1909 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



739 



HOW TO HANDLE A FRAME HAVING A COMB READY TO DROP OUT. 



under consideration were somewhat porous 

 — more so than usual — the honey might ab- 

 sorb water. That being the case, its volume 

 would be increased, with the result that the 

 honey would force itself through the cap- 

 pings, causing the so called "weeping." 



If any one else has any thing to offer on 

 this question we should be glad to lay it be- 

 fore our readers. — Ed.] 



HANDLING COMBS INSECURELY FAST- 

 ENED IN THE FRAMES. 



The Right and the Wrong Way; the Ques- 

 tion of Wires and Splints, 



BY E. R. ROOT. 



We always advise the use of wired frames 

 to hold the combs so that they can be han- 

 dled rapidly; but a large percentage, yes, 

 the majority, of bee-keepers do not wire. 

 Perhaps they have the idea that it is too 

 much work to string wires back and forth 

 through the end-bars — that they have got 

 along without wire heretofore, and they can 

 do it again. If they consider it a useless ex- 

 pense they are practicing false economy; for 

 fifteen cents' worth of wire will secure the 

 combs in a hundred frames; and then, too, 

 the fussy, tedious operation of handling 

 combs like eggs will take enough time in a 

 whole season to make up for the cost many 

 times over. 



But perhaps Dr. Miller and his friends 

 might recommend in place of wires wooden 

 splmts. Doubtless for comb-honey produc- 

 tion the splints are better; but some have 

 had trouble from the bees gnawing around 

 them; and for the purpose of extracting, 

 they will not hold a comb as securely to the 

 frame as wire passing back and forth the 

 comb and through the end-bars, or through 

 top and bottom bars. 



No matter what the merit may be of either 

 wires or splints, the facts are that the ma- 

 jority do not use them; therefore they will 

 have a great many combs insecurely fastened 

 to the frames. In nearly all cases there will 

 be no attachment to the bottom-bais, and 

 in many instances only partial attachments to 

 the end-bars. When such combs are heavy 

 with honey it is important that they be han- 

 dled carefully; and for the benefit of the 

 beginner we suggest a method of procedure 

 that will avoid any breaking out. 



Lift the frame out of the brood- nest, as 

 shown in Fig. 1. If for any reason you de- 



sire to see the other side, raise the left 

 hand and lower the right one until the top- 

 bar is on a perpendicular line. While in 

 this position — see Fig 2— revolve the frame 

 like a door on its hinge until the other side 

 is next to the operator. Drop the left hand 

 and raise the right one, as shown in Fig. 3, 

 until the top-bar is at the bottom, as shown 

 in Fig. 4. When ready to put back, reverse 

 the operation. When so handled, there will 

 be no strain on the comb, as might be the 

 case if the comb were turned over with the 

 top-bar kept constantly on a horizonal line. 

 In the height of the honey-flow there are 

 many combs which, if handled in this way, 

 would fall out of the frames, mutilating the 

 combs, smashing bees and brood, and possi- 

 bly arousing the fury of some bees. If the 

 learner acquires the habit of handling a 

 frame as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, he may 

 save some unpleasantness later on. 



Of course, if he is wise he will wire his 

 frames in the first place, and save all these 

 false motions for all time to come. Why, in 

 this moving-picture series of articles that is 

 precisely what we have been trying to teach; 

 but when a beginner is determined to prac- 

 tice false economy, then we try to show him 

 how to work, even if some of his movements 

 are unnecessary when the proper appliances 

 are used. 



BEE-KEEPING IN NEW ZEALAND. 



Is 



it Possible to have Brood-rearing 

 Started too Early in the Season ? 



BY H. BARTLETT-MILLER. 



On page 179, March 15, F. H. Cyrenius 

 says, "A colony wintered in a warm room 

 will be too far in advance of the season to be 

 profitable." This theory has been so much 

 advanced recently that I am in a quandary 

 as to the outcome of my next season's crop. 

 On the 7th of July I went through my 78 

 colonies and discovered that half of them had 

 five combs containing brood, and nine colo- 

 nies had six frames with brood. Although all 

 colonies had ceased breeding in the middle 

 of April (which is the beginning of our apol- 

 ogy for frosty weather), the 7th of July, 

 when I made the examination, was only 

 eleven days from our midwinter. Our sea- 

 sons, of course, are exactly opposite to yours. 

 Now, if your bees, when starting brood-rear- 

 ing in March, for instance, are too far ad- 

 vanced to be profitable for a crop, what 



