1890 



GLJ^ANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



97 



most of the frames look as clean on top as when 

 they were put into the hive. 



Chester Olmsteau. 

 E. Bloomfleld, N. Y., Jan. 8. 



From the testimony which we gather 

 from others, I feel quite sure it is the thick- 

 ness of your top-bars that has more to do 

 with the prevention of brace-combs in your 

 case than any nice adjustment of bee-spaces 

 between the brood-nest and supers. Were 

 you to change to top-bars + inch thick, you 

 would, I am quite certain, be troubled with 

 brace-combs. Bee-spaces alone, here, won't 

 do it— at least, not in Medina. Read this: 



WIDE TOP-BARS, BUT ONLY ?« INCH, NOT PREVENT- 

 ING BURR-COMBS. 



For more than 15 years I have used top bars one 

 inch and I's inches wide, in frames spaced 17^ inch- 

 es from center to center. The number of hives 

 during this time has varied from 20 to 60. The 

 thickness of the top-bars has usually been strong ^i 

 inch, and the spaces at the ends and over the tops 

 of the frames have usually been about I4 inch— sel- 

 dom, if ever, more than (\. How about burr- 

 combs? Well, this kind of top-bar doesn't always 

 prevent them. I think that I am troubled much 

 less with burr-combs than 1 should be if I used a |- 

 wide top-bar; but once in a while I tind the supers 

 fastened pretty solidly to the tops of the frames. 1 

 shall continue to use a wide top-bar, and shall also 

 use a wood-zinc honey-board. R. M. Reynolds. 



E. Springfield, O., Jan. 9. 



Thanks, friend R. Your testimony helps 

 very materially to substantiate the testimo- 

 ny of others; viz., exira width alone is not 

 sufficient. Extra width should be coupled with 

 extra thickness, to prevent burr-combs. One 

 other thing is important ; viz., the combs 

 must be spaced accurately f,. of an inch 

 ai)art. With accurate spacing the extra 

 width may be dispensed with. E. R. R. 



THICK top-bars; no SAGGINO; calling FOR 



VOTES. 



I shall gladly welcome an increased thickness in 

 top-bars of brood-frames. But I fear I is too thick, 

 as that thickness removes the supers so far from 

 the brood-nest. I want them thick enough not to 

 sag, and I want the metal corners retained. I do 

 not want an all-wood brood-frame on the place. 

 My idea is, that }i or U would be thick enough for 

 the metal-corner wired brood-frames. The frames 

 I now get sag badly in spite of the wire, and leave 

 too much room between the brood-frames and the 

 supers. I want only J4 of an inch between the 

 brood-frames and supers. I am not certain that an 

 increased width of top-bars of brood-frames would 

 be desirable; but if the majority of the bee-keepers 

 vote for inch-wide top-bars I would fall into line 

 and try them. But I want the other dimensions of 

 the frames retained, so we can use them in the 

 standard Simplicity and chaff hives now in use. 

 You catch my idea by gluing or nailing a J4-inch 

 top-piece on the top of the present standard brood- 

 frame. You will then have a i4-inch top-bar, and 

 all else the same. Then when we got them we 

 could even up our other frames by gluing a J4-inch 

 bar on top of our old }4-inch frames on hand, mak- 

 ing all H-inch top-bars. I think the increase of the 

 thickness of the top-bars of brood-frames to K inch 

 is so desirable that you should adopt it as the 

 standard without delay. The machinery for the 



metal corners I suppose could be set to accommo- 

 date the /i -inch-thick top-bars, and still let the 

 frames hang in the hives as they do now. As to in- 

 creasing the width to one inch, 1 am not prepared 

 to vote either way just now. 



By the way, how would it do to invite a vote of 

 the readers of Gle.\nings as to width and thick- 

 ness of top-bars of Simplicity or Laugstrotli brood- 

 frame? I think, that, to prevent sagging alone would 

 be argument enough to increase the thickness to i4 

 inch, aside from the theory of prevention of brace- 

 combs. The increased cost would be trifling. 



I feel sure we can help the brace comb trouble by 

 making the top-bars )i inch thick, and reducing the 

 space between the brood-frames to g, the same as 

 the half-depth wide frames are spaced, and allow- 

 ing only X of an inch between the brood-frames 

 and supers. Philo S. Dii.wohth. 



Bonney, Pa., Jan. 13. 



No, friend D., the extra width alone will 

 not answer, if I read correctly the testimo- 

 nials of others. See R. M. Reynolds' state- 

 ment, just preceding, and note the foot-note. 

 As to the extra thickness removing the 

 brood too far away from the supers, see 

 what James Ileddon has to say on this 

 point, page 43. The old | -inch-thick top- 

 bar, with the comb guide, separates the 

 brood just as far away from the supers as 

 the thick top-bars in question, without 

 comb-guides. Besides, do we know posi- 

 tively that this slight separation of brood 

 and supers in the case mentioned is detri- 

 mentalV — You are correct. Thick top-bars 

 do away with the sagging troubles, even if 

 they do nothing more. I second your mo- 

 tion in calling for votes ; but those votes 

 must come from those who have used either 

 the thick or wide top-bars, or both. The 

 votes of those who have used only the thin 

 narrow ones will be of no value. Yes, we 

 want the frames to be adapted to hives al- 

 ready in use. Those we have already ad- 

 vertised are such. Eknest. 



In addition to what Ernest has said, I 

 wish to add, by no manner of means put 

 any thing On the top of your top bars ; and 

 do not do a*)?/ thing that will change the out- 

 side dimensions of the regular frame. 

 The top-bar can be made thicker almost as 

 easily by slicing out comb, comb-guide, or 

 both, on the under side, and bradding in a 

 strip of wood of the desired thickness. 

 Wired frames, if properly made, should not 

 sag or change. However, as other things 

 seem to demand a thicker top-bar, it may 

 be, all things considered together, the 

 cheapest and readiest method of any thing 

 for preventing sagging. 



THICK TOP-BARS ; FURTHER FACTS, FROM H. ALLEY. 



I mail you to-day a L. frame, such as we have 

 used for a good many years. I think you and all 

 who use the Simplicity hives would like them much 

 better than the narrow top-bar frame. The top- 

 bar sent is ,V, narrow. It should be I'a inches wide, 

 and '4 thick. We use 10 frames in a hive, Ula inches 

 wide inside. For 8 frames, of course the brood- 

 chamber must be reduced in width. 



Wenham, Mass., Jan. 4. H. Alley. 



The frame came duly to hand. Thanks. 

 Is this the frame that you have used so 

 many years, and does it invariably prevent 



