776 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15. 



pull to get the two frames apart. The heads of 

 the wire finishing-nails are only about 3^ across, 

 so that very little propolis is put around them, 

 and a very slight pull brings them apart. I like 

 them very much better than I expected to. 



In the under side of the top- bar is a saw kerf 

 ^j wide and I4 deep, to receive the upper edge 

 of the foundation. The frame is wired in the 

 usual manner with four horizontal wires. The 

 foundation is cut just the proper size to touch 

 each end -bar, and A- deeper than the inside 

 depth of the frame. The upper edge of the 

 foundation is inserted in the saw-kerf, and then 

 allowed to settle down on the bottom-bar be- 

 fore the wires are imbedded in the foundation. 

 After the wire is imbedded, a strip H or 1 inch 

 wide is cut out, all but about an inch at each 

 end. The lower edge of this strip is about M 

 inch above the lower wire. In this way I have 

 frames filled solid with comb; but for some rea- 

 son that I don't understand, some of the combs 

 bag a trifle at the lower wire — nothing very se- 

 rious, however. 



I've only a hundred of these frames in use ; 

 and before I get any more I'd like to be told 

 what change to make in them. Advice is solic- 

 ited from all quarters. You will probably be- 

 lieve that I don't want to be in too much haste 

 about getting a large number of these frames in 

 use at once when I tell you that I have 500 loose 

 hanging rrames and about a hundred less Hoff- 

 mans, all wired ready for use, and I'd like to 

 know a little better what I want before getting 

 ready another lot. 



Marengo, 111., Aug. 11. 



[You are right in considering the size of 

 frame as pretty well settled. While I have 

 been very well pleased with the Hoffman, I 

 know there are some who would prefer some- 

 thing a little less fixed when propolis is bad in 

 the fall of the year, or when the atmosphere is 

 a little chilly, making bee-glue hard and stiff. 



Tne objections that you have named against 

 the Stephens spacer holds good; and there is 

 still another and a more important one — the ex- 

 pense. 



Finishing-nails for wires are used by some 

 bee-keepers, but have never become very popu- 

 lar. A serious objection is their obstruction to 

 the uncapping-knife, and their interference to 

 the extractor caused by the nailhead catching 

 in the mesties of the wire cloth in inserting and 

 removing the frames. There is still another 

 objection; and that-is, if the nail itself is not 

 crowded deeper into the frame in which it is 

 driven by use, its head will in time gouge a 

 hole in the other frame. Either would destroy 

 equal spacing; and the great feature of the 

 Hoffman frame is that you can crowd on one 

 frame, and push as hard as yon may, you can 

 not destroy the exact spacing, Liecause the wide 

 perpendicular edges are sufficient to stand the 

 strain. Suppose, for instance, that you remove 

 a couple of frames from the center of the brood- 

 nest. It is the fall of the year, and the four 

 outside frames next you. we will say, are stuck 

 down. It requires a little leverage to crowd 

 them over en nutssc to fill up the space. What- 

 ever spacer we have should be onw that will 

 stand a hard squeeze. 



If you must have something different from 



the Hoffman, I am inclined to the opinion that 

 something on the order of a furniture-nail 

 would be far better, notwithstanding your ob- 

 jection. You can not drive it too deep, and it 

 will stand the squeeze. If the nails you tried 

 with rounding points are not just the thing, 

 how would those do that are perfectly conical? 

 As some of our newer readers may not under- 

 stand the furniture-nail spacer, I introduce an 

 engraving with the description that appeared 

 in Gleanings for 1890, page 481. 



As so many are suggested, I'll tell you one I'd 

 like to try, but, oh dear! I'm so crowded in the 

 busy season that it isn't likely at all I can try it; 

 but some one else may. I think it may be very old. 

 Get a furniture-nail whose head projects ts of an 

 inch, or a square block of wood of the same thick- 

 ness, and drive ioto one side of the top-bar at one 

 end, just over tlie enfl-bar. Put one on the oppo- 

 site side at the other end, and your spacing is com- 

 plete so far as the frames are concerned. The 

 dummy must be treated in the same way (for I im- 

 agine a dummy is important with fixed distances), 

 and on e.ich side of the hive must be a spacer where 

 there would be one if a frame came in place of the 

 side. 



Ud 





5/(6 



I 



VERTICAL VIEW OF HIVE, DUMMY, AND THREE 

 FRAMES WITH SPACERS. 



To make it more satisfactory, I think a spacer 

 should also be put about half way down the end- 

 bar. C. C. Miller. 



The heads of these furniture-nails are ^ or J^l" 

 inch deep, depending, of course, on the width of 

 the top- bar. They are just deep enough to 

 reach from one top- bar to the next: and as 

 thev are put on alternate edges, as shown in 

 the diagram which we reproduce, exact spacing 

 will always be secured. 



The advantage of such a spacer is, that it 

 can be attached to frames already in use. It 

 can be used or not, as preferred. They are 

 cheap, and will space top-bars just exactly the 

 same distance apart, no matter whether they 

 are sawn exactly the same width or not. As 

 this spacer was proposed away back in 1890, I 

 should like to hear from those who have used 

 it since that time; and if so. how they still like 

 it; if discarded, why discarded. — Ed.] 



PREPARING THE BEES FOR WINTER. 



Question. — Will you tell us something in 

 Gleanings about how to prepare our bees for 

 winter — when it should be done, and all about 

 the matter ? 



Answer. — Well, this is a pretty big "dose" 

 for once, and more than can properly come into 

 one issue of Gleanings; but I will do the best 



