1890 



QLEANIN&S IN BEE CULTUEE. 



745 



fi'ami!. This iiK'tliod of using closcd-iMid 

 framos in a tislit-tittinii box is tlic same as that 

 used bv Mr. Tniiicliff. of Van Hoi'iisville, and 

 INIr. Smith, of Starlcvillo. 



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DIAGRAM OF THE DOVETAILED HIVE. 



D While the Quinby method of using the closed 

 uprights (a hook under one corner so as to hold 

 the frame while standing) may be preferred by 

 some, there are so many L. hives of the hang- 

 ing frame type, that it will be necessary, in or- 

 dertouse closed ends, to use Mr. Tunicliif's plan. 

 In order to reduce propolis accumv. lations. I 

 noticed that Mr. Tunicliff uses Mr. Manum's 

 thumb-screws. Mr. Smith, of Starkville, adopt- 

 ed a form of a wedge. Either method will 

 compr<'Ss the frames, and so reduce the amount 

 of propolis that would ordinarily be secreted in 

 the interstices Isetween the closed ends. 

 Thumb-screws, when they stick outside of the 

 hive are objectionable on account of being in the 

 way, and we have decided to adopt a wedge in 

 connection with a follower, so that the closed 

 ends will be compressed together, and yet leave 

 the outside of the hive plain. In York State 

 and Vermont I noticed that the large bee- 

 keepers, as a rule, used a follower, in connec- 

 tion with a wedge or thumb-screw, to press the 

 sections together, and at the same time facili- 

 tate the removal of sections. Th(> foregoing 

 diagram will illustrate the follower, i is the 

 follower pressed against the section-holders 

 ?i, /), li. To key up, a stick J^xKxlS is let down 

 perpendicularly, tlie thinnest way between the 

 follower and the side of the hive. It is now re- 

 volved so that th(^ follower, instead of being % 

 inch from the hive side is pressed y, inch from 

 it. The projecting end is now pushed down be- 

 low the side of the hive, out of the way. To 

 loosen up, r<>verse the operation as above; i. e.. 



pull up one end of the stick to a perpendicular^ 

 turn it ai'ound flatwise and \\'ithdraw. and the 

 sections are loose. Where fixed frames are 

 used, the same keying-up arrangement will be 

 used in the brood-chamber. 



The engraving above shows very nicely a 

 complete package of five Dovetailed hives ready 

 for shipment. Thq inside furniture, cover, 

 bottom-boards, etc.. are all boxed inside, with- 

 out using an ouiice of crating, or in any way 

 interferring with the usefulness of the material 

 afterward. Besides, the sides and ends, as we 

 have before explained, are held compactly by 

 mcnins of four cleats, that are just the same as the 

 inside of the dovetails. The Dovetailed hive is 

 as cheap as any, I think I may say, without 

 boasting, ever before made, comprising from 

 five to ten hives complete. 



A BEE-SPACE AND WHAT IS RIGHT. 



While on my trip I took pains to investigate 

 the matter of a bee-space, and its relation to 

 burr-combs. I feel pretty well satisfied that f*g 

 is too much. Mr. Elwood, who was never 

 troubled with burr-combs, told me that he uses 

 a bee -space 14 inch, a little scant if any thing; 

 and all those bee-keepers who had little or no 

 trouble with them, I noticed, were using and 

 recommending this scant quarter-inch bee- 

 sjjace. Those who do not have burr combs are 

 the ones competent to give a correct answer to 

 this. The Dadants, and Mr. Secor, and others 

 of the West recommend this bee-space.. We 

 decided, therefore, to make the Dovetailed hive 

 in accordance therewith. 



BEES AT WATERING-TEOUGHS. 



DR. MILLER SUGGESTS TWO REMEDIES FOR TWO 

 OF THE TROUBLES IN BEE-KEEPING. 



DOVETAILED PACKAGES FOR SHIl^MENTS. 



In your answer to John Burr, page 713, friend 

 Root, yovi seem inclin(>d to think that bees at a 

 well or watering-trough do no great harm. My 

 bees, at least, have been very troublesome. At 

 the Wilson apiary there is a watering-trough 

 at the well, and for the last two years the bees 

 have taken possession of it to such an extent 

 that it had to be abandoned as a place for wa- 

 tering horses, and another place used some 

 rods distant. No doubt you will say, "Why, 

 what harm did the bees do?" Well, I"ni not 

 sure that they ever did any harm: but the 

 horses would't di'ink there, and that was harm 

 enough. I have tiied a number of times water- 

 ing my o\\'n horse ther(>. If very thirsty I 

 could get him up to the trough, and pei'haps 

 he would plunge his mouth into the water in a 

 kind of desperate numner. but. generally speak- 

 ing, he would just stand and snort at the bees 

 without ottering to drink. I suspect, however, 

 that bees floating on the water got on the 

 horse's lips and stung or at least tickled them. 

 This summer another trough was jjlaced be- 

 tween this trougii and the apiary. |)rovided 

 with comfortable floats and all that, and it se- 

 cui-ed some patronage, but the old trough held 

 the most of its custom. If the old trough had 

 been left div' for a few days, or had been entire- 

 ly covered lip. the case might have been ditl'er- 

 ent; but it was ])umped full every night to c(joI 

 the cans of milk. At the home ajjiary the l)ees 

 are inclined to annoy every year by getting into 

 any watei' left standing at the well, and even 

 going into the puni]) itself, making it difficult 

 to get a pail of wat(U' witliout drowning bees in 

 it. A six-gallon ci'ock of salt water standing a 

 rod away, tilled with stick's of rotten stovewood. 

 has seemed enough attraction to keep them 

 away. But it is important that any thing of 

 this kind be started eai'ly in the season. Let 



