212 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



At that time we also visited Arthur C. Mil- 

 ler of Providence, E. I. Among otlier inter- 

 esting points of discussion that came up was 

 the question of the elimination of drone 

 comb. We mentioned that, notwithstanding 

 that we were using at our apiaries full sheets 

 of foundation, there was considerable drone 

 comb in the corners of the brood-frames. 

 Why this was there we were unable to ex- 

 plain. Mr. Miller immediately said that he 

 thought he could offer a solution. 



' ' You know, ' ' he said, ' ' I have always 

 been an advocate of side entrances rather 

 than at the end of the hives. There are 

 more reasons than one in favor of this posi- 

 tion. There is better ventilation, because 

 the remotest parts of the hive are nearer the 

 outdoors. But most important of all, the side 

 entrance eliminates the building of drone 

 comb when full sheets of foundation are used. 

 When the entrance is placed at the ends of 

 the frames, as in the standard Langstroth 

 hive, the bees cut away the comb in the fall 

 at the corners of the combs next to the en- 

 trance. The next spring they fill in this 

 space with new combs, and, of course, it is 

 drone comb. 



"By the law of chance, these same frames 

 will be put into the hive again in a reversed 

 position. The result is, that both ends of 

 the frames near the bottom corners may 

 have drone comb. By my plan of side en- 

 trance, I put a frame of drawn comb next 

 to the entrance and then I can rest assured 

 that all the other combs will remain worker, 

 because they are back from the entrance and 

 screened by the comb in front. In the breed- 

 ing season the next spring I remove the drone 

 comb and put in the worker. When my 

 frames are properly wired I have all worker 

 combs. 



"Do not take my word for it, but try it 

 out yourself. Jm the fall, just notice how the 

 bees cut away the corners of the combs next 

 to the entrance; then next spring see how 

 they build it out again with drone comb. ' ' 



During several seasons we have noticed 

 more or less drone comb in all of our frames 

 at the corners, as shown by the 'accompany- 

 ing picture and during the height of the 

 honey flow we will be raising nearly 2 per 

 cent of drone brood. This is not only an un- 

 necessary waste of time and energy on the 

 part of the bees, but the rearing of drones 

 cuts down the actual honey crop. They are a 

 nuisance when an upper story is put above 

 perforated zinc, because the drones in their 

 eff'ort to get out of the hive, will clog the 

 zinc or the excluder and interfere with the 

 ventilation of the super. 



What Mr. Miller said interested us very 

 much at the time. On arriving home we laid 

 the matter before Mr. Pritchard, our queen 

 breeder, who is a very close observer of 

 things that occur inside of a beehive, and 

 this is what he writes: 



I entirely agree witli Mr. Miller in having tlie en- 

 trance at the side of the frames, with a drone 

 frame next the entranrei; but I have not oliserved 

 that the drone cells are built near the entrance more 



April, 1918 



than at other places. Drone cells are built at the 

 lower corners of the frames because it is the last 

 part of the frame drawn, and queens usually do not 

 lay drone eggs until the brood-nest gets crowded. 

 Howeiver, I intend making careful observations to 

 determine whether or not Mr. Miller's idea is cor- 

 rect. M. E. Pritchard. 



We also submitted the matter to Chalon 

 Fowls, our neighbor over at Oberlin. Mr. 

 Fowls is a beekeeper of long experience and 

 likewise a close observer. Mr. Fowls writes: 



Isn't that A. C. Miller the most provoking chap, 

 always thinking up something to upset one's plans? 

 Here I was thinking that as we had 500 or 600 

 combs drawn out from foundation in upper stories 

 this season, I could use them next year in the 

 brood chambers in making new brood nests in our 

 method of swarm control. Then we could put on 

 new frames of foundation, to be drawn out as be- 

 fore. 



These new combs are all worker and straight as 

 a board, their only fault being that open space along 

 the bottom-bar. I had also thought of a plan for 

 next year, to get worker comb built solid down to 

 the bottom-bar, simply by putting in a bottom-start sr 

 of heavy brood-foundation, perhaps having a groove 

 cut in the center of the bottom-bar to receive the 

 foundation. And now that troablesome Miller comes 

 along and says that the bees will cut out the cor- 

 ners from drawn comb if near the entrance — and I'm 

 av'iully afraid he's right. And, if he is, then the 

 problem is not solved by bottom starters, and it 

 would not be easy to make side entrances to chaflE 

 hives, especially to tho.';e with tight bottoms. 



I had frequently noticed new combs rounded at 

 the corners, and when patching them had noticed 

 that one end would often be rounded more than the 

 other; but I gave the matter little attention, being 

 simjjle enough to think the bees had only cut out 

 the foundation at corner, never once thinking of 

 their cutting out the finished comb like that. Well, 

 if this new ^vrinkle, to have the entrance on the side, 

 comes to he a fad, what is to be done with the othei 

 Miller (Dr. C. C), who often raises his hives on 

 four blocks or bricks? Sliouldn't think he'd have 

 an}' combs left at all, or only a fringe of drone 

 comb all around. 



You know how natural combs are often built, 

 when nothing but narrow starters are used — worker 

 first, then drone comb for storing honey 1 eyond 

 the circle used by the queen. Well, I have just been 

 out and examined a set of 10 combs that we bought 

 this summer and which it is probable had never 

 been removed from the hive at all. Theiy were natural 

 combs, or, at least, had no more than starters to be- 

 gin with. There was some worker comb in the 

 center, with perhaps a third drone comb at the ends, 

 while some M-ere all workrr comb ; but every one of 

 the 10 combs was built with a space at the lower 

 front corner. Of course, this is no evidence that 

 combs would be cut out near the entrance, after hav- 

 ing been built, but it does seit us to wondering. ' 



Oberlin, O. Chalon Fowls. 



Tlie matter is before you, brother bee- 

 keepers. The elimination of drones and drone 

 brood, if it can be accomplished in the man- 

 ner that Mr. Miller states, would mean thou- 

 sands upon thousands of dollars to the bee- 

 keepers of the country. It is our intention 

 to try out the exjieriment, and we suggest 

 that those interested, especially extraeted- 

 honey producers who are annoyed by the 

 drone nuisance, try it out and report next 

 season what thev have learned. 



E. E. Eoot. 



