THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



able to buy tin cans at a lower rate. 

 Why could not this plan be applied to 

 foundation, sections, and the like ? 



While National co-operation, with this 

 one exception, has been a failure, it is 

 a pleasure to note one or two brilliant 

 examples of co-operation, viz., the 

 Colorado Honey Producers' Associa- 

 tion, and that of the St. Croix Valley 

 Honey Producers' Association, with 

 headquarters at Glenwood, Wis. Ac- 

 cording to the Rural Bee-Keeper, this 

 Association bought $1,400 worth of sup- 

 plies for its members last year, effect- 

 ing' a saving of $600. This Association 

 now has a membership of over 200, and 

 they are not all in Wisconsin, either. 

 Some are Minnesota. Iowa, South 

 Dakota and Michigan. I would sug- 

 gest that every bee-keeper in profitable 

 shipping distance of this Association 

 join in, and help himself and others — 

 co-operate. Write to the Manager, 

 LeoF. Hanegan, Glenwood, Wis. Mr. 

 Hanegan is reall}' the prime mover, 

 the father, of this Association, and 

 what he has done in Wisconsin can be 

 done in other States. New York is 

 following along in this line, and I 

 shall be interested in seeing how she 

 will succeed. 



Mf-mP'a^^'-u'-m^ 



The Aspinwail Hive. 



It was nearly 20 years ago when I 

 first met Mr. Aspinwail, at a State 

 fair, in Lansing, Michigan, and we 

 drove out to the Agricultural College 

 to see a colony of bees occupying zvooden 

 combs. It certainly was a novel sight 

 to see the queen laying, brood being 

 reared and capped, honey being stored 

 and sealed over, all in little round 

 holes drilled in slabs of wood. Mr. 

 Aspinwall's theory at that time was 

 that by preventing drone production, 

 swarming would be prevented. The 

 use of wooden combs proved that the 

 theory was not correct. His next 

 theor}' was that swarming might be 

 prevented by avoiding a crowded con- 



dition in the hive — by furnishing lots 

 of room for the bees in proportion to 

 the combs occupied. It was easy to 

 give this room by spreading the combs 

 apart, and giving space outside the 

 combs, between them and the walls of 

 the hive, but the trouble was that the 

 bees would build combs in this space, 

 and thus defeat the object. Mr. Aspin- 

 wail filled these spaces with dummies. 

 His first dummies were slabs of wood 

 with holes bored through them. He 

 found that slats of wood were just as 

 effectual, and much cheaper to make. 

 The introduction of these slatted dum- 

 mies prevented swarming, provided a 

 generous surplus room was given. 

 That was decided a dozen years ago, 

 but there were other factors that 

 sprang up; principally the putting of 

 pollen in the sections. This has been 

 overcome at last by the use of drone- 

 cell foundation in the sections that are 

 over the brood nest. The hive is now 

 a practical success, and has been for 

 two or three years. One or two minor 

 points are yet to be decided. For in- 

 instance, Mr. Aspinwail is not 3'et de- 

 cided as to the best thickness to have 

 the dummies. He is using them much 

 thinner now than at first, and they are 

 effective. How far this reduction in 

 thickness can be carried is yet to be 

 determined. 



Isn't the hive expensive ? How much 

 will it cost ? These are the questions 

 that will be asked. Of course it will 

 cost more than an ordinary hive; but 

 special machinery can cut up the stuff 

 for the dummies at a low cost, and they 

 can be made from the waste of a hive 

 factory. Let us suppose that a hive 

 would cost $2.00 more than an ordin- 

 ary hive, which is an extreme figure, 

 the interest would be onlj' 12cts a year 

 on a hi"e. If a man could put out an 

 apiary of 100 colonies a dozen miles 

 from home, and get a big crop of comb 

 honey, couldn't he afford to pa}' $12.00 

 to have absolutely no swarming — no 

 desire to swarm .'' 



