232 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15 



lows down there have spoiled you. Next we 

 know you'll want the whole earth. Who 

 wants a better tool to drive a nail with than a 

 good harrow-tooth? " 



Mr. McCubbin and I discussed these mat- 

 ters, both in a happy frame of mind ; and, 

 though we differed on some points, there were 

 enough upon which we did agree so we found 

 we could work harmoniously for the produc- 

 tion of honey ; and as the cover question is 

 under discussion between us, and is a question 



AN APIARV IN A WEED-PATCH ; A MULE MIRAGE 



of no mean importance, I wish to give some 

 ideas in that line that I have gleaned from 

 connection with many bee-keepers. 



First, I show you a half-tone of our out- 

 apiary. It is located in the midst of a rank 

 growth of alkali weeds. A good share of the 

 covers on these hives are of the cracked kind; 

 but between the covers and the frames, a grain- 

 sack is spread. One would naturally suppose 

 that such a cover, or combination of sack and 

 cover, would leak like a sieve. Later in the 

 season, after 24 hours of steady downpour of 

 rain, I went out to examine these wonderful 

 covers and their capacity for turning water 

 into the hive. To my surprise I found the 

 bees on deck, ready for business as soon as I 

 turned back the sack. The cracks in the cov- 

 er had swelled tight, and only a little of the 

 water from the first hour of rain had pene- 

 trated the hive. The sack was soaking wet ; 

 but as there was ample ventilation above, as 

 soon as the cover dried and the cracks opened, 

 the sack soon dried, and all was well with the 

 bees. 



The out-apiary is also provided with a hon- 

 ey-house with a cover in keeping with the cov- 

 er on the hives ; but when you consider that, 

 all through the working season, there is no 

 rain, tight covers to hives and houses are not 

 the most essential thing. This is also the 

 country of the mirage. In the case of this 

 apiary it is a mule mirage. These mules were 

 much interested in bee-keeping and photog- 

 raphy, and, though the apiary was in their 

 pasture lot, a couple of strands of barbed 

 wire kept them at proper distance. When 

 working alone in the apiary under the hot sun 

 of Central California it was a pleasure to have 



occasionally the companionship of a mule 

 mirage. 



From the comparing of notes with a good 

 number of bee-keepers I know they prefer a 

 tight even-fitting cover ; but how to get it is 

 the next question. 



A few years ago the Higginsville cover re- 

 ceived some attention, and it may be a good 

 cover for some localities ; but for this country, 

 and made with a thin edge as I have used 

 them, it is a failure, for that thin edge soon 

 warps, leaving an opening several 

 inches in length. 



A whole - board cover, with 

 clamps at the ends, is probably 

 the cover most extensively used ; 

 but these will warp, and espe- 

 cially when made wide enough 

 for a ten-frame hive. Redwood 

 covers hold their shape in this 

 country better than pine or any 

 other variety of wood. Wide lum- 

 ber is expensive, and the crying 

 want is for something cheap and 

 perfect. 



Mr. Brodbeck, of Los Angeles, 

 uses a cover which he assures me 

 will not warp, and, to his mind, 

 is near perfection. It is not, how- 

 ever, any cheaper than the ordi- 

 nary wide covers, for it is made 

 by resawing a wide board into 

 boards ^ inch thick, and placing 

 between them "s-inch cross-pieces, making in 

 reality a combination cover and shade-board, 

 and it can be used either side up. The ac- 

 companying cut will show the method of con- 

 struction. 



Another very good cheap non-warpable cov- 

 er is made as follows : As previously men- 

 tioned, redwood, so plentiful on this coast, is 

 not so liable to warp as other woods. Red- 

 wood shakes are used extensively for covering 

 buildings, making raisin-trays, etc. They are 

 sawed about }i inch thick, and 4 inches wide. 

 Cut these the desired length for the cover ; 



