503 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 1. 



FIXED FRAMES. 



We have now in the apiary three or four 

 kinds of fixed frames — among them furniture 

 spacing-nails. After having tried them all I 

 fall more and more in love with the Hoffman 

 frames. When they are handled the most is 

 during hot weather, and then they separate 

 very easily — at least, in our locality. In fact, I 

 can handle them and have done so all day 

 without even a screwdriver or pry of any sort, 

 and many of the frames have been in use for 

 four or five years, and in three different locali- 

 ties around about Medina. The Hoffman 

 frames have faults, like every other good thing; 

 but among self-spacing frames I believe so /ar 

 they have the fewest. 



BURR-COMBS. 



I beg pardon for referring to this stale old 

 subject; but in passing I simply wish to state 

 that this year, like all the other four or five 

 years since we have tested the Hoffman frame 

 and thick-top bars, proves that burr- combs are 

 and can be practicallv done away with. There 

 are a very few brace-combs; but in comparing 

 the modern thick- top frames with the old-style 

 Jix% top-bars— well, I can not imagine how 

 any one can think it preferable to use them. 

 To go back to a burr-comb frame in our case 

 would be like going back to primitive methods, 

 almost as bad as discarding the extractor and 

 comb foundation. 



OUR BASSWOOD YARD. 



So far only a few colonies are at this place. 

 This morning, June 25, I called at the yard, 

 and found the bees crowding every thing full, 

 just the same as at the home yard, only more 

 so. I had been down and given them extra 

 supers four or five days before. I then strolled 

 through the nearly 4000 basswood-trees, now 

 something over 23 years old, to see how they 

 were budding out. Owing to the swampy 

 nature of the ground, the trees had not blos- 

 somed nearly as well as at the home yard; but 

 those that were in full blossom fairly glistened 

 with honey. _The few bees at this yard were 

 unable to take care of the flow; so we have 

 arranged to take down quite an instalment of 

 bees from our home yard, right away; for cer- 

 tainly we can not afford to let this sweetness 

 go to waste. 



A SWARM IN A DECOY HIVE. 



I did not have at the basswood yard any 

 decoy hives specially fixed for the purpose of 

 catching runaway swarms; but, notwithstand- 

 ing, two or three hives were left containing 

 empty combs, and the covers a little misplaced 

 at the top. In one of these I noticed that bees 

 were flying in and out just as I called at the 

 yard. At firsi I thought they acted like rob- 

 bers, though it seemed strange that bees would 

 try to steal right in the height of a basswood 

 flow when the blossoms were fairly glistening 

 with honey. Investigation showed that there 



were a lot of black bees, and then it popped 

 into my head that this was a runaway swarm 

 from the woods, which, having been allured by 

 the hum of our bees, had taken up their abode 

 in one of our empty hives. I quickly set the 

 hive to rights, opened the lower entrance, and 

 made the bees find it after putting the cover 

 down tight, for it was through the top of the 

 hive thai they obtained entrance. 



HOW FAR BEES WILL FLY ORDINARILY TO 



BASSWOOD. 



As I said, I strolled not only through the 

 basswood orchard, but around it. Our home 

 yard is just a little west of south. Walking 

 along the south side of the orchard I looked 

 carefully through the air, but could not see a 

 single bee going or coming; and although the 

 home bees were only 1}4 miles away in a bee- 

 line, it was apparent that they did not know of 

 or care to bother with this mellifluous sweet- 

 ness that was going to waste in our basswood 

 orchard, or would go to waste unless we put 

 bees there, as we contemplate doing to-night. 

 You will remember that, two years ago, when 

 we were having quite a flow from basswood, 

 not a single bee from our home yard visited 

 this apiary; but there was a small basswood 

 grove half a mile nearer, and in the same di- 

 rection. It would seem, then, that, for bass- 

 wood, bees seldom go more than a mile, provid- 

 ing, of course, there is plenty within this range. 

 I imagine that, if we were to cut down every 

 basswood-tree except those in our basswood 

 yard, our home yard bees would soon find said 

 orchard. 



Mr. York, after indorsing the plan advocated 

 in these columns, of making the Bee-keepers' 

 Union distinctly national, and a deliberative 

 body having annual meetings, makes a sugges- 

 tion which I consider a good one. Here it is: 



It seems to us it would be a good thing' to have a 

 vote taken by the Union befui-e the next meeting' of 

 the North American, as the result mig-lit help in the 

 decision of some things that will likely come up 

 then. Whether the amalgamation project carries 

 or is defeated, it would be well to know the feeling 

 of the Union members on the matter in advance of 

 the North American meeting-, to be held in a few 

 months. 



SWEET CLOVER FOR 1896. 



Although sweet clover has, in the last few 

 years, been spreading enormously along the 

 highways and railroad-cuts, it seems to be mak- 

 ing unusual spread and growth this year. The 

 majority of people consider it as a noxious 

 weed, notwithstanding it makes a fine hay for 

 stock, and that it seldom if ever grows on culti- 

 vated lands. Its vigorous growth and rapid 

 spread over the country give us hope that it 

 will largely take the place of white clover that 

 seems to have run out for the last four or five 

 years. This year sweet clover follows right on 

 after basswood. Perhaps in many localities it 

 will enable the bees to complete some otherwise 

 unfinished sections. 



