1908 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1385 



are all made the same size, and one will fit the 

 other. The size of the brood-frames is as follows: 

 Top-bar, 17 inches; bottom-bar, 14j^ inches; 

 width of top, /s inch and 9 deep. These are fit- 

 ted with adjusting metal ends. 



Above the brood-nest, shallow bars or sections 

 are placed. The shallow bar is nearly half the 

 size of the deep bar; but in order to have a thick- 

 er comb for extracting purposes the number is 

 reduced to 8 instead of 10. Each set of frames 

 is fitted in the box, which we term a super. In 

 regard to the section-racks, we have two styles — 

 the ordinary rack, holding 21 sections 4^4 by 4}^ 

 by 2, and the W. B. C. crate, which holds the 

 same number, but they hang in a frame. The 

 taller sections do not find such a sale here, and 

 very few bee-keepers have adopted them, the 

 greater demand being more for extracted honey 

 than comb. 



The entrance is narrowed to 2 inches. It 

 should be mentioned that the hive-entrances are 

 sunk into the wood, and just allow sufficient 

 space for the bees. No mice can enter, so we 



teeming with bees. To give an idea of this, our 

 comb averages on both sides about 5000 cells, so 

 that in the 20 combs you have available space for 



RAPID SPRING FEEDER. 



English bee-keepers have no real winter enemies. 

 The bees are fed up about the end of September, 

 and no more attention is paid until the middle of 

 March. By this time the bees have generally 

 consumed all or nearly all of their winter stores; 

 and the bee-keeper, after making an examination 

 on this point, commences to feed them gradually 

 with syrup made from a recipe similar to the one 

 given above, and a small quantity is given to the 

 bees each evening. 



This has a stimulating influence on the queen. 

 The amount of syrup is gauged just so that it is 

 sufficient for the bees' requirements, and does 

 not enable them to store any; consequently the 

 queen lays at an enormous rate, and about the 

 middle of April another set of deep combs (10) is 

 given over this brood- nest for the queen to con- 

 tinue her laying. We call this "doubling." 

 Now she has 20 combs to continue her laying, 

 and in another three weeks' time the whole lot 

 will be alive with eggs, larvae, and pupas in all 

 stages. The honey-flow commences about the 

 middle of June, and lasts only during portions 

 of the months of June, July, and August, so 

 that, when the flow does arrive, we have the hive 



CANADIAN FEEDER. 



100,000 eggs ; and, taking oflf one-tenth for pol- 

 len, waste cells, etc., you can thus get an idea of 

 the breeding-ground of the queen. When the 

 flow arrives we often as not have a working force 

 of 80,000 to 120,000. As soon as the honey 

 comes in, the queen is placed in the bottom box, 

 the hatcliing brood placed in the top, the un- 

 sealed larvre in the bottom, and two or three ex- 

 tra supers given to the colony. The top box, 

 which the brood is still in, is also used as a su- 

 per as the bees hatch out. Thus Her Majesty 

 is, to a great extent, prevented from egg-laying, 

 and using honey at an important time, because 

 you must take into consideration that every 

 pound of larva; means many pounds of honey, 

 and you can get larvas produced by sugar-feeding- 



at 2 pence per lb., while the honey would sell at 

 7 or 8 pence. 



Another method is to put two colonies togeth- 

 er by making a nucleus of the queen and one bar 



