i889 



GLEANINGSiLN BEE CULTtJBA 



551 



Recent Development 



CONDUCTED BY ERNEST R. ROOT. 



THE DOVETAILED HIVE FOR SHIPPING. 



SN pages 4'iS and "9 I incidentally refer- 

 red to the special fitness of the new 

 Dovetailed hive for moving and ship- 

 ping bees. When we changed from 

 the beveled to the square edge, we had 

 no idea (we means Mr. Warner, Mr. Calvert, 

 and your humble servant) that the square 

 edge made the hive better adapted to mov- 

 ing bees. Why so? In the first place, the 

 bottom of the Dovetailed hive can be made 

 permanent or movable. For the purpose of 

 moving to the basswood orchard, we have 

 been having all the bottoms secured to the 

 hive by means of two screws, one on each 

 side and centrally located. Two wood 

 screws were found to hold the bottom very 

 securely. With the beveled-edge Simplicity, 

 it is practically impossible to fix the bottom 

 on account of the beveled edges. After the 

 bees have been moved in the Dovetailed 

 hive and it becomes desirable to raise the 

 brood-chamber up. or in any case where 

 the removal of the brood - chamber be- 

 comes necessary, all we have to do is to 

 tip up the hive, and with a screwdriver re- 

 move the two wood screws. Propolis will 

 hold the bottom-board and hive together 

 during the operation. The hive is then set 

 back in position, when a screwdriver will 

 readily loosen the bottom-board. Having 

 obtained some photographic views I will 

 now proceed to give you a more detailed de- 

 scription. 



■■;'>; 



THE DOVETAILED HIVE PREPARED FOR 

 SHIPPING BEES. 



In the cut, the bottom-board has been se- 

 cured by the screws referred to. The en- 

 trance is closed by a piece of wire cloth of 

 suitable length, and folded longitudinally 

 through the middle. For moving short 

 distances, two or three tacks will secure it. 

 When shipping by express it is better to use 

 a number of tacks, as shown in the engrav- 

 ing. 



The wire screen is simply a section of the 

 Dovetailed hive cut off so as to make a rim 

 H inches deep. These rims are made from 

 dovetailed sides and ends which are defec- 

 tive, either because of knots or checks. A 

 piece of wire cloth 20 inches wide is cut in 

 two in the middle, longitudinally, making a 

 strip of just the right width to tack upon 

 the rim. In the center of each side to the 

 rim, a screw-hole is made, and the screen is 



secured to the hive by two screws, B, B, as 

 shown in the engraving. There is no tack- 

 ing, pounding, nor driving of nails when 

 putting on the screen, nor, in fact, when re- 

 moving the same. 



To secure the frames from shucking about, 

 we use a notched stick, shown at A. One 

 of these strips is tacked to the bottom- 

 board, notches upward, to space the bottom- 

 bars ; and two of these strips are used at 

 each end above the frames. The strips are 

 of the right width to fill up the space taken 

 ont by the rabbet ; and when the wire 

 screen is screwed down, these strips are 

 held by the end piects of the rim. in the 

 engraving, the notched sticks are represent- 

 ed as being nailed to hold them securely. 

 In shipping by express this will be a neces- 

 sary precaution ; but in ordinary moving, 

 the screen itself, with the usual amount of 

 wax and propolis, prevents the strips from 

 coming out of place. To give you a better 

 idea or fastening the frames, the enlarged 

 drawing below has been made. 



The notches, A, A, slip down between the 

 spaces in the frames X, etc. It may he 

 asked in this connection, why we do not use 

 the spacing-boards which we have adver- 

 tised for some years back. Principally be- 

 cause they were too much trouble. In "each 

 hive six boards were required, and these are 

 to be nailed on the ends on the inside, three 

 at each end. On account of the usual 

 amount of propolis and wax that is deposit- 

 ed upon the sides of the frames, we find it a 

 very difficult matter to shove the end-bars 

 down into these longitudinal grooves in the 

 spacing-boards. The operation becomes 

 still more difficult after the bees have fixed 

 them with propolis. Some of the worst 

 cases of robbing and stinging we ever had 

 were brought about in the effort to remove 

 the frames from the spacing-boards. When 

 I come to compare the ease of manipulation 

 of the notched sticks I almost wonder that 

 wo did not discard the boards sooner. The 

 time occupied in preparing some 20 or 30 

 hives for shipment, or for moving, is now 

 reduced to a minimum, and we are sure that 

 our customers will welcome the change. 



I am aware that, for all wood frames, and 

 for ordinary moving to out- apiaries, the 

 spacing-strips will not be absolutely neces- 

 sary ; but as the frames we moved were 

 metal-cornered, and as it was early in the 

 season, before brace-combs were built out, 

 we found that the spacing-sticks were nec- 

 essary. They are certainly necessary in any 

 case tor shipment by express. If the Heth- 

 erington-Vandeusen frames are a success 

 we shall not need the spacers at all. 



P. S. — Of course, it will be understood 

 that the notched sticks— in fact, the whole 

 arrangement above, is old ; but it is good 

 just the same. Such bee-keepers as A. E. 

 Manum use the notched stick. 



