608 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Oct. 1 



in the summer nights, must have decidedly 

 retarding influences on the economy of the 

 hive, and I have been assured by bee-keep- 

 ers in both localities that in the very early 

 morning the supers are absolutely deserted. 

 Now, this is a serious loss of time in a season 

 that is very short — just a month of honey- 

 flow in Victoria, with practically a dearth of 

 nectar from July 10 until dandelion and fruit- 

 bloom in April, and so a heat-conserving cov- 

 er is worth inventing, as I think it will pay 

 big returns. 



Again, in both regions the summers are 

 dry — how dry one has to experience to un- 

 derstand. I have dipped a sheet in water, 

 then hung it over the Ime, and found it bone- 

 dry in half an hour in autumn days in Med- 

 ford, where no rain falls from the end of 

 April to the middle of November. Victoria 

 is similar, but the dry season lasts only five 

 months. The winter season in both regions 

 compensates very emphatically by liberal 

 rainfall. In Southern Oregon, for thirteen 

 weeks or so Jupiter Pluvius never lets up 

 for one instant, but night and day pours a 

 gentle rainfull that may be comforting to na- 

 tives, but gets on the nerves of those who 

 have not been accustomed to such a fluid 

 consistency. In Victoria things are better 

 arranged in the wet season, for it very ac- 

 commodatingly rains at night, but is usually 

 fair for the greater part of the day. 



Understand, I am not complaining about 

 the weather. I am merely trying to show 

 the climatic conditions in so far as they have 

 a bearing on the problem of hive-covers, for 

 the bee-keepers east of the Cascade range 

 have conditions that are different; but 

 among the many readers of Gleanings, es- 

 pecially in foreign lands, there must be many 

 wrestling with a similar problem, which is, 

 to secure a warm cover, simple in construc- 

 tion, inexpensive in cost, and one that will 

 stand extremes of wetness and dryness when 

 the bees occupy the same stands all the year 

 round. 



My first venture was with a flat cover 

 made of wood, the top being of one pie ce of 

 H-inch fir, with a rim P4 inches deep, made 

 from 3^ -inch lumber. In two months over 

 half of them were cracked and split beyond 

 remedy — not a nice proposition with which 

 to face a wet season. The result is, I am go- 

 ing to try this summer a deep cap cover with 

 a galvanized-iron roof, and I am in hopes it 

 it will be a good thing. An Australian I have 

 met here says such a roof covering lasts in 

 the land of his birth at least a score of years, 

 and I think about that duration will be good 

 enough for me. 



In designing this cover I decided on an 

 air-space of X inch all round the sides of the 

 hive, and the same on the top — in fact, with 

 the super-cover in place I have a double air- 

 sp^^ce above the hive. I wanted also to pro- 

 tect the joint of the divisible hive, so the cap 

 is made 7'4 inches deep, and when in place 

 rests on cleats that are nailed round the low- 

 er division exactly one inch below the top 

 edge. These cleats are made from lumber 



The sides of the cap are of wood, the 

 specifications being — 



2 pieces >^X7^X21>^; 



2 " 'Axiuxuys. 



The galvanized iron is bought in sheets 

 36X96, gauge 28, and costs me in Victoria 

 $L35. It is cut into eight pieces of equal 

 size, 18x24, and thus the iron overlaps the 

 wood sides a little over one inch. This sur- 

 plus is bent at right angles to the roof, so 

 that it slips down over the wooden sides. 

 The method of bending the metal is very 

 simple. Out of 2x4 lumber, smoothed on all 

 sides, cut two pieces 15 "s inches long, and 

 two pieces 21 X inehes long. From these, 

 by means of a half-joint, make a frame 

 the exact size of the horizontal dimensions 

 of the cap. To turn up the edges of a sheet, 

 lay this frame in the middle of it, then with 

 a pair of snips cut from the margins of the 

 long sides to the corner of the frame, \yith 

 the fingers start the upward bend of all four 

 sides. This done, lay the head of the ham- 

 mer flat on the bench and swing it smartly 

 against the bent iron, which will promptly 

 go into place. The lugs at each corner may 

 now be lapped over, but I prefer to do this 

 part of the work when the iron roof is in po- 

 sition on the body, as a closer fit can then 

 be secured. The nailing is done with ^4 -inch 

 galvanized iron nails clenched on the inside; 

 but for additional security the edges under 

 the lap are fastened with 1^4 -inch cement- 

 coated nails. 



Below this cap cover I use a super- cover 

 made of ^-inch spruce, 135sXl9'4, the edges 

 of this being reinforced by strips of the same 

 thickness, and /s inch wide. This cover is 

 placed on the hive with the strips under- 

 neath, resting on oil-cloth at present, but 

 probably I will try some roofing material this 

 summer, so as to get a dead-air space. Now, 

 there is one inch above the cleats in the- 

 lower division; bji inches is the depth of the 

 upper division, and the super-cover is ,'/2 

 inch thick— total, TVs inches. But the cover 

 is 7*4 inches deep, so we have at least fs 

 inch between super-cover and roof of cap. 



I can see only one drawback to the use of 

 this deep cover, which will be when I come 

 to add supers; but I will probably then pro- 

 tect all the way up by inserting ekes so as to 

 have the whole hive enclosed in an air-space. 

 As a matter of fact, I am working that idea 

 at the present moment (March), with a few 

 hives that need feeding, which is being given 

 them from above. 



Victoria, B. C, Canada. 



CONVENTION OF PENNSYLVANIA BEE- 

 KEEPERS. 



BY A. F. SATTERTHWAIT. 



The sixth annual convention of the Penn- 

 sylvania State Bee-keepers' Association was 

 held in the P. 0. S. of A. Hall, Lebanon, Pa., 

 Sept. 8 and 9. 



Quite an enthusiastic body of members 

 and visitors was present, among them being 



I 



