514 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 



and it might be that, in handling a deeper frame of 

 this kind I should And objections to it that my shal- 

 low frame has not developed. Two of my neighbors 

 who have heretofore used the same frame I am now 

 using have this year added one inch to its depth, 

 and I shall have the opportunity of observing its 

 workings. Z. T. Hawk. 



Audubon, Iowa, May 27, lc89 

 I am very glad indeed to get the above 

 report ; in fact, I have long wondered that 

 we didn't hear more from that frame. I 

 think, however, you will not like frames 

 spaced at If. I have tried it pretty thor- 

 oughly ; and unless your combs are abso- 

 lutely straight. like aboard, even when filled 

 with brood and capped over, you will have 

 a great deal of trouble if you undertake to 

 move frames from one hive to another, or 

 even reverse or change ends with any frame. 

 The combs will touch in places, or so nearly 

 touch, that the bees can not get through ; 

 cells will be left vacant, brood will be de- 

 stroyed, and constant labor will be involved 

 in cutting down and building out— labor for 

 the bees. The frame you have, I think will 

 work better with the YanPeusen corners 

 than a deeper or larger one. 



RECENT Deyemipmep^ 



CONDUCTED BY ERNEST R ROOT. 



THE HETHEKINGTON REVERSIBLE FRAME. 



iplIANCING to observe that our friend 

 Z. T. Hawk was using the frame men- 

 tal tioned above, I wrote to him asking 

 ** him to prepare an article for Glean- 

 ings, setting forth his views and ex- 

 perience with reference to closed - end 

 frames, and the Iletherington reversible 

 frame in particular. He has done so, and 

 the article above covers my own feelings in 

 the matter so perfectly that but little fur- 

 ther comment is necessary. While I recog- 

 nize some of the very decided advantages of 

 the closed-end frame, I have been no less 

 sensible of their defects, both from a theo- 

 retical and practical standpoint. The more 

 I have been thinking of the matter, the 

 more I feel just at present that the Ilether- 

 ington reversible frame comes as ne^r fill- 

 ing the bill as any thing that has ever been 

 gotten out. It not only retains most if not 

 all the advantages of the closed-end frames, 

 but it obviates some of their most serious 

 defects, so it seems to me ; and friend 

 Hawk, from a practical standpoint, you will 

 notice, is of the same opinion. For the pro- 

 duction of comb or extracted honey, in any 

 case where the colonies are to be moved to 

 any considerable extent, to and from out- 

 apiaries, it seems to me (although I may 

 change my mind very shortly) that some- 

 thing better than the ordinary suspended 

 frame is needed. I have not forgotten the 

 advantages of the hanging frame, such as 

 the lateral movement, spreading of frames 

 in winter, and contracting again in the 

 spring. 13v turning to Question 117, April 

 1, page 270, where the problem of wood 

 bearings versus metal rabbets is involved, 

 with reference to the hanging frame, a great 



majority of the respondents prefer the wood 

 bearings. Why? For the very reason that 

 the hives can be moved about without spe- 

 cial means for holding the frames at fixed 

 distances ; but to get this feature it is nec- 

 essary to incur considerable inconvenience. 

 If the frames are fixed with propolis, they 

 must be removed necessarily with difficulty, 

 to say nothing of an occasional snap, and, of 

 course, disturbance from the bees, and more 

 or less stings. I do not believe that apia- 

 rists in general would tolerate the regular 

 closed-end frames, although I do not deny 

 the fact that some of our best and most ex- 

 tensive bee-keepers use and prefer them ; 

 but I do think that a frame at fixed dis- 

 tances is a thing we need, providing that we 

 can at the same time secure perfect mobili- 

 ty. Perhaps the principal reason why we 

 dropped the Iletherington reversible frame 

 was because it could not be adapted to the 

 Simplicity body, with its beveled edge. This 

 frame, however, will fit the new Dovetailed 

 hive w ith but very little alteration. A strip 

 of strap iron or heavy tin, nailed to the bot- 

 tom inside edge of each end of the hive will 

 form the support for the Iletherington 

 frame. This support will not interfere with 

 hanging frames. To give you a better idea 

 of the reversible frame, I reproduce here an 

 engraving which appeared on page 332 of 

 Gleanings for 1884. 



THE MF.TAI.-CASTINC. liKVEKSIBLE FRAME. 



1. Metal corners attached to a wide frame, showing how it 

 can be used without any top-liar. 



2. Brood frame, with metal coiners attached to each corner. 

 5. Metal corners detached from the frame, showing nail 



holes. 



li. Metal corner in place, inserted in a saw-cut in the end-bar. 



t. End-bar of wide frame, snowing cuts necessary to take in 

 metal corner. 



The figures 2, H, and 5, will make the idea 

 plain. No. -5 we nail upon the frame, as 

 shown in figure 6. The casting not only 

 spaces the frames the proper distance apart, 

 but keeps them at a proper distance from 

 the ends of the hive. As the place of con- 

 tact is a mere point, propolis can play no 

 part. I have tried these frames considera- 

 bly, and know of nothing that reverses any 

 prettier or nicer than these ; and when they 

 drop down upon the strap-iron support, 

 there is but very little chance of crushing 

 bees. I do not believe it ordinarily pays to 

 go to the expense of reversing ; but if we 

 can get reversing with fixity of distances at 

 the same time, well and good. All of the 

 combs in the Hetheriugton reversible frame 

 are filled out nice and full, and will almost 

 do to ship without wires. We shall not at 

 present offer these frames for sale ; but 

 what I want to know is, have any others of 

 our subscribers tested itV If so, let us hear 

 from them. What I want to know particu- 

 larly is whether I am on the right track for 

 something better. 



