254 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 15 



CHANGING FROM LANGSIROTH TO JUMBO HIVES. 



Please ask the editor to let " Mexicano " know 

 the best way to change the brood-nest from ten- 

 frame Langstroth to the ten-frame Jumbo, in the 

 next issue of Gleanings. I have made a begin- 

 ing by hiving all swa'ms in Jumbos, but I have 

 40 L. brood-nests that I want to make into Jum- 

 bos. That is the only hive for the tropics. 



Jas. Maunder. 



Sanborn, Vera Cruz, Mexico, March 24. 



[As to changing a ten-frame Langstroth over 

 to a Jumbo hive, you'd better not do it. Those 

 Langstroth bodies will prove to be very useful if 

 you propose adopting the Jumbo system. You 

 had best get new hives Jumbo depth as well as 

 frames, then use the old Langstroth bodies and 

 frames for surplus extracted honey, or for tiering 

 up generally. It would cost too much, and be 

 impracticable to make the change by adding a 

 lim to the bottom of the body, and then you 

 would have to throw away the Langstroth frames. 

 While Langstroth combs could be put into Jum- 

 bo frames, and the bees would fill out the space, 

 the operation would cost considerable time, and 

 be too much of a sacrifice of good material. 



We worked one yard with Jumbo hives and 

 ten-frame Langstroth bodies. The two go to- 

 gether very nicely, because they both take the 

 same cover and bottom-board. The Langstroth 

 frame is far handier to uncap and extract than a 

 Jumbo. For your part of the country you will 

 find what you have of Langstroth dimensions 

 good property. — Ed ] 



One of the blocks holding the spool of wire 

 is fastened solid with two nails; the other, with 

 one nail, thus making it movable for inserting 

 the spool. • J. F. Ulmer. 



Gallon, O., Feb. 4. 



a caution about cellar ventilation. 



Thousands of bees have been lost because of a 

 lack of ventilation in bee-cellars. When the 

 temperature stays at 45 degrees there is no need 

 of extra ventilation; but it becomes very necessa- 

 ry when it goes above 50 degrees. There should 

 never be a draft through the cellar, however. 

 I put coarse burlap over all the openings, which 

 lets in the fresh air but prevents a strong draft. 

 We have 272 colonies in our cellar, and we have 

 had no trouble this winter in spite of the variable 

 temperature. When the outside temperature 

 goes below zero the cold air rushes down into 

 the cellar so rapidly that it is necessary to close 

 the ventilators for a time until conditions change 

 again. Geo. B. Hovvt. 



Black River, N. Y. 



[We sometimes use an electric fan in forcing 

 air^direct from outdoors down between the hives 

 in our cellar. If the bees become uneasy this 

 enforced draft of fresh air seems to quiet them. 

 Of course, if the air outdoors is down to zero it 

 might be too much of a good thing. Perhaps 

 this is what our correspondent refers to as being 

 bad. Otherwise our experience would not coin- 

 cide with his. — Ed.] 



a convenient form for wiring frames. 



I am sending a diagram of a device I use in 

 threading wire into Hoffman frames. It entire- 

 ly overcomes the coiling and kinking of the wire. 

 The board is 35 inches in length, and 10 in width. 

 On this I place a Hoffman frame, as shown, a 

 casing-nail being driven through the end staples 

 to keep the frame in position while threading. 



Next the three pulleys are located in the prop- 

 er position. No. 2 is where the spool of wire is 

 fastened. The blocks are constructed in such a 

 way that the wire can not uncoil over the end of 

 the spool and kink. The pulleys are just large 

 enough to draw the wire from one hole and feed 

 it right into the other. 



Having every thing in place we are ready for 

 threading. Draw the wire in at 3, then around 

 the first pulley and into 4, and so on, ending at 

 5, then catching the wire at 3, lifting it from the 

 pulley last used; draw up the slack, and so on till 

 the slack is all out. 



should the buyer of honey pay the pro- 

 ducer FOR THE CANS.? RINSING NOT ADVISED. 



On page 1245, October 15, you print a letter 

 from D Everett Lyon, and use a full page in an- 

 swering it; but in my opinion you do not touch 

 the point brought out by Mr. Lyon; i.e , we pay 

 from 85 to 95 cts. per case for bright new cans 

 (and they are the only kind it pays to handle for 

 honey), and in selling we are forced not only to 

 get nothing for our cans, but 

 must accept a tare of 18 lbs., 

 the actual weight of case and 

 cans. Then the wholesaler ad- 

 vertises our cases and cans for 

 sale, which he has never al- 

 lov\ed us a copper for, and has 

 received a tare of 18 lbs. so he 

 may not pay for the case and 

 the cans. 



On page 1268 you ask as to 



the practice of rinsing tietv 



cans. They are generally used 



as they are, for all soldering is 



done on the outside, and it is 



very difficult to dry them after rinsing. We 



have used cans for 28 years, and do not follow 



rinsing. H. S. Philbrook. 



Oxnard, Cal , Oct. 25. 



[The above communication was sent to Mr. 

 R. A. Burnett for answer. His reply follows. — 

 Ed] 



Mr. Lyon says, "We pay from 85 to 95 cts. 

 per case for new cans, and in selling we are forc- 

 ed not only to get nothing for our cans, but must 

 accept a tare of 18 lbs., the actual weight of case 

 and cans. Then the wholesaler advertises our 



