1909 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



699 



Fitj. 1.— A.handy seat and tool-box for bee-yard wor 



SPECIAL HIVE-STOOLS FOR ALL-DAY 

 WORK IN THE BEE-YARD. 



How the Roots Pack Their Bees for Out- 

 door Wintering. 



BY E. R. ROOT. 



In our Oct. loth issue, page 635, we prom- 

 ised to show a scheme for working over 

 hives, using in connection a special seat and 

 tool-box. Where one is working over bees 

 day after day, something 

 of this kind is a great 

 convenience. In the se- 

 ries of illustrations that 

 were given, page 634 and 

 635, Oct. 15, we showed 

 how one could use the 

 cover-board for a seat; 

 but for all-day work this 

 is not as handy or as de- 

 sirable as the special 

 tool-box. 



The above illustration 

 shows what we have 

 used, off and on, in our 

 bee-yard for nearly thir- 

 ty years. It was shown 

 in one of the early edi- 

 tions of our A B C of Bee 

 Culture, but was drop- 

 ped out because we 

 thought it of hardly suf- 

 ficient importance to oc- 

 cupy space in that work. 

 During all the years that 

 have intervened, our 

 apiarists have seemed to 

 find it very handy. Both 

 Mr. Bain and .Mr. Pritch- 

 ard consider it almost 

 indispensable; so if you 

 come to any one of our 

 yards you will find the 

 men carrying one around 

 as they go^ among the 



hives. The top is 

 made of y& lumber, 

 having two oblong 

 holes in the center 

 to provide a handle 

 by which to carry 

 the box. The legs 

 are also of %, while 

 the sides, ends, and 

 bottom are of y%. 

 The compartment 

 in the side, reached 

 by the oval hole, is 

 very handy for hold- 

 ing broken section 

 pieces for record 

 work, and other 

 small articles, while 

 the two compart- 

 ments on each end 

 usually hold the 

 smoker fuel, hive- 

 tools, hammer, bee- 

 brush, queen-cages, 

 and other articles of 

 like nature. The smoker has a hook on the 

 bellows so that it can be carried in the man- 

 ner shown. With this whole outfit one has 

 practically all tools that he will need, in- 

 cluding the smoker fuel for a day's work. 



The exact dimensions of the seat are not 

 important. The one we use is 13 inches 

 high by 22 long, outside measurement. 



EXAMINING COLONIES PREPARATORY TO THEIR 

 FINAL WINTER SLEEP. 



To understand fully the value of a tool or 



6.— Examininst the frames to determine whether there are sufficient 

 stores for winter. 



