666 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept, 



Agrieultuie a statement of the inspector's work- 

 number of colonies destroyed, etc. 



For a complpte copy of the act. apply to 

 A. Blue, Toronto, Ontario. In aiiotlier part of 

 the bulletin, before di.scusslng tlic method of 

 cure, the cause of the disease is assigned to 

 rotten or decaying bi'ood, eitlier from chilling 

 or otherwise. In fact, the inspector, Mr. 

 McEvoy, lays particular stress on this. We can 

 not believe that foul brood starts without at 

 least the germs of that disease. We have had 

 a great many colonies in the apiary during the 

 spring that liad more or less chilled brood: but 

 they never developed into any thing serious. 

 Rotten brood may be a favorable medium for 

 the growth of the genus if tliey are (iJready 

 present in the hives; but we can not think that 

 this is of itself a cause. We may have the very 

 best of land in which to grow corn: but com 

 will not grow unless there is first the seed. 

 Further on in the bulletin we notice that there 

 is a difference of opinion as to whether it is 

 necessary to scald or disinfect diseased hives. 

 We have tested that matter very thoroughly in 

 our apiary. At one time we took twenty that 

 had contained diseased bees, and put in healthy 

 bees on frames of foundation. In ev€'ry one of 

 the twenty, foul brood broke out in from oiie to 

 two months. At the same time we tried anoth- 

 er lot of about an equal number, putting dis- 

 eased bees on frames of foiuidation in hives 

 that had been scalded, and a complete and 

 permanent cure was effected in every one. 

 Where hives had not been scalded long enough, 

 the disease reappeared. We are very certain 

 that Mr. McEvoy is wrong in thinking or ad- 

 vocating thatdiseased hives taken fi'om diseased 

 colonies are harmless: and we are equally sure 

 that iMr. Jones is riglit in advocating that all 

 such should be disinfected. If the bee-keepeis 

 of Ontai'io get the impression that hives from 

 foul-broody colonies will not again transmit 

 the disease, they will find, sooner or later, that 

 they are making a most fearful blunder. As 

 Mr. Pringlesays, it is better to be on the safe 

 side: for. "if th(» disease might in one case in a 

 hundred be so proijagated, the precaution of 

 disinfection would be amply justified." We an^ 

 glad to notice that the act itself directs that all 

 hives and appurtenances in contact with foul 

 brood shall be disinfected. 



THE HOFFMAN FRAME. 



A (iOOI) TI-:STIM()NIAI> FOU IT. 



I should like to add my expei'lence with the 

 Hottinan frame. Some l:i years ago I was keeping 

 bees near Haptisttown. N. J., and used a frame 

 X X '^i. I bongjit some bees of A. W. Lundv, 

 living at Fi'enchtown, N. J., the i)ioneer bee- 

 keepei' of that section, 1 think, in 1878. The 

 tVames had a bottom-bar i._; x -^f,. I liked them 

 so well aftei' using, that I made mine 9fix%. 

 Soon after, Mr. Lundy made the ends of his 

 frames 1,"^ or 1\<: wide, the top % wide, for % of 

 an inch, with a top-har 9^'x%. The bottom of 



the end-bar was cut down to K. like a Hoffman 

 end-bar. About this time I adopted the Hoff- 

 man frame, made with a bottom-bar /^x^ii. and 

 used them until I came to Florida, in- 1885. 



Some of the atlvantages are, moving from 

 one to any number of fi-anies to one side to get 

 at a central frame by using a sci'e\\' -driven' as 

 a lever: can pick up one to four or five frames- 

 and carry whei-e you wish, and no danger of 

 mashing bees. In moving a hive with empty 

 frames, foundation, or. when full of bees, tln^ 

 frames do not slitle together, nor do the bottoms 

 strike, nor are they ever stuck together. The 

 bees are moi'c easily confined at the top of the 

 hive, as the (Mids of the top-bars are close fit- 

 ting, and in the winter and spring the top 

 coi-ners of the frames, the hardest part of a hive 

 to protect, forming virtually a dead-air space. 

 while the narrow bottom-bar allows dead bees 

 and debris of all kinds to drop to the bottom- 

 board. To be used without reversing for box 

 honey, I believe it has no superior. I forgot to- 

 say, that, w ith a narrow bottom-bar, combs are 

 built clear down to the bar. 



The bees built very few mounds from the- 

 bottom-boai'd. The top-bars form practically 

 a queen-excluding iioney-board, and much less 

 comb is built between fi'ames and sections than 

 where plain K top-bars are used, and much l(>ss 

 propolis is used. 



When used witii a dummy at tlu> side of tlu'- 

 hive there is no difficulty in getting the first 

 frame out; or where side boxing is practiced. 

 Many otlier advantages that have been mention- 

 ed I need not recall; but for certain localities, 

 methods of management, and certain individu- 

 als, I think thi'v are the best. Jxo. B. Case. 



Port Orange. Fla.. Aufir.;.'-3, 1890. 



BEES ATTACKED AND DRIVEN OUT BY REI> 



ANTS. 



TIIK I!KI) ANTS OF TEXA." 



On the 2~d (jf July, bees commenced ro])bing' 

 a hive that was strong but (jueenless. early in 

 the morning. I closed the entrance to about }<> 

 inch, and left to go to my work. I got back 

 about 11 o'clock, and found the combs broken 

 down and honey running alwut the ground. 

 I had to open the entrance to give more venti- 

 lation, and by night they were comi)letely 

 whippcKl out. The next day we had a lu^avy 

 storm. The wind blew two I'J-inch boards 

 that \vere fastened together in among my hives. 

 S])read the contents of four all over my ground, 

 and broke the cover and side of another. It 

 may have been some minutes before I discover- 

 <'d the mishap, and it was raining and blowing 

 so hard that it was a hard mattei' to stand un- 

 der it, and some litth^ tinu^ before I could get 

 the hives set up and the frames of lower and 

 up|)er stories in jjlace. Vei'y few frames had 

 bi'oken combs, but most of the bees lay di'ench- 

 ed on the groiuid. Upon examination I found 

 two queens missing. Next evening I was call- 

 ed up. Bees were swai'ming. I found a colony 

 of I'Pd ants had left their nest and invaded one 

 of the hives tluit had lost its (jueen. Ther(>- 

 were ten ants to one bee. I should think. The 

 bc^es liad no chance. The hi\'e \\'as full of 

 ants, covered with them. The ground for yards 

 arotuid was covered. Thousands had wings 

 and thousands without. Their sting is worse 

 than a bee-sting. They were evidently mad. 

 and to go among them was to have them all 

 over you. The hole into tluMr nest was clos(> tO' 

 the hive. Several times I had buried a bottle 

 and caught a lot of the ants, trying to destroy 

 them. It seemed a pr(Mneditated plan of i'<^tal- 

 iation on the bees. The ijees went into a tree. 



