FRAMES, TO MANIPULATE. 210 FRAMES, TO MANIPULATE. 



therefore are very little used. The princi- 

 l)al objection to them is tliat one can not 

 move the frames en masse or in groups, 

 thus saving time in handling the brood- 

 nest. The advantage of grouy) handling is 

 made more apparent under Frames, Ma- 

 nipulating. 



self-spacing frainies— advantages. 



They give straight beautiful and regular 

 combs ; are practically free from burr- 

 combs ; can be hauled without any special 

 preparation over the roughest roads, turned 

 upside down, and rolled over without dis- 

 turbing the combs. They permit, to a very 

 great extent, the handling of hives instead 

 of frames. Under Frames, Manipulat- 

 ing, is shown how they can be handled in 

 ])airs and trios— in fact, half a hive at a 

 time. They can also be inverted, thus caus- 

 ing the combs to be built out solidly to the 

 bottom-bar; and, when once completed, they 

 can be restored to their normal upright 

 condition. They can be handled as rapidly 

 as the loose frame. Indeed, the late Mr. 

 Julius Hoffman, of Canajoharie,X.Y., when 

 owner of some 600 colonies on Hoffman 

 frames, said he could work nearly double the 

 nmiiber of colonies with his frame that he 

 could with any frame not spaced or close-fit- 

 ting, and he had used both styles of frames. 

 13utnot every one will be able to do this; and 

 very likely some people would luindle them 

 much more slowly than they could loose 

 frames. 



self-spacing frames for small bee- 

 keepers. 



Whatever we may say regarding the adapt- 

 ability of Hoffman frames for the expert, 

 we feel sure that, in almost every instance, 

 they are better for the beginner, average 

 farmer bee-keeper, or any one who does not 

 propose to make a specialty of the bee busi 

 ness, but desires to keep only a few colonies 

 to supply himself and neighbors with honey. 

 Such persons are apt to be a little careless, 

 and, with ordinary loose unspaced frames, 

 make bad spacing. It is seldom indeed that 

 we have looked into the hives of this class of 

 bee-keepers and found their loose frames 

 l)roperly spaced. In some instances the 

 combs are so close together that opposite 

 surfaces are gnawed down to give the bees 

 sufficient space to pass between ; and in 

 others tliey are so far apart that small 

 patches of comb are built between; because 

 it is an invariable rule laid down in hive 

 economy, on the part of the bees, not to 

 leave more than proper bee-spaces. Now, 



then, whenever the Hoffman frame, or any 

 standard self-spacing kind, is used, we al- 

 ways find the comb perfect; indeed, the 

 self-spacing feature shows how far apart 

 the combs should be placed. 



rOUL BROOD. See Diseases of Bees. 



FOUNDATION. See Comb Foundation. 



FRAMES. See Frames, Self-spacing, 

 Reversing;, and Hives. 



FRAMES; TO MANIPULATE. Before ^ 

 we proceed to the general subject of han- 

 dling frames, we will first consider the ques- 

 tion of hive-seats and tools necessary tor the 

 work. First and all important is a smoker 

 (see Smokers); next is some sort of hive- 

 tool, which may be an ordinary screwdriver, 

 a putty-knife with a stiff blade, or a special 

 tool made for the purpose. The subjoined il- 

 lustrations show a form of tool that has given 

 general satisfaction among bee-keepers. 



It is something that any blacksmith can 

 make out of an old buggy- spring or any 

 good piece of sprirg steel. It must not be 

 tempered too hard or it will break. Each 

 end should be flattened out while hot, and 

 brought to an edge. One end is bent to a 



Fig. 1. 



right angle, and the other is left straight. 

 The tool is then taken over to an emery 

 wheel or grindstone and finished up. Care 

 should be taken to have the edges straight 

 and square. 



The hooked end is ordinarily used for 

 scrajiing propolis or wax off the frames or 

 bottom-boards, while, the other end (also 

 useful for scraping) is pushed between the 

 two parts of the hive; but the drawing shows 

 the tool held improperly. The bent or curved 

 end should be placed directly against the 



