92 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Feb. 1 



HEADS OF GRAIN 



From Different Fields 



SPACING DANZENBAKER FRAMES WIDER FOR EXTRACT- 

 ING. 



I was much interested in the question asked by Mr. 

 Richard Hanlon, page 785, Dec. 15, and your answer to 

 the same on the next page. I have reference to the 

 one about spacing Danzenber frames for the purpose 

 of producing extracted honey. This question is, I 

 think, a very pertinent one to us bee-keepers who are 

 using the Danzenbaker hive. Thus far I have never 

 produced any extracted honey; but as I see my apiary 

 increasing, and learn through reading the journals 

 that extracted honey is easier to produce, that bees 

 swarm much less — or, rather, swarming is easier con- 

 trolled — and that it is as profitable withal, it brings 

 forward very forcibly this question of extra spacing in 

 the supers. The writer has spent many of his spare 

 moments in trying to devise ways and means to that 

 end. I should like to ask why The A. I. Root Co. 

 could not, by making a slight change in the metal 

 spacers used in spacing the Hoffman frames, give us a 

 spacer that would be practical. The change, as I see 

 it, would be to make the central space of such spacer 

 wider, so it would extend clear across the top of the 

 end-bar of said frame. Why could we not use staples 

 in alternate sides of end-bars? I realize that there 

 would be some disadvantages connected with such 

 forms of spacing the Danzenbaker frame — one thing, 

 the end-bars fitting so close to the cleats that the bees 

 would, I think, propolize them fast to said cleats ; 

 then, again, if one wished to lift a frame of brood out 

 of the brood-nest to the super above, which, I under- 

 stand, is considered desirable, it would not work very 

 well with the staple-spaced frame; but if the metal 

 spacers were used it would not be so bad, and certain- 

 ly would be better, on account of uncapping, than to 

 use the frame in the super the same as it is used in the 

 brood-nest. Then there is another thing: I suspect 

 the bees would work to the disadvantage of the bee- 

 keeper if these frames were spaced as I have intimated 

 above; and that is, to build comb clear around the 

 edges of the end-bars and attach itito the body of the 

 hive. 



Robbinsville, N. J., Dec. 27. J. L. Howe. 



[While it would be possible to space closed-end 

 Danzenbaker frames wider apart by means of staples 

 or other device, we would not recommend it. We 

 doubt very much if the gain in thicker comb would 

 compensate for the extra expense and annoyance in 

 handling these closed-end frames with additional 

 spacers. On the other hand, Hoffman frames can be 

 spaced so that eight of them, or even six, will till a ten- 

 frame hive-body. The advantage of spacing such 

 frames wide apart lies in the fact that extra thickness 

 of comb will reach out to or beyond the width of the 

 widened ends, thus clearing the uncapping-knife. 

 Notwithstanding this, however, the majority use Hoff- 

 man frames, for extracting, spaced in the regular way, 

 placing all the frames in contact with each other. If 

 this is true, there is no reason why the user of Dan- 

 zenbaker frames may not do the same thing.— ED.] 



GIVING AWAY BUCKWHEAT SEED. 



You mention the fact of giving farmers buckwheat 

 as seed, in the interest of your bees, as fall honey 

 bloom. Will you please tell me how much seed they 

 sowed to the acre? also, with you, what per acre gen- 

 erally has been their return? Is there inducement 

 enough to stimulate them to continue? At what price 

 can it be had at Medina? Does it yield a nectar that 

 sells well on the market? Any information you can 

 give me will be appreciated. M. F. Soule. 



Crestline, 0., Dec. 29. 



[The amount of buckwheat to sow per acre depends 

 somewhat on the time of the year, the kind of land, 

 and probably something upon the locality. In and 

 about Medina we sow, on rich land for early sowing, 

 one peck per acre; on poor thin land, two or three 

 pecks; as late as Aug. 1, four pecks might be required. 

 A five-peck seeding as early as July 15, on any good 

 land, is inclined to run too much to stalk, to lodge, fall 

 down, and amount to nothing. This lodging may be 

 corrected somewhat by the use of commercial fertiliz- 

 er. 



