1S93 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



883 



The writer has practiced this metliod for 

 over 20 years; and witli no help, ofttimes, but a 

 small boy in the honey-room, has removed the 

 honey from 75 to 400 colonies each year. After 

 the combs are emptied they art' at once return- 

 ed to the cases, and in the evening the cases 

 are replaced on the hives, to be cleaned up and 

 be ready for the fall crop, and safe from the 

 moth, even if the fall crop fails to put in an 

 appearance. 



Now, Mr. Editor, I believe in all improve- 

 ments that improve; but, candidly, I would 

 not accept as a gift a full equipment of modern 

 bee-escapes for my apiary. To people who 

 brush the bees from the large frames, or who 

 use only one case per hive to extract from, or to 

 any one who likes to " tinker "' with bees, or to 

 the section-honey people, the escape may have 

 a pecuniary value; but with my shallow frames 

 with close-fitting end-bars, I say, not any for 

 me. 



In good seasons my yield is often from 12.5 to 

 160 lbs. per colony, spring count; and to raise 

 all these heavy cases from the brood-chamber 

 just to place an escape-board on the same, and 

 then replace the cases, where one operation 

 would do as well — yes, better — in the first place, 

 and with a smaller percentage of crushed bees, 

 doesn't strike my ideas of economy of labor 

 very favorably. I have by this method remov- 

 ed ton after ton of honey per day. always choos- 

 ing the days when the bees were flying freely; 

 and although the time chosen is the close of 

 the season, so that one extracting will do in tlie 

 place of two or three, T iiave never used for 

 this purpose a tent over the hive (we are pro- 

 vided with your folding bee-tents, and would 

 not be without them, however, for some other 

 operations). The fact of the matter is, a prac- 

 ticed hand will, by this method, remove the 

 honey and place the cover on the brood -nest in 

 less time than any one man could brush the 

 bees from the combs, and the hive is closed, 

 and you are away to the next one before the 

 robbers get started. Another thing, this meth- 

 od doesn't hang fire. There is no escape to get 

 choked or clogged by dead bees, and no smoth- 

 ering of the workers. Of course, it is a self- 

 evident fact that our cases must be bee-tight 

 everywhere except at the cones, to prevent 

 robbing; but we take it for granted that such 

 is the case with others as with us. 



Monroe, la., Nov., 189."}. J. A. Nash. 



[One objection to your plan occurs to us. and 

 it is this: By the shake-out plan there will be a 

 few bees left, and these, according to our experi- 

 ence, will be for the most part young bees. 

 Now, when you tier up these cases in various 

 parts of the apiary with a bee-escape, they (the 

 young bees) will be lost on emerging from the 

 cones. Perhaps in telling how this is with you, 

 you would also be glad to tell us why you pre- 

 fer the shallow brood-chamber. As you are a 

 practical bee-keeper we should be glad to hear 

 from you farther, as we believe you could give 

 us many practical hints.] 



HOFFMAN FRAMES DISCUSSED; V EDGES. 



DR. MII.I.ER HA.S DEflDKI) THAT HE AVANT.S NO 

 LOOSE HANGING FRAMES. 



Quite a number of my hives are getting too 

 poor to be longer used, and well they may, for 

 most of them have been in use 2.5 yeai'S or more. 

 If they had been kept well nainted, no doubt 

 they would now be in a good deal better shape. 

 But I think it possible that they are right who 

 think that a hive without paint is better for 

 the bees. Even if a painted hive is just as 



good for the bees, I doubt the economy of paint- 

 ing, for wouldn't the amount of painting need- 

 ed in 25 years cost more than a new hive-body? 

 lint I suspect I nuuie a mistake in not having 

 the covers painted. A painted cover is less 

 likely to warp and check. 



Most of my frames are 18 by 9. Years ago I 

 got started in that size, having bought out J. 

 Vandervort, the foundation-mill man. when he 

 left Marengo. I don't think th" difference be- 

 tween that size and the standard Langstroth 

 size amounts to much; but while changing I 

 may as well be in fashion with the rest of the 

 fraternity. So practically I am to adopt a new 

 hive: and as it will probably be for life, it will 

 readily be seen that I am deeply interested in 

 the whole question of hives and iframes. 



Most important to decide is the frame. As to 

 size, 17X by 9^8 seems so generally accepted 

 that I feel pretty safe in adopting it. I should 

 prefer something standard to something that is 

 better, if the latter is only a very little better. 

 But after settling on the size, the rest of the 

 way is not so clear. There are several things 

 to be decided, and there is no long-settled stan- 

 dard. As to some things I am pretty well set- 

 tled, but not so much so as to others. 



I feel very sure that I don't want a loose 

 hanging frame. I've tried them very thoroughly 

 for a good many years. With loose frames, 

 exact spacing is an impossibility. Even approx- 

 imate exactness is not compatible with rapid 

 handling. Space too far apart, and you have 

 brace-combs in plentv. Space too close, and 

 the space is filled with propolis. Then the 

 spacing differently at different times makes 

 trouble. Here's one of the troubles that's not 

 always noticed: Two combs facing esich other 

 are filled with honey, and sealed. Then the 

 frames and spacing are in some way changed, 

 so that there is quite a space between the sealed 

 surfaces: and, the harvest crowding, the b(>es 

 commence the n(>w cells directly on the sealed 

 surface. That makes it just the same as so 

 much wood under the first capping, for the bees 

 will never uncap it. With loose hanging 

 frames, no matter how carefully spaced, if the 

 hive be tipped up and a look taken at the bot- 

 tom-bars, it will be seen that the spacing is 

 any thing but regular, some of the bottom-bars 

 having nearly an inch space between them, and 

 others touching. At least, that's the way mine 

 are. 



I know tliere are some who prefer to have 

 brace and burr combs, but I think the great 

 majority don't want them. I'm sure I don't. 

 They seem to me dauby, wasteful, and trouble- 

 some. With brace-combs you can not handle 

 frames rapidly without killing a great many 

 bees. There may be^something in the argument 

 that bees will moi'e readily go up into the 

 supers if plenty of waste combs are built be- 

 tween. But bees can be induced to go into the 

 supers by better means. As exact spacing 

 seems to be necessary for the prevention of 

 braces and burrs, and as there is no practical 

 way to have exact spacing with loose frames, 

 that seems to settle the question in favor of fix- 

 ed distances. 



How shall fixed distances be secured? It is, 

 perhaps, harder to be settled on that point than 

 on any other. You, friend Root, have settled 

 upon the improved Hoffnum. That makes a 

 strong argument in favor of adopting it, for 

 two reasons: First. I am sure you have done so 

 after careful thought as to what is best; and, 

 second, I would rather have what is likely to 

 be standard and kept regularly in stock. But 

 after making a pretty fair trial of the Hoffman, 

 and, to a less extent, the improved Hoffman. I 

 must say I am not greatly in love with the im- 

 provement. 



