FRAMES, TO MANFUL ATE. 217 FRAMES, TO MANlPrLATK. 



ABOUT TO INSERT A DANZENHAKER FRAME INTO THE PLACE FROM AVIIICH IT CAME. 



the distances at wide and narrow spaces. 

 There is no need to instruct the beginner 

 just how far to space combs, and there is 

 no flnding the apiary afterward, with auy 

 of the combs spaced so far apart that spurs 

 of comb are built wliere they ought not 

 to be. With the regular Hoffman frames 

 the spaces must necessarily be exact, so the 

 combs may have a fixed and uniform thick- 

 ness; and we do not liesitate to say that one 

 can alternate them just as well as or better 

 than he can many of the loose or unspaced 

 frames. We will explain. Space the loose 

 frames during the honey-harvest, anywhere 

 from If to U or even If inches from center 

 to center, and then, after the honey-harvest, 

 try to alternate them with other frames 

 spaced a little closer, and see where you are. 

 You may say you can space frames near 

 enough right. Although we have visited 

 many large apiaries, we seldom see a loose- 

 frame apiary spaced correctly. 



To go back, we will replace the follower, 

 and crowd the frames tight together. If 

 there are any bees on tlie tops of the frames, 

 a whiff of smoke will usually drive them 

 down and then the cover is replaced with a 

 sliding motion, which we have already ex- 

 plained. 



Perhaps from the description about ma- 

 nipulating the hive with Hoffman frames, it 

 may appear like a long operation; it is a very 

 short one. Mr. Hoff ma n said he could handle 

 nearly double the number of colonies on his 



frame that he coidd on any loose frame; and 

 we will add right here that he used loose 

 frames for years, until necessity, the mother 

 of invention, caused him to bring out this 

 style. 



There is another good feature; namely, by 

 removing two or three frames in a trio, the 

 rest of the combs in the hive need not be 

 lifted ont. They can be slipped back and 

 forth, and each surface examined ; bnt if 

 the tin ral)bet is covered with pieces of pro- 

 polis, this lateral sliding is not easily ac- 

 complished. 



There are some localities where propolis 

 is very much worse than in others. In such 

 places the Hoffman frame is not as satisfac- 

 torily used as the staple-spaced shown in 

 Frames, Self-spacing. With perhaps one 

 exception this can be handled like the Hoff- 

 man ; and that exception is that it can not 

 be handled in pairs or trios. Each comb 

 must be manipulated individually. In this 

 respect it is quite a little behind the Hoffman . 



HOW TO HANDLE DANZENBAKER 

 FRAMES. 



As shown under Hives, the frames are 

 pivoted in the center, and rest on hanger- 

 cleats in the ends of the hive. When opening 

 up for inspection, keep the frames together 

 in one solid body, without any spaces be- 

 tween them. It is not advisable to loosen 

 all the frames with a screwdriver at the 

 start. Breivk the propolis connections only 



