APUIL 1, 1915 



Lireater tliaii that which would have de- 

 \eloped in the weaker colonies. 



Jn the place of tlie combs of brood taken 

 out of the full colonies 1 insert frames with 

 foundation unless I have all the comb ] 

 want, for no better place could be found 

 for this work. If T put in drawn comb I 

 seek to use that wiiich has been used in the 

 lirix)d-chambers. 



T.et nie say here that there are, perhaps, 

 many beekeepeis who put combs into brood- 

 chambers built on sheets of foundation 

 which have absolutely no business in a 

 l)rood-chamber. If the foundation stretches, 

 the comb built thereon is unsuitable for 

 brood-rearing. The queen dislikes it, and it 

 is a hindrance to the rapid development of 

 brood. If comb has been in the super with 

 wide sjiacing, as is generally the case, mak- 

 ing it a deep cell, it is objectionable, and 

 the bees have to remove a portion of the 

 side wall before it is useful for brood. Such 

 a comb should be thinned down with a 

 sharp knife before u.sing in a brood-cham- 

 ber. 



It is a very difficult problem Avitli me 

 what to do in case the brood-chamber is 

 crowded and a good honey-fllow is on. Gen- 

 erally when a comb of brood is taken out 

 and we insert an empty comb the bees are 

 more than likely to fill it with honey ; and 

 where that is recommended I sometimes 

 wonder if the beekeei")er has tried it ven' 

 much; or, if so, Avhether he had time to note 

 the result ; or if the colony was really a 



strong one, or if the honey-flow was really 

 a good one. This may be an honest case 

 where llie nature of the honey-flow may 

 make a difference in results. 



After trying the Alexander method of 

 increase, if by that is meant putting a weak 

 colony on top of a strong one, I have not 

 found that method as advantageous as the 

 way I have described. It appears to me that 

 the weak colony must be built up at the 

 expense of the stronger; and until the 

 stronger has more bees, heat, working force, 

 and the queen has reached her limit in egg 

 production, I see no gain in giving them the 

 added responsibility. P. C. Chadwick well 

 states, page 139, " I infer that Dr. Miller 

 believes in one large force of bees to a hive, 

 rather than a slightly greater number di- 

 A-ided into two hives, and in this I believe 

 he is entireljf right." So say I. 



For years I had the bees on clover ground 

 dui'ing the early part of the summer, and 

 about Aug. 1 I moved them to buckwheat. 

 I did not then consider it wise to risk a 

 portion of the white-honey crop with the 

 object of being the gainer on the dark flow. 

 There may not be any dark honey, and it 

 is worth less per pound. 



Increasing during the honey-flow, or be- 

 fore a prospective flow, is in my estimation 

 unwise unless one has the practical experi- 

 ence to warrant keeping more bees and if 

 he cannot purcliase them lat J)revailing 

 prices. 



Brantford, Canada. 



WIRES IN FOUNDATION 



BY A. W. SMITH 



Perhaps some might like the way I fasten 

 foundation in wired frames. It seems that 

 Miss Wilson has been using a somewhat 

 similar method, but I had not the slightest 

 idea she or any one else imbedded wire this 

 way. I worked out the problem alone four 

 or five 3'ears ago, and with the help of a 

 boy at fifty cents a day I securely fastened 

 150 pounds of medium brood foundation in 

 wired frames in ten hours, and found this 

 plan better than other methods I had used. 



Our method is, in brief, as foUow's: Make 

 a coverless box 4 inches deep, about 8 

 inches longer than the top-bar of the frames, 

 and Vfs. inch wider than the outside width of 

 tho frame. On the outside of the box at 

 the upper edges fasten thin strips about % 

 inch higher than the sides of the box, these 

 to prevent the frame from moving sidewise 

 when pushed along on the edges of the box. 



Then secure four little spirit-lamps hold- 

 ing perhaps two ounces of wood alcohol 

 each, and trim their round wicks so they 

 come to a point. 



Fill and place the lamps near the center 

 of the box in such a position that the blaze 

 nearly touches the Avire of the frames when 

 slid along on the edge of the box. Pressing 

 a piece of pasteboard against a sheet of 

 foundation placed on the wjires in the 

 frames, slide the whole arrangement over 

 the lamp blaze and see how quickly and 

 neatly the four wires have been imbedded. 



I do not use groove and wedge top-bars, 

 and have several reasons whj^ I would not 

 use them as a gift. I fasten the foundation 

 in the top-bar with melted wax, holding the 

 frame nearly perpendicular so that the hot 

 wax will not melt through tlie foundation. 



Birmingham, Mich. 



