284 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 1 



For a long time we have been impressed 

 that it is well to have all colonies of bees 

 near the ground; that it is easy for the bees, 

 should they fall to the earth, to crawl back 

 to their hive via a short alighting-board. 

 That is well and good; I have most of my 

 hives that way, for it is the cheapest way to 

 have them. But I have had a few perched 

 up a bit and I like the plan very well. The 

 older 1 gpt the less I like to stoop over the 

 low-down hives. 



In the photo I show one of my hives — it is 

 not my regulation hive; it was one hived in 

 a super, and another super put above as a 

 su])e7\ But it is the pedestal that I call at- 

 tention to. It was a receiving berry-chest 

 and forms ihe bottom-board as well as the 

 alighting-board of the hive. I notice that a 

 bee that has not got its "bearings" well fig- 

 ured out, and drops short of the entrance, 

 will alight against the side of the pedestal, 

 and without loss of time crawl up to its home. 

 It is very seldom that a bee misses getting a 

 foothold upon the pedestal alighting board. 

 I think their chances of doing so are as good 

 as if not better than in falling upon the low- 

 arranged board so much in vogue. 



The objection that might be made to a hive 

 gO placed is that it would be more likely to 



TUE A. I. ROOT CO. S EXHIBIT AT THE OHIO 

 STATE FAIR. 



ry hives, he had a large collection of photo- 

 graphs illustrating the various phases of 

 bee culture; and directly under was an ex- 

 planatory note. Thus it is that a visitor 

 can get a comprehensive view of the busi- 

 ness in a very few minutes, even though 

 there be no one present competent to ex- 

 plain. The Ohio bee and honey exhibit at 

 the Jamestown exposition was one of the 

 most interesting displays in the States build- 

 ing. 



The queen- bees and the old-fashioned straw 

 skep in wax were first made out of clay by a 

 professional clay-modeler. A plaster cast is 

 then taken, from which wax molds are 

 turned out in any quantity. It is a difiicult 

 thing to make a queen-bee so that it will 

 '■draw" out of the mold; but we succeeded 

 in doing it perfectly. 



HIVES ON ELEVATED STANDS. 



BY W. A. PRYAL, 



' ' Hives of high and low degree, " as if there 

 could be any such social distinction among 

 the hive fraternity : Yet there are high hives 

 and there are low hives; and there are hives 

 low upon the ground and there are hives 

 high from mother earth. 



PRYALS ELEVATED HIVE-STAND. 



