1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



179 



side-boards; and these alone, with frames, make 

 up the hive proper. 



I have seen hundreds of hives with closed-end 

 frames of this descripiion (i.e., closed-end frames 

 and panels) in a number of different apiaries; 

 and 1 must say there are a good many nice 

 features about it. The whole hive can be split 

 into perpendif.ular halves or quarters; and as 

 the bees can propolize only one side of the eni- 

 bars, a common penknife will separate the 

 frames. This is no theory, for I have seen it 

 done by Mr. Elwood over and over again, and 

 the bees were hybrids and blacks at that. 



Well, there is another advantage yet: When 

 the perpendicular halves are pulled apart, light 

 can shine in from the ends, and one can very 

 often find the queen without so much as lifting 

 the frames up. 



For wintering, a light thin shell or cap can be 

 set right over the whole thing. This makes a 

 dead-air space; or if one desires to pack, 

 cushions can be set in. and a cap set over the 

 whole.— Ed.] 



rc^^g^^l 



USING ONLY STARTERS IN THE BROOD-NEST. 



A friend of considerable experience tells me 

 it does not pay to use full sheets of foundation 

 in brood frames. He recommends starters, say 

 about half-sheets; and when a swarm is hived 

 on these starters, the contracting of the brood- 

 nest by means of a division-board to about four 

 frames. After these are drawn down and out, 

 the rest of the frames are to be added one at a 

 time as fast as finished. I tried full sheets last 

 season, and the cost was more than the profit 

 Besides, the foundation sagged, and the combs 

 are by no means perfect. 



If the plan above given is used, and the 

 frames supplied with wire the full width, would 

 not the bees fill the frames with nice straight 

 worker combs, care being taken to set the hives 

 level, so that the frames hang perpendicular? 



Vine, O., Jan. 23. H. M. Stump. 



[The plan you propose, of usfng only start- 

 ers, is practiced by some, and in some cases 

 appears to be a success. Similar plans are ad- 

 vocated, notably by Samuel Sinimins, England, 

 and W. Z. Hutchinson. Yes. under certain cir- 

 cumstances yon will get worker comb, and in 

 other you will not. These are e.Kplained in Mr. 

 Hutchinson's Advanced Bee Culture.— Ed.] 



BEES BUILDING OUT DKONE FOUNDATION 

 QUICK KR THAN WORKER. 



I wrote you an article about a year ago, 

 which yon piihli.-hed on p. 619, 1894, telling the 

 result of my experience in using drone founda- 

 tion in the sections. I claimed that, when the 

 regular (or worker) size was used, the bees 

 would not finish it and cap it as soon as they 

 would when drone size was used; and when a 

 starter was used, the bees would change it to 

 drone. 



I have experimented by having each alter- 



nate section all drone and all regular; and last 

 season I " kept tab " on 550 sections, and find: 

 The drone sections are finished 13 to 68 hours 

 before the regular, or an average of about 32 

 hours. In the height of the honey-flow, hours 

 are worth money. I wish some of the older 

 bee-keepers would give us their experience on 

 this point. I will use drone foundation in all 

 my sections hereafter. Harry Dwight. 



Friendship, N. Y., Feb. 3. 



[At the time your article was published I 

 called for reports; but, if I am correct, none 

 were received. Bees, it is true, seem to prefer, 

 for storage, drone comb; but the trouble, as I 

 then pointed out, was that the queen, not hav- 

 ing drone comb in the brood-nest, was quite 

 sure to go into the sections if filled with drone 

 foundation. But this can be overcome by the 

 use of perforated zinc. — Ed.] 



"stick TO YOUR HIVE;" A LITTLE GOOD AD- 

 VICE; THE HEDDON HIVE; THE HIVE CON- 

 TROVERSY SETTLED BY A TEXAN. 



I have read the big-hive question through 

 and through, against the little frame, and am 

 glad to see big hives coming out where they 

 should — always ahead. My little hives, the 

 Heddon, my wife is using for plant and flower- 

 boxes. I find them too small for any thing in 

 the apiary except ornaments. I have tried, you 

 might say, •' all kinds" of hives, to my finan- 

 cial sorrow. I have scattered about and given 

 away over 200 hives of various dimensions in 

 solving the hive question ; but I have it solved, 

 and I am proud of it too. I will advise you be- 

 ginners to abide by some other chap's decision, 

 and not try nor buy more than one kind of 

 hive. Big, little, old, or young, stick to your 

 hive until you can sell honey in carload lots, 

 and then your choice will be worth choosing, 

 and then you can throw away what you have 

 for something you know is better instead of 

 worse. 



The hive I am using now, and expect to con- 

 tinue to use, is nothing worse than the ten- 

 frame Dovetailed hive, two to four stories high, 

 though I prefer them three stories; and I can 

 assure you, if you are in a land of milk and 

 honey, that you will have the honey if you will 

 put in 400 or 500 such hives. They require less 

 attention, and are sure to pay for the attention 

 they do get. W. W. Somerford. 



Navasota, Tex., Dec. 15. 



FRITS IN AMERICA. 



Mister A. I. Pee Man, Dear Sir;— Ef you 

 don't got to be a great pee-inan like mine selef 

 you don't vas node me; aintdotso? Ileftder 

 vaterland and come dot ocean over more as a 

 long time ago. I vas to the garten in dem cassel 

 come close by Nye Yorrick. Pooty soon sum 

 gustom house ott'eetseers dey come on our big 

 poat. By and by, pooty soon gwickly dey vas 

 serching all der pecples and der cloze; den I 

 node some potty had sumthing stole. Ven dey 

 vas 10 me come I told dem I vas a goot poy. 



