282 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 1 



foundation will fall out of the frames and make 

 a complete failure of one of the best means of se- 

 curing it ever devised. 



IMBEDDING WIRES INTO FOUNDATION. 



We use a smooth planed board, ]/% inch thick, 

 and the size of the inside of the brood-frames. 

 We lay this board on the foundation now in the 

 frame, and turn the frame (board and all) the 

 other side up. The wires will then be on top of 

 the foundation, and the board on the under side. 

 We have never tried any thing that equals the 



Easterday imbedder. It is not quite as rapid as 

 the spur-wheel imbedder, but, unlike the latter 

 tool, it leaves the foundation smooth, instead of 

 creasing it and making a weak place. After the 

 wire has been crowded down into the foundation 

 a few drops of wax near the ends will help to keep 

 it in place. 



The lower edge of the foundation should be 

 trimmed off in order to leave about a half-inch 

 space just above the bottom-bar of the frame. 

 We take a narrow board the length of the inside 

 of the frame and % inch thick. We use this 

 board as a guide for trimming off this lower edge 

 of the foundation. We stand it on edge next to 

 the bottom-bar, and with a thin sharp knife cut 

 off that portion of the foundation by means of the 

 straight edge thus afforded. If the space between 

 the foundation and the bottom-bar is much less 

 than half an inch the foundation is likely to sag; 

 and when this happens it tips over to one side 

 (buckles), and makes one of the most undesirable 

 combs imaginable. 



PAINTING HIVES AND SUPERS. 



In the spring, after most of the freezing weath- 

 er is over, we do our painting. We have had a 

 long experience with lead and oil, and also with 

 prepared paint; but we use only the prepared 

 paint now. A new hand can do good work by 

 using prepared paint, while the mixing of lead 

 and oil is a trade in itself. Even the prepared 

 paint, however, should be thoroughly stirred be- 

 fore it is used. We use nothing but white paint 

 on our hives and supers, and we make sure that 

 the paint contains nothing but pure lead and oil, 

 although some of ours has a little zinc added 



also, to be used as a last coat to give a hard glos- 

 sy finish. We buy the paint in one-gallon pails, 

 and then use an extra two-gallon pail besides. 

 The paint is well stirred, and poured from one 

 pail to the other until it is thoroughly mixed. 

 For the priming coat two or more quarts of oil 

 can be added to the gallon of paint, before stir- 

 ring, to thin it. Buy paint marked for outside 

 use, and thin the first coat with raw oil. 



There is a knack in applying the paint, for it 

 should be rubbed well into the wood. Apply 

 several thin coats rather than fewer thick ones. 

 The same amount of paint is much better applied 

 in three thin coats than in two thicker ones. For 

 the second and third coat not much oil will be 

 required in thinning the paint usually found on 

 the market; but if it appears rather heavy a little 

 oil should be used, especially when the pail be- 

 comes nearly empty. Each coat should be al- 

 lowed to get thoroughly dry, of course, before 

 another is applied. 



Remus, Mich. 



CONDITIONS ALL RIGHT IN OKLA- 

 HOMA. 



BY F. W. VAN DE MARK. 



On page 39 I see a letter from Mr. G. E. 

 Lemon, of this State, in which he complains of 

 finding nothing in Gleanings from Oklahoma. 

 If he will look on the front page of the Oct. I5th 

 issue he will see a nice view of an apiary be- 

 longing to Mr. J. T. Hairston, of the eastern 

 part of the State. He need pay no attention to 

 what is told about the wind, as the bees know 

 how to take advantage, and, except a few days 

 in the spring, I have never found that they did 

 not do all right Around Garden City, Kan., 

 and all the western part of the State where alfal- 

 fa is grown, it is very windy; but, as in Eastern 

 Colorado, their bees do well. 



The worst trouble we have to contend with in 

 Oklahoma is star-uation caused often by too 

 much honey being taken away; for as we are all 

 beginners, a tendency to take too much honey is 

 hard to overcome; however, our open weather 

 during December allows us to remedy this by 

 feeding. Our most critical time here is from 

 April 20 to May 15. Bees commence raising 

 brood during February. The first half of 

 March, being nearly always very warm, brood- 

 raising is in full blast, caused by pollen-gather- 

 ing from the soft maple and elm, fruit-bloom 

 coming on also; then, about the 20th, the cold 

 or extra windy weather sets in, so the bees gain 

 very little from the fruit or black-locust bloom. 

 If the weather stays warm, swarming often be- 

 gins the first week in April. This is all right if 

 the good weather continues. Often, however, it 

 turns cold, and these new swarms can't get out 

 to work; and the others, being full of bees, and 

 their stores all used up, starving sets in the last of 

 April and first of May. Often the first indica- 

 tion the owner sees is the young brood being 

 dragged out by the hundreds. This weakens 

 the colony so that they hardly recover in time to 

 store any surplus. This can also be overcome 

 by feeding if these weather conditions prevail. 

 I have found, after fifteen years, that the only 

 safe way is to see that the colonies have sufficient 



