36 



THE BOOK OF BEE-KEEPING. 



Queen-excluder for Body-box. 



58. Queen and Drone-excluder. — This is sheet zinc per- 

 forated with oblong holes of a size that workers can pass through, 

 but not large enough for queens or drones — in fact, a bee sieve. 

 It is rapidly getting into disfavour, as it is found very materially 

 to impede the workers' passage into the sections or supers._ The 

 object of using it is that the queen may not deposit her 



eggs in the supers. Where very 

 large supers (non-sectional) are 

 used, or where back-supering is 

 practised, it is imperative that it 

 should be used. In the first place, 

 if a queen should happen to ascend 

 into a large super (non-sectional) it 

 is spoilt, but in a section-rack the 

 section or sections spoilt can be 

 easily removed and the portion visited by the queen cut out, the 

 section being then returned again to the hive to be repaired. Our 

 advice is not to use it under sections. Where it is obliged to 

 be used, always place it with the burr side turned towards the 

 entrance ; the holes being punched, there is, in consequence, a 

 burr on one side, which acts as a trap for any bees dying in the 

 super if the zinc is not placed on properly, the removal of them 

 being prevented by their articulations catching in this burr. 



59. Feeders. — There are so many descriptions of bee- 

 feeders now before the bee-keeping public, that a description 

 of all would be a task of some magnitude; we will, therefore, 

 choose two which have been found to be all that can be desired. 

 First is the regulating bottle-feeder. This should be in the 

 hands of every bee-keeper, as by 

 its means a hive can be fed as 

 slowly and almost as quickly as 

 desired. It consists of a stage, made 

 in two parts, having a hole about 

 2|in. in diameter in each; between 

 these a zinc diaphragm is placed, 

 having a slot cut half way round, 

 and corresponding with several 

 small holes in a metal cap covering 

 the mouth of an inverted bottle ; 

 attached to this cap is an index. 

 The stage is numbered from o to g. 

 When it is desired to feed slowly, 

 this index is pointed at No. I ; this allows only one of the holes 

 in the metal cap to be exposed; by turning it to No. g, nine holes 

 are uncovered ; or by shifting it to o, feeding is stopped. With 

 this feeder it is impossible for the bees to be able to sting you. 

 When it is desired — as in the case of condemned bees placed 



Regulating Bottle-feeder. 



