Defiance, O., Jan. 1, 1894.
=Uses of Perforated Zinc.=
In reading the short item by Mrs. Jennie Atchley, in regard to the
different uses of Dr. Tinker's perforated zinc, I thought I would add a
little of my experience to those already given.
1st. In hiving young swarms, I have found it to be excellent to place
over the entrance to keep them from leaving or returning to the home
hive.
2nd. When four or six swarms issue at the same time, and cluster
together, I have found it to be of the greatest value to me. I look the
bees over, find my queens, and place them in separate hives, and put
on the zinc over the entrance; then I take a large dipper and dip the
bees from the place where they alighted, putting them in front of the
different hives, when the bees will separate, each swarm going into its
own hive.
In using the zinc, some might misunderstand me. I only leave the zinc
on the entrance from two to four days; if the queens are young, I only
leave it on two days, so as to give them a flight. With old queens I
leave it on longer.