THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



9 



combs are reversed at such times as 

 the workers are iiiflined to clog the 

 brood-chamber with honey, that such 

 reversal will only tend to increase the 

 placing of more honey in the brood- 

 combs. I think such is as true as that 

 reversing them at a time when the 

 bees tend to monopolize them with 

 brood, tends to augment that condi- 

 tion of affairs. There are other 

 varying conditions which must all be 

 undersood, and by which all manipu- 

 lations must be governed before we 

 can decide in regard to the usefulness 

 of reversible frames. 



But tliere is another decided advan- 

 tage to be enjoyed by one, if never but 

 one, reversal. After the comb is com- 

 pleted, and is so attached to the frame 

 at the top and part way down the end- 

 bars as is entirely satisfactory to the 

 bees, it will be found much more 

 satisfying to the bee-master to have 

 such comb as perfectly attached to 

 the entire end pieces and bottom-bar. 

 Such a straight, all-worker comb on 

 •wires, thus solidly built, is "a thing 

 of beauty and a joy forever" to the 

 apiarist who has had experience with 

 hordes of useless drones (some of in- 

 ferior blood, thus much worse than 

 useless), combs breaking down, queens 

 hiding between the bottom of the 

 comb and bottom-bar, bees sticking 

 there when trying to brush and shake 

 them from the combs, etc. 



I will now give my reasons for pre- 

 ferring the style ot frame illustrated. 



above all others that I have yet seen 

 described. At a glance, almost any 

 one can estimate the extra cost ot 

 constructing such a frame. I believe 

 this frame to be worth several times 

 more than the extra cost, more than 

 the common non-reversible frame for 

 only once reversing for the purposes 

 just mentioned, if tor none of the ad- 

 vantages hoped to be gained in the 

 ■ways spoken of in the tirst part of 

 this article. 



Again, I much prefer this frame to 

 the old style, even if I never reversed 

 it at all : 1 . I am not troubled with 

 sagging top-bars ; and the outer bar, 

 the one which governs the uniformity 

 of the bee-space, or Langslroth shal- 

 low air-chamber below the honey- 

 board, never sags. If the inner top- 

 bar sags, it does little harm, and when 

 reversed, the sag is thus corrected as 

 it straightens back to place, and the 

 new top-bar (just from the bottom) 

 will not sag. In reversing, I either 

 shake oft the bees or revolve the in- 

 ner frame very slowly. I generally 

 prefer to shake off the bulk of the 

 bees, and I have found that on an 

 average I spent five minutes to each 

 hive (counting opening and closing) 

 in performing the reversal of all the 

 eight frames. Bits of comb and 

 propolis bother but little, as the 



sharp corners of the wood pieces 

 shave them away like a pair of shears. 

 2. It will be noticed in Fig. 1 that 

 while the top and bottom bars of this 

 frame position with the hive the 

 same as other frames, the ends do not, 

 and in this difference I find an im- 

 provement. It will also be noticed 

 that tlie short end-piece is tapering, 

 regarding its thickness. Now, as the 

 whole end positions to the hive, the 

 top is }4 of an inch away from the 

 hive end, the bottom ot the sliort 

 piece % of an inch, and all below 

 that, ^i of an inch away. This large 

 opening, while it greatly facilitates 



in the rapid and easy withdrawal or 

 insertion of the frame, is in no way 

 objectionable, as there is no danger 

 of the bees building combs in even so 

 large and handy a space where such 

 space is no higher up than shown in 

 the illustration. 



While this frame is of slightly less 

 capacity or surface than the standard 

 Langstroth frame, it has a greater 

 brood capacity when reversed, and 

 fits the same hive as the standard. 



Dowagiac, ? Mich. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Wintering Bees, Selling Honey, etc. 



REUBEN HAYEKS. 



Out of 107 colonies put into the cel- 

 lar in the fall of lS.s3,all camethiough 

 alive except one, which the rats de- 

 stroyed. I lost 3 colonies by spring 

 dwindling, sold 23, and increased my 

 apiary to 126 colonies. I never before 

 liad riiy bees in so fine condition for 

 business as ttiey were through June 

 and .July ; and had all the season been 

 as favorable as the last three weeks 

 of June, the honey crop would have 

 been immense ; but about July 1 the 

 flow ceased, swarming stopped all at 

 once, and seven of my last swarms 

 did not have suflicient honey, with all 

 that they had gathered up to Sept. 1.5, 

 to keep them from starvation. I have 

 already lost 9 colonies, and I could 

 not open a hive or feed without hav- 

 ing a regular siege with robbers. 



