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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Mr. Dibbern's new escape gave very 

 poor results, as, in my first trial with it, 

 there was very little decrease in the 

 number of bees in a T super in 24 hours 

 after adjusting the escape on the hive. 

 My second trial was but little better, as 

 only about half the bees were out of the 

 super in 24 hours. In subsequent trials 

 it worked some better, but not any 

 better, if as well, as the cone escapes, as 

 the bees are slower in passing out 

 through the Dibbern. I very much 

 dislike the Dibbern escape, for two 

 reasons, i. e., it is just as liable to clog 

 up with dead bees as the cone escape is, 

 and there is no way of clearing it out or 

 knowing that it is or is not in working 

 order without taking it apart. 



The only objection I see so far to the 

 Porter spring escape is, that it has no 

 automatic principle that will extract the 

 bees from the supers in a given time ; 

 and the bees of some colonies, under 

 certain conditions of weather, are very 

 slow to move out ; but once they are out, 

 they are certain to stay out. 



While the bees have shown a disposi- 

 tion to propolize the perforations in the 

 perforated tin cone escapes, and plaster 

 over those made of wire cloth, and glue 

 the doors^f the trap-door escapes fast, 

 they have put but very little propolis 

 into the spring escapes — not enough to 

 interfere with the working of the springs 

 in the least. 



But little need be said concerning the 

 utility of a practical bee-escape for 

 removing comb-honey from the hives. 

 Any bee-keeper who has gone through 

 the vexations of removing his comb- 

 honey from the hives during a honey 

 dearth, will agree with me that it is 

 anything but a pleasant task ; while 

 with a practical escape the vexations are 

 all removed — no brushing, no shaking 

 of bees, no robbing, and no bees in the 

 honey-house. The escape-boards can be 

 adjusted at any time of day, and is done 

 so quickly that the robber bees have no 

 chance to get a start. The supers can 

 be taken off at the bee-keeper's leisure, 

 after the bees have deserted them, which 

 is usually from five to eight hours. Many 

 of my supers were carried in early in the 

 morning, without hat or veil, while the 

 good wife was setting the breakfast. 



Concerning the inventors and manu- 

 facturers (R. and E. C. Porter, of 

 Lewistown, Ills.) of the Porter spring 

 escape, I will say that, so far as I have 

 been able to learn, they are the oldest 

 practical bee-keepers in this part of 

 Illinois. At present they do not keep a 

 very large apiary, only some 60 or 80 



colonies, on account of so many bees 

 near them. In 1882 they obtained 

 between 9,000 and 10,000 pounds of 

 extracted-honey from about 80 colonies. 

 In 1886 they obtained 10,000 pounds 

 from about the same iramber of colonies. 



Their escapes have been as thoroughly 

 tested as one season's work can test 

 them, and they are well enough pleased 

 with them to manufacture and put them . 

 on the market at once. 



Liverpool, Ills., April 9, 1891. 



The above article is taken from 

 Oleanings, and the assistant editor 

 (Ernest) makes the following remarks : 



Many thanks for your valuable article. 

 We are all anxious to know what we 

 may expect of the bee-escape ; and 

 according to your experience, our hopes 

 of its practical utility are not disap- 

 pointed. If others-shall have experience 

 similar to yours, it does indeed promise 

 to work a revolution in the methods of 

 taking oflf honey, and we have already 

 had some good reports. 



We, too, have been experimenting with 

 different styles of bee-escapes ; but none 

 do the work so perfectly as the Porter 

 here illustrated. It would get every bee 

 out of the upper story — even off combs 

 of brood. With the Reese and Dibbern 

 escapes, a few bees would be left, they ' 

 having evidently found their way back ; 

 and once or twice we found them clogged 

 with dead bees. 



We have just received a few samples 

 of the Porter escape. They are beauti- 

 fully made, and the price is moderate. 

 If this escape shall do as well as It has 

 done for you and ourselves, the two 

 Porters deserve a vote of thanks for a 

 perfect bee-escape, and the right of 

 exclusive manufacture, whether they 

 have a patent on the same or not. We 

 presume a good many of them will be 

 sold, and we should like to have reports 

 of where thorough tests have beon made. 



The propolizing feature of the Reese 

 and Dibbern, as well as their occasional 

 clogging with dead bees, is rather against 

 them. The brass springs at the point D, 

 in the Porter, are so exceedingly sensi- 

 tive, that, if a bee were to touch them 

 with its mandibles, I imagine they would 

 tremble so that the little propolizer 

 would become cross-eyed in trying to 

 keep track of the oscillations, and give 

 the matter up in disgust. — E. R. R. 



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