126 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 



describe all their advantages. I make themlnearly 

 as described on page 60, by the doctor, only the 

 sides are perforated with longitudinal slots H inch 

 wide. These slots are covered with wire cloth. 

 This is a decided help for moving. Now, the end 

 which the doctor fastens with wire cloth, I fasten 

 with a wooden end hinged so it will swing its entire 

 width. 



Dr. Miller has trouble with the hives sliding 

 around on the bottom -boards, and goes to the tedi- 

 ous task of screwing them on. I have used the 

 Vandeusen hooks extensively for ten years, and 

 consider them indispensable in practical bee cul- 

 ture. Every one is placed In the center of the side 

 of the hive, and IX inches from the bottom. A 

 screw to hook on the bottom-board is t*« inch from 

 the top, so that they are perfect-fltting. In each 

 corner of the bottom, drive a small wire nail nearly 

 in, then cut off to within \a inch from the board; 

 and as the hive is placed on the bottom-board the 

 little spuds will pierce into the hive enough to hold 

 all flrm, and I feel a great relief to think I have a 

 hive with a bottom fastened so solid, and yet have 

 it movable. 



Now a word about using this board for winter. I 

 set the hives into the cellar, one on top of another, 

 as you would cord up boxes, etc., with the movable 

 end so I can easily get at them. Before the bees 

 are stored in the cellar, each hive has a stiff paper 

 spread upon the bottom-board, and the bees are 

 closed in for the winter. How we enjoy moving 

 the bees into the cellar and out again, and none of 

 them allowed to come outside ! Three or four times 

 during- the winter we take a basket to the bee-room, 

 open the end, draw out the paper, shake all the 

 dead bees and other refuse off into the basket, re- 

 place the papers, and we are rid of all bad smell and 

 the trouble of sweeping the dead bees from the cel- 

 lar. And, besides, we save a great many bees 

 which wander out of their comfortable quarters in 

 carrying out the dead. 



The reason which caused me to invent this board 

 or space was based upon two principles. Twelve 

 years ago I swept up half a bushel of dead bees 

 from the cellar bottom. They were left in a warm 

 room about an hour, when, to my surprise, hun- 

 dreds revived. I then came to the conclusion that 

 many bees die which might live if they were con- 

 fined in a way so they could not worry; and with 

 me the plan works satisfactorily. 



The second principle depended upon the fact 

 that, without any space save the ^i or % inch be- 

 neath the frame, the dead bees would often accu- 

 mulate between the combs several inches deep, oft- 

 en mingling with t he cluster of live bees. 



In conclusion I will say, this space of IX inches 

 beneath the frames for moving, and for accumula- 

 tion of dead bees and other refuse material, and for 

 confining them in winter, fills the bill for me. 



MOVING BEES. 



Before we move our bees into the cellar, we place 

 upon each hive a wire screen; a frame is made of 

 lath, and covered with a piece of wire cloth just 

 the size of the hive. At each end are driven wire 

 nails IVt inches apart, long enough to reach 

 through ^8 or i\ inch into the frames. You will see 

 that, when this screen is nailed to the top of the 

 hive, every frame is fastened at once by the points 

 of nails projecting through as described. Now in- 

 vert the hive or set it on end, and have a strip k 



inch thick by an inch wide, with carpet-staples 

 driven in so they will space the frames just right. 



Loosen the bottom-board; arrange the spacing- 

 strip, hook on the bottom-board, and, if you are 

 afraid the books will slip, drive a small wire nail 

 just back of them, and they are ready to pile into 

 your wagon, combs to go lengthwise or crosswise 

 of the wagon, as best suits your convenience. 



Oswego, N. Y., Jan. 31. F. H. Cyrenios. 



Thanks, friend C. And I want to say to 

 the others who criticised me pretty severely 

 because I advocated fastening the bees in 

 their hives while in the cellar, that the 

 above shows that I am not the only one who 

 does it successfully. 



m I m 



THICK TOP-BABS AND BBACE-COMBS. 



OLIVER FOSTER'S EXPERIENCE WITH 4000. 



Owing to ill health, and the care of three large 

 apiaries and a good supply trade, I have not been 

 able to read the bee-papers much, not to speak of 

 writing for them, as I should like to do. But being 

 confined to the house two or three days with the 

 grippe, I have read the last two numbers of Glean- 

 ings, and feel constrained to give my experience 

 with thick top-bars and brace-combs. Last spring I 

 had 4900 brood-frames, made like sample I mail you 

 herewith; top-bars 's inch square. I would have 

 made them !/„ inches wide, but for the influence of 

 Bro. Heddon's articles, so strongly advocating top- 

 bars just % inch wide. 



Ten of these frames are used in theL. hive, 14J4 

 inches wide inside, the same as the Simplicity. The 

 spaces between the top-bars are th of an inch wide, 

 or a little more than '/4 inch. I put nearly all the 

 4000 frames to practical test. I had a great deal of 

 sealed honey deposited between and over these top- 

 bars, not to speak of brace-combs, and bees not 

 crowded either. I tell you, it makes work to cut 

 out half a pound of honey and wax from between 

 top bars before we can go through the brood-nest 

 with any satisfaction. They were a little worse on 

 the " regulation " top - bars, but not much. Our 

 bees seemed to have a mania for brace-combs this 

 season. Do they build them above the break-joint 

 honey-board? Yes, and in every bee-space between 

 supers above. 



The only object of the break-joint, as I see it, is to 

 increase the bee-space distance between the brood 

 and the sections. The same object can be secured 

 by having these bee-spaces run straight up, if far 

 enough, as by having them run zigzag, as with the 

 break-joint honey-board; but we want it to be ?jee- 

 space— not half an inch or more. 



I do not wish to criticise the break-joint honey- 

 board— the best thing that has yet been perfected, 

 nor its inventor, to whom we all owe very much for 

 the invention; but if we can prevent brace-combs 

 between and ovei' the top-harx, which I believe no one 

 claims the break-joint honey-board will do, we 

 shall make a great advance. From experience 

 with 30 colonies the past season, 1 am satisfied that 

 this can be do7ie. If not by reducing the space be- 

 tween the deep top-bars to /g inch, we can do it by 

 inserting a strip of perforated zinc at the bottom of 

 this space. Cut the zinc % inch wide, and put one 

 row of holes near one edge. Bend at right angles 

 the long way, /t from this edge. Nail the wide side 

 to the top-bar, so that the perforated part will close 

 the bee-space between it and the adjoining top-bar 



