842 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Conversations ^^ith Doolittle 



At Borodino, New York. 



UNPAINTED HIVES WITH SHADE-BOARDS. 



" I am in a quandary as to whether to 

 paint the hives I am planning to build this 

 winter. I suppose you read what Dr. Miller 

 and Editor Root have to say on this paint- 

 ing matter, pages 400 and 401, June 15." 



If Dr. Miller had not " fallen down " so 

 easily he could have found that "weak spot" 

 so as to give the last telling " jab " at the 

 editor; for, unless locality has much to do 

 with the matter, the editor's question, " Is 

 it not true that an un painted hive assumes 

 a gray-black hue — a color that becomes al- 

 most pui'e black?" has no foundation, at 

 least not in Central New York. ' Here, nn- 

 painted wood, if exposed to the weather, 

 slowly changes to a light gray, or dull whit- 

 ish tint, through tlie formation of a slight 

 fuzz all over the exposed surface. In local- 

 ities whei'e wasps and hornets abound, this 

 fuzz is scraped off with the mandibles of 

 these insects, and used, when mixed with 

 their saliva, to form their nests. I have yet 

 to see a wasp's or hornet's nest of a gray- 

 black or black hue. Now, where does this 

 apply? This light-gray fuzz so "tangles 

 up " the rays of the sun by the air circulat- 

 ing through it that it is almost cool in com- 

 parison with a hive Avhich is painted Vene- 

 tian red, and compares very favorably Avith 

 the hive which is painted white. With the 

 experience of placing my bare hand on the 

 surfaces of hives of different colors, scores 

 of times during the past, I am at a loss to 

 know how any unpainted hive which had 

 been left out in the Aveather for a period of 

 four or more years could be " almost hot 

 enough to blister the hand." I had scores 

 of combs melted down in hives painted in 

 dark colors when I used to paint my hives, 

 but never a comb in an unpainted hive, nor 

 in one painted Avhite. So if I Avere to paint 

 hives, white Avould be the only color I Avould 

 use. 



But after seeing Avater running out from 

 the entrances of painted hives on cool spring 

 mornings when the bees Avere eA'aporating 

 nectar gathered the day before, and after 

 haA'ing combs mold to a far greater degree 

 during the winter in all painted hives, Avhile 

 the combs and inside of the hives Avhich 

 were unpainted continued in far better 

 shape, I decided, some tAventy-five years 

 ago, never to paint another hive. 



As to the economy of painting, I consider 

 it a myth. The editor cites the painting of 

 houses to prove his ground. Last Aveek I 

 was told that a house two miles from here, 

 which Avas built and the siding put on 87 



years ago, had been torn doAvn to give place 

 to a modern house. As this old house had 

 never been painted, I Avent over to see the 

 siding. I found many of the boards almost as 

 good as Avhen i:)ut on. Others Avere cracked 

 and checked at the ends and in different 

 l)laces, Avith a few someAvhat decayed around 

 tlie nails Avhich had held them in place, 

 Avhile all Avere Avorn from one-third to tAVo- 

 thirds doAvn or through bj^ the storms beat- 

 ing upon them, except the lap, under which 

 most of them Avere as sound as ever. Why 

 talk about the economy in painting houses? 

 The oAvner said that old house had not leak- 

 ed through the siding since he bought the 

 place, tAventy years ago. The main reason 

 for painting either houses or hives is the 

 looks. If the looks keep a man interested 

 and contented Avith his home or his bees 

 Avhen he otherwise Avould make "shipAvreck" 

 of either or both, with such a one, painting 

 certainly pays; but where any man or 

 woman can keep up the same interest in 

 bees, and keep them in unpainted hives, my 

 experience proA'es that more " dollars " will 

 come to such a one than would accrue where 

 the hives are painted. 



But whether painted or unpainted, all 

 liives should have shade-boards. These are 

 " miles " ahead of shade from trees or build- 

 ings for bees, and for profit from an apiary 

 as well. I am surprised to note that Dr. M. 

 us^s painted tin covers, or those having the 

 Avood covered with zinc. Either keeps the 

 moisture in nearly as badly as does paint. 

 Leave the Avood cover Avithout paint, doctor, 

 and put the zinc over the shade-board. I 

 make a " skeleton " of yg-inch-square strips, 

 as Avide as the cover of the hive, and eight 

 inclies longer than the hive is as it stands 

 Avith the entrance to the south. I raise the 

 back or north end of the skeleton four to six 

 inches from the cover by m.eans of posts or 

 legs. This allows air to pass over the coA-er, 

 and carries off the rain. To the top of the 

 skeleton I nail % or i/^ inch lumber one 

 foot longer than the cover of the hive is 

 Avide. I coA'er this Avith zinc, tin, or two-ply 

 balkan roofing paper. The latter answers 

 all practical purposes, and costs only 75 

 cents for a roll which Avill cover 108 square 

 feet. The tin and paper need paint to keep 

 them from deteriorating. The thin lumber 

 can be obtained from boxes in the country 

 store, at a cost of little more than a song. 

 When nailing to the skeleton, alloAv the foot 

 an extra length to project equally on each 

 side of the hive or cover. If in a windy 

 place a brick or stone Avill be needed on the 



Continued on page S62. 



