THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



209 



aji^e to practice such a plan. It seems to 

 me that not only must much brootl per- 

 ish from want of proper food, but also 

 that much must be destroyed by the bees 

 to obtain moisture to satisfy their thirst. 



CEIJ.AR tkmperaturk kor wintering. 



In the Review, 168-9, Mr. Getaz, in 

 discussing the above topic, says "the uni- 

 versal verdict is that 40° is the right 

 temperature." I should have said that 

 that verdict is 45°, or from 42° to 44°. 

 Then he discuiises the question whether 

 the temperature that is right for small 

 colonies is not to high for large colonies. 

 It would be, undoubtedly, but not to the 

 extent Mr. Getaz imagines, I think, when 

 lie intimates that it might be necessary 

 to bring it down to 20° or less. So far 

 as I can see, I practically meet the diffi- 

 culty by placing the heaviest colonies 

 near the cellar floor, without bottotn- 

 boarils, and the lightest near the ceiling 

 with bottom-boards. 



SH.\I,L WE CUP THE QUEENS ? 



Dr. Mason (Review, 113) is enthusias- 

 tic in praise of queen-clipping, and cites 

 a host who are with him. I was once 

 with him, and would be still were it not 

 for the queen-trap which I now prefer to 

 clipping, for the control of the queen. 

 If account is made cf the time necessa- 

 rily required for the finding of queens, 

 the use of the trap will be found much 

 the cheaper method. Besides that, I find 

 several other advantages in its use. I'irst; 

 no queens will be lost or make trouble in 

 neighboring hives when no one is present. 

 Second; the presence of a queen in a trap 

 will always reveal the fact that a swarm 

 has issued; thereby giving the apiarist 

 an opportunity to deal with the colony so 

 as to prevent a recurrence of the swarm- 

 ing. Tliird; generally a swarm unattend- 

 ed by its fjueen, if the ai)iarist is expect- 

 ing other swarms to issue, is an exasper- 

 atingly longtime looking for the queen be- 

 fore it decides either to cluster or to re- 

 turn. In such a case I find it a decided 

 convenience to have the queen undipped; 



for, by letting her loose with the swarm, 

 the bees settle and become quiet at once; 

 thus leaving a clear field for the next 

 swarm. Fourth; clipping does not pro- 

 vide against the loss of swarms led by 

 young queens recently reared for the 

 purpose of supersedure, or on accovint of 

 the loss of the old queen. I am unable 

 to see that clipping has any decided ad- 

 vantage over traps in any particular; 

 while the trap has several decided advan- 

 tages over clipping. 



SOL-A-R WAX-EXTRACTOR COVER. 



I notice in the cut of the extractor in 

 the Review, 107, that the cover is on 

 hinges. I should not like that feature; 

 and I think any one must find it incon- 

 venient. My solar extractor has a slid- 

 ing cover which is fastened on with a 

 hook and staple at each end. It .slides 

 up or down little or much as circumstan- 

 ces require. 



PROPOrjS .-VND WAX. 



Mr. A. C. Miller intimates (Review 

 106) that propolis is apt to mix with wax 

 in boiling. I pointed out, some months 

 ago, that this idea is probably entirely er- 

 roneous. I think it never melts in water; 

 else how could it be used instead of sol- 

 der to stop a leak in the boiling-vessel ? 

 Besides, being heavier than water it sinks. 



Lapeer, Mich., June 15, 1899. 



EDITORIAL 



fferings. 



The Load always seems the heaviest 

 when you have nearly reached the toj) of 

 the hill. — Farm Journal. 



" One Dou-AR enclosed to pay for the 

 Review. Bro. Hutchinson, you have 

 taken advantasic of your readers; you 

 have made the Review so good that they 

 can't do without it." — j. T. hairston. 



