944 



GLEANINGS IiN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 1 



A Hol 1)A\ l.\ \IL\. 



A super-cover is used with this metal cover. I 

 nail strips %x ^ inch on one side of this super- 

 cover, forming a tray in v^hich I place several 

 pieces of felt paper (such as is used under carpets), 

 and tack* one-piece on the under side, as I use 

 cloths or quilts over the frames. This cover 

 makes a good heat-retainer, and helps to ward off 

 the direct rays of the sun. 



My home yard of 75 colonies springed badly 

 in 1907. Several died, and I doubled up, some- 

 what after Mr. Alexander's plan, so that I had 

 35 colonies for the harvest. I took 3000 lbs. 

 from them. A nice piece of alsike helped "a 

 heap," giving me a crop of 5000 lbs. 



I did all the work alone, except the help of a 

 man six days during extracting. 



River Falls, Wisconsin. 



BEES 



CLUSTERING OUT ON THE 

 FRONTS OF THE HIVES. 



Work Suspended Because of a Crowded 

 Condition 



5Y E. BRITT. 



On a hot day in July, 1906, when the ther- 

 mometer reached the exceptional point of 104° in 

 the shade, my bees were clustering on the fronts 

 of the hives as shown in the engraving. I thought 

 the heat alone was the cause; but upon investiga- 

 tion I found that the supers were crammed full 

 of honey, and in two instances the bees were 

 building comb on the outside. I keep from 30 

 to 50 stands, and it has never been necessary to 

 feed or to provide any protection during winter. 

 I have never had a failure of a honey crop. The 

 hives are placed above the ground to keep the 

 toads from meddling. 



Jacksonville, Oregon. 



[You do not say whether these bees swarmed 

 under the conditions shown and described. If 

 they did not, their non-swarming tendencies ought 

 to be encouraged. No wonder they clustered; 

 and when they were compelled to build combs 

 on the outside for want of room the wonder is 

 they didn't swarm too. Perhaps they did. — Ed.] 





THIRTY YEARS OF EXTRACTED- 

 HONEY PRODUCTION. 



BY GEO. W. MORRIS. 



My apiary isrun almost exclusively for extract- 

 ed honey. In 1906 I took 4800 lbs.; in 1907, 

 7500 lbs. I realized $1100 for the two crops, be- 

 sides using about 1000 lbs. at home in the two 

 years. Since I embarked in the bee business, 

 thirty years ago, there have been at least ten years 

 v^'hen I got no surplus honey, and even had to 

 feed in some years. I am trying the divisible- 

 brood-chamber hive this season. I believe in 

 large hives, young and prolific queens, good 

 management, and eternal vigilance in order to 

 succeed. 



I have had to do about all the work in the api- 

 ary myself, as my only son is afraid of bees, al- 

 though he makes a good hand at the extractor. 

 He can uncap and extract as fast as I can bring 

 in and return combs to the hives. The most we 

 ever took in one day was 600 lbs. 



The cart shown in the engraving in front of 

 the building is used to haul the honey to the ex- 

 tracting-room, and it is a very handy vehicle to 

 have about the yard. 



Cornishvillo, Ky. 



[A good hand-cart in a bee-yard where the 

 ground is reasonably level is a great labor-saver. 

 If the ground is uneven, a wheelbarrow is better. 

 —Ed.] 



