290 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 1 



miles, and then open it and see if any of the 

 bees are full of honey. Any amount of tran- 

 sit does not hurt bees if they do not gorge 

 with honey. 

 Truro, la., Dec. 17. 



BEES CLUSTERING OUT ON FRONTS 

 OF HIVES. 



that an apple-tree forms a splendid shelter 

 for man and bee. In a still night in the fall 

 you'll hear "whack, whack," as one after 

 another the apples fall on the tin or zinc 

 roofs. Perhaps, however, the bees get used 

 to it. 

 Marengo, 111. 



«t» 



SPLIT SECTIONS. 



Value of Deep Entrances in Summer. 



BY DE. C. C. MILLER. 



When bees have little to do in the fields 

 toward the close of the season, especially 

 during a hot spell, they are likely to hang 

 out in great clusters, and many an inexperi- 

 enced bee-keeper has watched in vain at such 

 times for a swarm to issue. With a bottom- 

 board two inches deep the bees are not so 

 likely to cluster outside, but take it out in 

 hanging down below the bottom-bars as 

 shown in the illustration in the hive at the 



DEEl" ENTRANCES DISCOURAGE CLUSTERING OUT ON THE FRONT 

 OF THE HIVE. 



right. That picture is reproduced from a 

 snap-shot taken Sept. 17, 1906, at 3:40 p.m., 

 the thermometer at 89 degrees in the shade, 

 and the blazing sun shining directly into the 

 entrance. 



There is something very attractive about 

 the appearance of such a cluster, and 1 al- 

 ways have a feeling of regret that it must be 

 interfered with by putting any thing in its 

 way during the busy season to prevent the 

 bees building down. Quite possiljly the bees 

 have the same feeling of regret, for they ap- 

 parently take pleasure in sailing straight in- 

 to the hive and alighting directly on the 

 cluster, instead of alighting on the iloor and 

 then climbing up. It s a pretty sight to see 

 the bees take this short-cut to their home. 



Do you see that apple lying in the grass 

 right in front of the hive at the right? That 

 suggests one trouble in having hives under 

 the shade of apple-trees, in spite of the fact 



Foundation Cut to Fit; Objections to Bot- 

 tom Starters; a Plea for Full Sheets 

 Fastened to Top and Sides of Sections. 



BY ALLEN LATHAM. 



This subject is of especial interest to me, 

 as I am about to choose between these two 

 methods of preparing the sections for the 

 honey-flow. 



I was at first greatly pleased with the split- 

 section idea, not only because of the apparent 

 saving in labor, but because of the evident 

 gain in perfection of completed section. But 

 the thought of the edge 

 of foundation showing 

 on the top and sides of 

 the section has kept 

 coming into my mind 

 with such an annoying 

 persistence that I have 

 had to heed it. No, I 

 can not confidently 

 adopt that plan. 



And now on page 82 

 comes Dr. Miller with 

 the modest suggestion 

 that the bottom starter 

 is a better plan than 

 either ihe split section 

 or the sheet cut to fit. 

 With his suggestion he 

 points out the frailties 

 of the sheet cut to fit. 

 But are these frailties 

 such that they can not 

 be overcome? Surely 

 it seems not difficult to 

 arrange a contrivance 

 with which one can 

 square his S3Ctions at the same time that 

 he puts in the snugly fitting sheet. As to 

 the melted wax at the sides, I would sug- 

 gest that, with expert work, the amount of 

 wax can be brought down to such an insig- 

 nificant quantity that the objection is not 

 serious. Moreover, in cutting the comb from 

 the section it is improbable that one person 

 in a hundred cuts close to the wood. The 

 edges of the cell-walls as naturally built by 

 the bees will offer fully as much obstruction 

 to the knife as will the melted-wax line. 

 The only comb easy to cut out is that which has 

 no cells of honey next the wood: and, except 

 for appearances, any user of honey would 

 prefer such a comb to one of those fancy no- 

 peep-hole sections. 



Yet it is desirable to get the plump sec- 

 tion, for the simple reason that it will sell 

 better— sell better because the buyer thinks 

 he is getting more honey for his money. 