Our experiments during the past summer in grow- 

 ing a considerable acreage of buckwheat in the vicin- 

 ity of our north yard was indecisive as to the amount 



of honey gathered. Our bees flew often enough to 

 the fields, but the yield of honey apparently was not as 

 large as from the crop that was sown on May 15 near 

 our home yard. This made a splendid growth, and 

 the bees were very busy on it nights and mornings. 

 Contrary to what we expected, we harvested a good 

 crop of seed. The conditions of weather for this early 

 sowing were exceedingly favorable that year. 



As to the amount of buckwheat that can be secured 

 per acre, that depends upon the land and the kind of 

 season. We have harvested as high as 45 bushels per 

 acre. While this was good for Ohio, it would be con- 

 sidered a moderate yield for Northern Michigan, Wis- 

 consin, Canada, or New York. 



We would generally advise sowing right after plow- 

 ing up wheat stubble. In this way we get two crops off 

 the same land. 



The honey from buckwheat is dark-colored, and a 

 good many people regard it as the finest of all honeys 

 for eating. Some who were brought up in the buck- 

 wheat sections of New York highly prize this dark hon- 

 ey, preferring it to the best clover, basswood, alfalfa, 

 or sage. The average consumer, however, does not 

 care much for it. 



Buckwheat brings in Medina at the present time 

 about 70 cts. per bushel. 



Fuller particulars on buckwheat-growing may be 

 found by referring to pages 317, 347, of last year's vol- 

 ume of Gleanings.— Ed.] 



candied extracted honey as a winter food for 

 bees. 



Kindly allow me to make a correction. On page 772, 

 Dec. 15, I state, " On this account we have adopted the 

 plan of feeding between March 1st and 15th," etc. 

 This should read " between March 1st and May 15lh." 

 On p. 786 of the same issue I find the heading, "Can- 

 died Honey for Winter Food." I tried candied ex- 

 tracted, but do not like to use candied honey in the 

 combs. I have, however, used a great deal of candied 

 extracted honey, feeding it in the months of December 

 and January. I used several hundred pounds in the 

 winter of 1908, and also some this winter. I place a 

 shallow super or extracting-box on top of the hive, lay 

 a board across the frames, place thereon ten to twenty 

 pounds of granulated honey, and cover with a piece of 

 burlap. The bees so fed come out in good condition. 



This might be a failure in a severely cold climate. 

 The winters here are open, sunshine nearly day, en- 

 abling the bees to fly every day with very few excep- 

 tions. 



Hagerman, N. M., Dec. 27. H. C. Barron. 



no gnawing when half-splints are used. 



I find that, when splints are boiled a few minutes 

 only, the bees will gnaw them; but when they are boil- 

 ed an hour the wood becomes saturated with wax so 

 that the bees do not seem inclined to gnaw. 



I used many splints last season, and have tried both 

 ways; but I find that, when they are boiled a long 

 time, the bees do not bother them. I use only half- 

 splints, because when I let the splints extend down to 

 the bottom-bar the bees gnaw the two lower inches, so 

 I tried cutting the splints in two in the middle, and 

 have had no trouble since. H. E. Crowther uses only 

 half-splints, and I have never found any gnawing in 

 his yard. 



I take a bunch of 500 splints and tie a string around 

 each end, and cut it in two in the middle and drop each 

 half bunch into boiling wax. Any number of splints 

 may be boiled in this way, and those not needed may 

 be laid away to be used at another time, when it is 

 necessary to drop them into boiling wax for a few 

 minutes only. Geo. E. Coffin. 



Parma, Idaho, Nov. 22. 



tropical grasses for splints. 



I notice that some substitute for splints is wanted 

 that the bees can not gnaw. Such a substitute could 

 be found in some of the grasses growing in the East 

 Indies. I have not seen them grow, but I have seen 

 broom-grasses bought in Singapore that I am sure 

 would be the very thing. The color is brown, and they 

 are very stiff. They are used for scrubbing decks. 

 Stephen Anthony. 



Waitete, Auckland, New Zealand, Nov. 8. 



MOVING bees in MID-WINTER. 



I moved a load of bees on a sleigh last winter in Feb- 

 ruary a distance of five miles, and I never had bees 

 come out of the cellar in the spring in better shape. 



Haskinville, N. Y. M. C. Silsbee. 



