46 ALEXANDER’S WRITINGS ON PRACTICAL BEE CULTURE 
queens if we shake some of the combs outside the hive. Our frames 
hang on a wooden rabbet, just even with the top of the hive; then we 
use an under cover, which has a bee-space on each side. This, with our 
telescope top, makes a cool water-tight cover which we like very much. 
THE COLOR OF THE CLOTHING. 
When working in the apiary we very decidedly prefer white. It 
does not irritate the bees as all dark colors will, and is nice and cool on 
hot days. I don’t know of any thing that will make your bees much 
crosser than to work among them when wearing dark clothes. If you 
are careful about these things you will find it much pleasanter to handle 
your bees. 
HOW TO STOP LEAKS IN HONEY-BARRELS. 
If any of you are troubled with your honey-packages leaking, either 
barrels or tin pails, just rub the leaky place with common hard soap 
and see how nice and quick the trouble is over; also when barreling 
up your honey, after you insert the bung a little, tip the barrel over 
so as to bring the honey up solid over the bung, then you can drive it 
in tight and run no risk of splitting or breaking the head. 
A GOOD HONEY-STRAINER. 
This is one of the handiest and best strainers that was ever used 
for straining honey. A tin-smith can make them by cutting off the top 
of a stout tin pail 2 inches, then make a frame of folded strips of tin, 
soldering these strips to the top rim of the pail you cut off, then line 
the inside of this frame with the same fine copper wire cloth that is 
used for milk strainers, and you will have a strainer that will never 
clog or run over, as the honey can run through the sides all around 
as well as the bottom, and it will take out every particle of foreign 
matter from your honey, and with proper care will last a lifetime. I 
now have three that I had made over 25 years ago and they are ap- 
parently good for 25 years more. The way we use these strainers is 
this: Our honey-tanks are covered with sheeting, except about two 
