1068 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 1 



FIG. 3. — HOW MR. ASPINWALL PUTS ON SUPERS WITHOUT KILLING BEES. 



The supers consist mainly of side panels and rods at the ends to produce compression on the panels and section-holders or wide 

 frames. Between each two section -holders is a slatted dummy which at the same time answers the purpose of a fence or ladderway 

 up between the rows of sections. The wide frames have top and bottom bars containing sections with full sheet of foundation, no 

 bottom starters. By carefully examining the illustrations one will see side rails or bee-space strips that are nailed on the side pan- 

 els. In putting on a super the bees are blown down through the sections with smoke, when the upper side is slid on endwise, riding 

 on two side rails as a sort of railway track. For the next operation see Fig. 4. 



he has not yet launched his hive on the public. 

 He desires to test it slill further, and then when 

 he does offer it for sale he will leave it without 

 change. 



I may say that, while I was at his place, 

 the weather was extremely warm, the thermometer 

 at one time going up to 95 in the shade. Even 

 in the evening it was insufferably hot; but neither 

 in the afternoon nor evening were the bees clus- 

 tered out in front of the hives. They were all in- 

 side, giving off that contented hum that indicates 

 prosperity and that all is well. In some cases 

 Mr. Aspinwall had put two colonies together as 

 one. Then those great barn-like affairs, with 

 their supers, would stand up almost shoulder- 



At the time of our visit Mr. Aspinwall had se- 

 cured already something like 2400 lbs. of fine 

 comb honey in plain sections from 23 colonies; 

 and to-day, July 22, I am in receipt of a letter 

 from him sa\ ing that the 2400 lbs. had reached 

 3000, and he hopes to increase this amount very 

 materially before the crop is all in for the sea- 

 son. 



There has been no clustering out at any time. 



nor any swarming, except in one case where he 

 inadvertently violated his own teachings and 

 practices. As the cause was easily ascertainable 

 he feels that the one swarm did not in any way 

 disprove his theory concerning non-swarming. 



Mr. Aspinwall has originated a number of use- 

 ful devices and kinks which I hope to speak of 

 at some future time. 



The subjoined illustrations give a general view 

 of the Aspinwall hive and system of manipula- 

 tion. The double-page picture shows the sky- 

 scrapers, nearly all of which contain sections ful- 

 ly capped over. Mr. A. had deferred taking off 

 the honey because he wished me to see the hives 

 just as they were. He was expecting to take off 

 the filled supers the next day, and put on empty 

 supers, as the bees were still working. 



The note of explanation under each engraving 

 will show the detail of management. In order 

 to get the exact construction of the hive itself, 

 one is referred to Gleanings for Nov. 15, last 

 year, page 1441. 



In closing, let me make it very clear that this 

 hi-ue is not for sale yet, and ivill ?iot be until its in- 

 'ventor has fully perfected it in all its details. 



