S8 



" NOVICE'S" ULEAMNGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



\>s\M|[ TO PKOBEE.1I 10. 



'wfifllOIt each hiveyou will need two pieces 

 JL) of rather heavy galvanized iron 

 2£xf inches. Three holes are to be drill- 

 ed in each of these, one in the middle 

 and one near each end. It is somewhat 

 difficult to make it clear on paper, how 

 these are to he used, hut we will try. In 

 the simplicity hive, it will be remembered, 

 a strip goes across under each end of the 

 cover, and two four-penny nails are used 

 to nail this strip into the end of the longer 

 strips. Now instead of the four-penny 

 nails, use sixes, and drive them through 

 two of the holes mentioned in onr hinge 

 pieces, this will leave the strip of metal 

 projecting (containing the third hole) 

 down over the body of the hive: and 

 it is plain that if we drive a strong 

 nail through this hide into the hive, 

 we have the cover hinged quite substan- 

 tially. To make it removable 'tis onlv 

 necessary to make the last mentioned 

 hole in the strip with an opening in one 

 side in such a way that when the cover is 

 raised perpendicularly it can readily be 

 lifted off. A cover with the strips attach- 

 ed forms a gauge by which to drive the 

 two nails on which it turns, and if the 

 cover and hinge strips are alike, any 

 cover will fit any hive. Still farther by 

 driving two nails in the same way at the 

 bottom edge of the hive, the cover can be 

 readily attached to the bottom for winter- 

 ing, which see in first article. J5y using a 

 metal hook on the cover and one nail for 

 it to hook over, on both upper and lower 

 edge of the hive we can fasten the cover 

 in a trice to. either the bottom or top of 

 the hive. In making the device we were 

 agreeably surprised to find thai the cover 

 when raised up would stand alone, which 

 it will not with common hinges. We can 

 iurnish the hinges or hooks for one cent 

 each if desired. To work nicety the 

 opening in the strip of metal should be * 

 of an inch from the lower end and should 

 he deep enough to just reach the center 

 of the strip, the strip being nailed Hush 

 with the stick to which it is attached both 

 lop and side. 



Novice says he has made this mailer a 

 study at odd times for over a year and 

 that before he had reduced it to its pres- 

 ent gtate of cheapness, efficiency and sim- 

 plicity, it cost him, he really believes, as 

 much brain work as did the Ambrosial 

 Honey Mr. Herman Flick. 



Any kind of a pair of hinges requires 

 at least eight screws. Novice's ''groat in- 

 vention" requires none. 



J\ S. — Since writing the above Novice 

 has so far improved it as to be able to 

 present a hive having no external indica- 

 tions of a hinge whatever, and yet the 

 (•over is hinged very firmly and lifts oH' 

 «hen straight up as before. it differs 

 from the above in no respect only that 

 the strips of galvanized sheet iron form 4 ' 

 ing the hinge are nailed between the strips 

 That go around the cover instead of on the 

 outside; and before nailing the hive, one 



of the side boards is sawed slightly shorter 

 on each of the four corners, in such a way 

 that space is left just sufficient for the 

 metal ears to crowd in. Now drive a nail 

 jusl right, down through the opening in 

 the ear or hinge, and if your work is ac- 

 curate, the cover works just beaiitij'ttlly, 

 without a screw or nail more than is used 

 in putting the hive together ordinarily. 

 Novice keeps opening and shutting the 

 hive every hour or two, and then looks 

 for somebody s hat to sail in token of vic- 

 tory of — of, hard ami persevering study 

 o\ er lumber and metals. 



in; a its op <;kai\ from differ- 

 ent FIEEOS. 



VyrfO- LOG.—] have a, strong nucleus. How, or 

 1 y\\ ca n 1 k eej> i t over safely ? 

 ss II M. li. Davis, Petersburg, Mich, 



it. is possible to winter even a small nu- 

 cleus hive, as many experiments have 

 proved: but it is very difficult unless a 

 warm, frost-proof cellar be at hand, and 

 even then the greatest trouble comes in 

 March and April, when il is important 

 they should begin rearing brood- Weak 

 colonies, as a general thing, may be win- 

 tered easily in a proper repository; but 

 the trying time comes when they com- 

 mence living in the spring in search of 

 food. 



No 1 InT. -Would you advise or approve the 

 introduction of artificial heat, of yteain, or 

 of a stove from an adjoining mom into the 

 bee-room in .severe weather, when it can be 

 done without disturbing the bees? 



1!. AloysuiS, 

 Corporation of New Milleroy, Iowa. 

 We would not advise artificial heat, at 

 least until we had good evidence of its 

 utility. 'Twould be very difficult to pre- 

 vent sonic stocks from getting too warm, 

 and we think, with such a house as we 

 have advised, then' would rarely be need 

 of it, more especially if the room con- 

 tained 10 or 50 colonies. It might he 

 beneficial to weak colonies or nuclei. 

 should any be so unfortunate las we are 

 now) as to have such, and a correspond- 

 ent writes that our "lamp nursery,' de- 

 scribed last month, was just the idea he 

 had been after, to moderate the tempera- 

 ture of his bee house in the most severe 

 weather. We may make some such experi- 

 ments ourselves during the coming win- 

 ter. 



A stronc colony can be wintered with- 

 out a queen, but we are not sure thai il 

 pays. 



The bees that were led the 'gallon o( 

 sweet cider" looked decidedly like the 

 "bee cholera" during a cold "snap of 

 three or four days. 



Here we are again "all full, having 

 used only two of the "Heads of Grain" 

 out of nearly a whole field of valuable 

 ones all ready for the printers. Novice 

 says "taint his fault," for we must either 

 make our Journal larger or get our friends 

 in manifest less interest in his work of 

 hive making, feeding, etc. 



