good test. 



Our friend Young, of Nebraska, says 

 he will let some one else test them before 

 he tries them. Well, that is all right; 

 but supposing all kinds of business 

 should be done in that way. Where 

 would enterprise and progress come in ? 

 Friend Young will not have to wait 

 more than one year to ascertain the 

 experience of other people with Punic 

 queens. 



The best way to find out the qualities 

 of a race of bees, the best bee-hive, or 

 anything connected with the apiary, is 

 to test them. Do not wait for other 

 people's opinions. 



Wenham, Mass. 



Description of a M Bee-EscaDO, 



J. W. WILCOX. 



Since a great many bee-keepers are 

 trying bee-escapes, and succeeding more 

 or less, permit me to relate what success 

 I have had in the matter. After two 

 seasons of experimenting with bee- 

 escapes, I tried the following about two 

 weeks ago, and found what I was seek- 

 ing ; namely, a " perfect. escape" — one 

 that will free a super, or supers, of bees 

 in a very short time : 



Make a rim the size of the super, and 

 1}4 inches high ; nail on a bottom of K- 

 inch lumber ; in one end of the rim, cut 

 an opening 3 inches long and % wide, 

 for bees to pass out, place this under 

 your supers bottom down on the hive, 

 with the escape-hole in the rim over the 

 bee-entrance to the hive. Make a tri- 

 angle of K inch strips large enough to 

 reach from the escape-hole to the hive 

 entrance ; but do not join the apex of 

 the triangle by one inch, but leave it for 

 the bees io pass through, and into the 

 hive. Over the triangle tack wire-cloth, 

 and then fasten to the front of the hive, 

 so as to cover the escape-hole in the 

 rim, the opening in the triangle to con- 

 nect with the hive-entrance. 



When this is adjusted properly, it is a 

 pleasure to see the bees come humming 

 down the front of the hive from the 

 escape-hole in the rim to entrance of the 

 hive. With this escape I have had no 



failure to entirely free the super of bees 

 in an incredibly short time ; and to 

 adjust it requires very little more time 

 than to put on a super. This triangle, 

 covered with wire-cloth, will prevent 

 robber bees from entering supers, and 

 at the same time conduct the bees to the 

 hive entrance below. 

 Scales Mound, Ills., Aug. 26, 1891. 



DiUt EverOccnrtoYon? 



E. L. PEATT. 



That the Punic bees are truly wonder- 

 ful, and are a constant surprise party, 

 with their peculiar habits ? 



That if we all waited until a neighbor 

 tried a thing, it would be uphill work to 

 get anything new introduced, even if it 

 had merit ? 



That enameled cloth and the like are 

 nuisances about a hive ? 



That a flat board is better, and if the 

 covers are as they should be (flat boards) 

 nothing more is needed ? 



That if you wish to cure a colony of 

 the palsy, turn salted syrup in the combs, 

 and thus force the bees to take it up ? 



That the leading queen breeders will 

 guar.i-ntee safe introduction of all queens 

 another season ? 



That if you do not follow their direc- 

 tions, they will not be responsible in 

 case of loss ? 



That the eastern bee-keepers have 

 taken off a good crop of honey, and are 

 selling it cheap ? 



That it is a waste of bees and money 

 to have queens fertilized in large frame 

 hives, even if they do hold but three 

 combs ? 



That the size of the colony does not 

 effect the quality of the queen that flies 

 from it to be mated ? 



That it is as easy to introduce a virgin 

 queen as a fertile one ? 



That to be successful in either, the 

 bees should be deprived of their queen 

 for 72 hours before introducing opera- 

 tions are commenced ? 



That tobacco smoke is a great aid in 

 handling bees iu bulk ? 



That it should never be used in exam- 

 ing colonies to ascertain their condition? 



That transferred combs are better 

 melted than saved for use in movable- 

 frame hives ? 



That if all did this there would be 



