26 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



January, 1918 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



lar, and placed it away ahead of any bee- 

 house T had ever seen, was the ceiling to the 

 place. He has something along this line that 

 is valuable and unique. There are the usual 

 joists to which to attach a ceiling; but in- 

 stead of the usual inch lumber there is fine 

 poultry netting, and, resting on top of this, 

 forest leaves to a depth of 12 inches at the 

 sides and about two feet toward the center. 

 It will be readily seen that in this way the 

 moisture from the bees will pass thru the 

 leaves, a maximum of heat be retained, and 

 yet the bees will have a moderate and grad- 

 ual change of air without any pronounced 

 current. There is a sub-earth ventilator 

 which brings in fresh air. Such a ceiling 

 could be applied in various places on the 

 farm, such as poultry-houses and pig-pens, 

 where in winter I have often noticed a damp 

 and chilly air, which is quite injurious to 

 animal life. 



From Mr. Stahlman 's we went to the 

 home of his brother, P. W. Stahlman, who 

 is also a thoro beekeeper, and one who can 

 relate some interesting experiences on sell- 

 ing honey. He strongly advises that a man 

 should know something about the one to 

 whom he sells honey. 



R. F. HOLTEEMANN. 



Brantford, Ont., Can. 



Power Machinery for Home-made Sup- 



pi 



les 



During the summer of 1912 it was my 

 privilege to be with a professional beekeeper 

 in the central part of New York. One of the 

 first questions asked after my arrival con- 

 cerned supplies. Whether one using as many 

 supplies as my eirployer, should buy them 

 all from the regular manufacturers was, it 

 seemed to me, an important question, and 

 I was not surprised to learn that by far the 

 greater part of the hives and fixtures were 

 made at home. A gasoline-engine and power 

 saw were utilized, and it was not long before 

 we had a fine lot of frames, covers, and 

 bottom-boards. While they were not as 

 smooth as most goods from the factories, 

 they served the purpose fully as well. Dur- 

 ing the season I observed that the engine 

 was often used for other purposes. The saw 

 also came in handy for many jobs not di- 

 rectly connected with the bee work. 



The season of 1913 was spent at home on 

 my father's farm. It was my desire to in- 

 crease my small apiary, and I needed hives. 

 There was plenty of lumber available — pine 

 of good quality— so the problem was only 

 to reduce my lumber to hives. After some 

 consideration a 4-horse-power gasoline-en- 

 gine was purchased, together with a mandrel 

 and the necessary saws and belting. Before 



the bees began work I had 80 hive-bodies, 

 60 covers, and as many bottom-boards ready. 

 The engine was used to cut wood and to do 

 any other work within its province about the 

 farm. 



For my first hives I bought the frames 

 from a supply house because I wanted Hoff- 

 man frames and was unable to make them. 

 The following winter I decided to dispense 

 with self -spacers, as I felt that the cost did 

 not justify their use. So I cut out 2000 

 frames for the 200 new hive-bodies. At the 

 retail prices asked by dealers my frames 

 alone would have cost me $70. Aside from 

 the material, which cost only the labor of 

 getting out, my only expense was for gaso- 

 line and oil. The work was done during the 

 winter when time was the least valuable. 



I am fully aware that some of our best 

 beekeepers do not advise making supplies, 

 and it is quite evident that for some to do 

 so would not be good policy. If one needs 

 only a few hives or fixtures it would surely 

 be poor economy to buy an expensive equip- 

 ment for their construction. Or where ma- 

 terial is scarce, and high in price, little could 

 be gained. Unless the beekeeper needs many 

 supplies it might be a poor plan to invest 

 in machinery for which there is no other 

 use; but on many farms an engine and saw 

 would pay well, even if they were not badly 

 needed for bee-supply work. 



The cost of the proper equipment varies. 

 For my engine I paid $90 and the freight. 

 The saw-table I made at home. The mandrel, 

 saws, and other irons were purchased at a 

 cost of $16. With this machine I have been 

 able to get quite satisfactory results; but I 

 would not advise any one to make his own 

 table if he can afford to buy an iron one, 

 such as put out by some firms making a spe- 

 cialty of wood-workers' supplies. The iron 

 tables are far more accurate; they vibrate 

 less, and will give much better service in 

 every way. Accuracy is the most important 

 feature. It is of the utmost importance 

 to have all fixtures interchangeable; and to 

 do so with any ease, well-made machinery 

 must be used. Factory-made tables cost from 

 $50 up. Second-hand machines can some- 

 times be procured very reasonably. 



Lumber values vary greatly with locality. 

 Here material for hives of Langstroth depth 

 costs from $30 to $50 per 1000 feet, depend- 

 ing on quality and condition. I was offered 

 white pine, unplaned, 10 inches wide, for 

 $30 per 1000. I had to haul it ten miles to a 

 planing-mill and pay $2.00 per 1000 for hav- 

 ing it planed. For frames one can utilize 

 short pieces, scraps, etc., that might other- 

 wise be of little or no value. 



West Danley, N. Y. EAY C. WILCOX. 



[To make sure of the dimensions, one who 

 makes his own supplies should have a fac- 

 tory-made outfit for a sample. — Ed.] 



