92 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



black queen among bees that habitually 

 clump together in festoons, may be assisted 

 by the use of zinc. All will find advantage 

 in feeding. 



dewey's impeovbd peet cage. 



This is a standard Peet cage, save in the 

 facts of a guaze slide beneath the tin slide 

 and three openings upon the edge into the 

 candy. The original cage gave just cause 

 for complaint. We lost time, occasioned 

 robbing, mutilated combs and hazarded 

 queens, and sometimes found them chilled 

 in transit. So the Benton & Pratt cages re- 

 cently came into quite general use. The 

 Benton cage is a good shipijer, but for in- 

 troducing it presents to the bees only one 

 circular face one inch across. It must lie 

 upon the combs and offers only one avenue 

 to the queen ; there is no expedition with 

 this cage, only a few bees can tunnel into it 

 at a time. The new Peet cage is lowered 

 into the heart of the colony, two faces of 

 guaze the size of a dollar afford rapid ac- 

 quaintance — a slow release is effected by 

 uncorking one opening, or more speedy 

 work by opening two or all three approaches; 

 a paper between the slides gives protection 

 in bad weather. The tin tongues remain, 

 and the cage may be fastened upon the 

 combs by the old method, if this is desired. 



Westfield, Mass. March G, 1991. 



Introducing Queens with Hatching Brood — 



Correspondents Don't all Agree with the 



Editor — Continue the Leaders. 



O. O. MILIiEK. 



^0W you have gone and done it. 

 Covered the whole ground so thor- 

 oughly that, like Heddon, I can only 

 endorse what you've said, with a single ex- 

 ception. You say when a queen is intro- 

 duced into a hive with only hatching brood, 

 " in a week the hive may be given a stand in 



the apiary, and the entrance opened," &c. I 

 have opened them in five days and on that 

 day I've seen them bring in pollen. 

 Now, a comment or two. A little better 

 plan, if you don't care for 

 a little trouble, is to put the 

 hive of hatching brood, just 

 mentioned, over a strong 

 colony, with a two - inch 

 hole in the bottom board 

 that separates them. A 

 piece of wire cloth covers 

 the upper side of the bot- 

 tom board, at least covers 

 the hole, and another piece 

 IS put on the under side. This allows the 

 hatching lirood to have the benefit of the 

 heat arising from the strong colony, and you 

 don't need to carry the hive into the house 

 at night. 



When you smoke a ball of bees to release 

 a queen, don't hold the nozzle of the smoker 

 too near the bees. The heat, instead of 

 frightening the bees away, will make them 

 sting. Try it some time when a bee is on 

 your hand. 



Now, I've said all that you left for me to 

 say about introducing, and here's the private 

 letter you want from each of your readers. 

 You can publish any part of it that you 

 think of general interest, if such part there 

 be. 



I haven't (luite forgiven you for going on 

 and making a good paper without any con- 

 sultation with me, when I knew you would 

 be sure to suspend publication within 18 

 months. True, you asked me once whether 

 I would write for you if you started a bee 

 journal, and I didn't know whether you were 

 in fun or earnest, but, for fear you might be 

 in earnest, I didn't make any reply, for I 

 didn't want to say anything to encourage 

 you in any such foolishness. But you had 

 the audacity, not only to go ahead, but to 

 keep on at it after the regular time for giv- 

 ing it up as a failure. 



Well, I've just leafed over the March num- 

 ber pretty carefully, and one of the things 

 specially noticeable is the very familiar way 

 in which you talk to your readers. I like 

 that. It makes a body feel so much at 

 home. 



The only other thing that particularly at- 

 tracts my attention is Heddon's say and your 

 remarks thereon. I suspect that squib of 

 Heddon's is only his sly way of saying you 

 couldn't do anything better than to con- 