I have never put my bees into win- 

 ter quarters with as little stores as 

 they have this winter. I am feeding 

 12 colonies now, by placing partly 

 filled sections on top of the frames 

 and covering them with a quilt. I 

 have 106 colonies put away in my 

 cellar, which is so thoroughly venti- 

 lated that I would not hesitate to 

 invite even Mr. Clarke to take a sniff 

 6i the air. I am trying to keep them 

 in that "quiescent state" — "hiber- 

 nation "—which is, I think, the key- 

 note to successful wintering. 



I secured only about 1,300 pounds 

 of comb honey and oOO pounds of ex- 

 tracted honey. I have worked hard 



since I have been in this place (about 

 three years) to make a home market 

 for my honey, especially for extracted 

 honey, and have secured a good cus- 

 tom. All of my extracted honey sold 

 at 10 cents per pound, and I could use 

 four times the amount that I had this 

 season to supply the demand. One of 

 my neiglibors, a few days since, 

 wanted 70 pounds, but I could not 

 supply him. I offered to send away 

 and get it for him, but his reply was, 

 " No, I want your honey." 



When I first commenced selling 

 honey here, I offered nothing but a 

 first-class article, and sold it at 10 

 cents per pound, and every one 

 seemed pleased with extracted honey 

 for a time, when all at once the de- 

 mand ceased. On inquiring of the 

 parties who were selling for me as to 

 the cause, their reply was, that the 

 people say that Havens is adulterat- 

 ing his honey, or he could not sell ex- 

 tracted honey so much cheaper than 

 he sells comb honey. I explained why 

 I could sell extracted honey cheaper 

 than comb honey, and then I said to 

 him, 1 will make the following a 

 standing offer : " I will pay §.5 for 

 every ounce of adulteration that is 

 found in any extracted honey that I 

 sell." My sales commenced increas- 

 ing again, and now I have a demand 

 that 1 cannot supply. 



I have made it a iwint to send out 

 only a choice article, and to send 

 samples of honey by persons vjsiting 

 our place, and the result is that I am 

 now receiving orders from private 

 parties in Chicago, Hyde Park, and 

 other places. I have not sent a pound 

 to commission men in the last 4 years. 



I extract the most from upper 

 stories, and I keep it in the combs 

 and extract only about as fast as 

 called for, so that I always have it 

 fresh and of good flavor. I seldom 

 have granulated honey to heat and 

 destroy the flavor. By the way, while 

 so many are complaining of honey- 

 dew this season, we have had none of 

 it here, and the quality and flavor of 

 the entire crop was most excellent. 



Onarga,ot 111., Dec. 12, 1884. 



1^ It is proposed to hold au Inter- 

 national Bee-Keepers' Congress on 

 the World's Exposition Grounds at 

 New Orleans, La., Feb. 24, 2-5 and 26, 

 1885. An interesting programme of 

 subjects of great importance to every 

 bee-keeper in America will be pre- 

 sented and discussed. The disposi- 

 tion of our honey product, with a view 

 to secure better prices will be fully 

 considered. At the same time there 

 will be an Exhibit of Bees and Apia- 

 rian Supplies. At the time now 

 selected, the Exposition will be at its 

 best, and excursion rates low. The 

 bee-keepers of our cou"try should lay 

 aside business for a week or two, and 

 make every exertion to attend this 

 Convention. Come prepared with 

 facts, statistics and ideas arranged, to 

 take part in its deliberations. . 



Dr. .T. p. H. Bi-own, Augusta, Ga. 

 Dr. N. P. Allen, Smith's Grove, Ky. 

 W. Williamson, Le.xington, Ky. 

 Dr. O. M. Blanton. Greenville, Miss. 

 P. L. Viallon, Bayou Goiila, La. 

 Judge W. H. Andrews, JleKinney, Tex. 

 W. S. Hart, New Smyi-ua, Florida. 



