136 



TBE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW, 



advantage and prove it, too, by their honey 

 yields. To the idea of unqueeuing I was 

 converted almost against my will by an im- 

 partial trial of it. I thought the queen, like 

 an engine in a shop, must be kept going ; 

 but, like friend Taylor, I have been looking 

 for something better than hunting queens 

 and cutting cells. 



I have no doubt the plan outlined by the 

 use of the double hives will work, as far as 

 non-swarming is concerned, provided the 

 cells a7-e cut once a week, but, according to 

 my experience, there are objections that will 

 make it impracticable. 



A double hive need not be used for a trial 

 of this : simply place two hives side by side 

 with both entrances in front. Before swarm- 

 ing time comes, turn one hive with the en- 

 trance to the rear. This throws the flying 

 bees into the other hive, which holds the 

 supers for the two hives. One week later 

 turn the reversed hive back to the front, cut 

 out cells, if any, shift the supers to this hive 

 and turn the entrance of the other hive from 

 front to back. 



So far, this maybe all right, as friend Tay- 

 lor says, but a week after this, when the shift 

 is again made, the trouble begins ; for dur- 

 ing these two weeks a force of bees nearly as 

 strong in numbers as those in front, and be- 

 ing constantly added to, have become located 

 at the rear of the hives, and they simply 

 jump from each closed hive — which holds the 

 supers — to the other with their loads of hon- 

 ey, just where they are not wanted. 



In fact, they act just like a "teeter board," 

 for while the force in front jumps from one 

 hive to the other, following the supers, the 

 rear force also jumps to the hive just re- 

 versed, thus keeping the hives equalized 

 with bees cocked and primed for swarming, 

 which is only prevented by cutting out cells 

 at each transfer of supers. The rear force 

 is also storing honey all this time in the 

 brood combs, instead of the supers on the 

 hive from which they are excluded. 



However, the working of two whole forces 

 of bees in the same super is a grand good 

 one. 



There are also good points in favor of self- 

 hivers mentioned in the same number, if 

 nothing better could take their place, but 

 as has been said by some one in the journals. 

 " No self-hiver will be a success, that catches 

 the queen and allows the swarm to go into 

 the air and return to any hive they choose." 

 This is self-evident from the fact, that. 



sometimes, in a large yard, half a dozen 

 swarms seem determined to enter the same 

 hive on returning. This is my experience. 



Dr. C. C. Miller said in one of his late 

 "Straws" in Gleanings, ih&t I had a plan 

 whereby bees had not even the desire to 

 swarm, and said the "proof of the pudding 

 was in the eating." So I have, and I ate 

 quite a slice of this "pudding" last season 

 in the shape of an extended trial of 100 colo- 

 nies, so I know whereof I speak. There are no 

 hives moved, no queens hunted, no cells cut 

 out, no combs handled or even the opening 

 of brood chambers — and all this without dis- 

 couraging the bees. It meets the require- 

 ments of the editorial on page :%!, Novem- 

 ber, 1892, more fully — especially when com- 

 bined with the house-apiary — than any other 

 invention in apiculture since the frame hive 

 came into use. 



East Constable, N. Y. March 28, '93. 



[For a description of the non-swarming 

 arrangement referred to by Mr. Langdon, 

 see the "Extracted Department." — Ed.] 



Vital Points in the Construction of Honey 



Extractors. — How They May be Reversed 



While in Motion. 



E. A. DAGGITT. 



fN this age of advancement, no progres- 

 sive bee-keeper will remove the honey 

 from the combs in the old antiquated 

 way of crushing the combs and draining and 

 straining out the honey, often giving a com- 

 posite product of honey and bee-bread, to 

 which is sometimes added the juice of crush- 

 ed bee-larva and wax worms. Even if these 

 objections did not exist, the waste of val- 

 uable comb would be both foolish and ex- 

 travagant. An extractor will, of course, be 

 used for the purpose, for by a proper use of 

 it we save the combs and get only pure 

 honey, 



This machine should be strong and dura- 

 ble and as light as possible consistent with 

 these necessities. It should do its work with 

 eificiency and rapidity. The tendency in 

 getting up this machine has been in the 

 direction of cheapness rather than utility. 

 This is a mistake, for it should be as per- 

 fect in its sphere as a locomotive in its. 



Since its invention the extractor has been 

 greatly improved, but ample room is left 



