Q^oxxtspomUnu. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Bees and Hive-Making in Southern 

 California. 



Something over 2 years ago, 1 was com- 

 pelled to leave my northern home in Michi- 

 gan, on account of ill health, and seek a 

 wanner climate. I decided upon Califor- 

 nia, and chose the southern portion. Ulti- 

 mately I built a home in this place. My 

 hopes have been realized, in the recovery of 

 my health and finding a delightful climate. 



Formerly, my experience in manufactur- 

 ing machinery and agricultural tools, per- 

 haps, lias enabled me to take hold of the 

 mechanical part of the business to advan- 

 tage ; and, possibly, a few ideas of mine 

 may be of advantage to some, for it is 

 through an interchange of views that all 

 business is benefitted. What bee men 

 in California, and in fact all bee men want, 

 is means to do all t}ieir work within them- 

 selves, as much as possible and to the best 

 advantage. 



First, I got me up a hand circular saw, 

 that in manufacturing bee hives is very 

 complete and a great saving of labor, and 

 not expensive to make. I have never yet 

 seen a foot power capable of driving a circu- 

 lar saw to any advantage; besides the strain 

 on a man to use one is unnatural and he can't 

 produce half the power that lie can with 

 his hands. 



First make a common saw frame, (light,) 

 and a small arbor, not over ^ in. in diame- 

 ter and '^s bearings, 23^ long ; pully 23^ in. 

 in diameter, and 2)^ in. face ; use habit or 

 type metal for boxes, run into a shell, or 

 run them in the frame ; have a V on one of 

 the bearings, to prevent end play of the 

 arbor. Have a fly wheel, 3 ft. in diameter, 

 weighing 200 lbs.; fasten to its arms a 

 pulley, 18 inches in diameter, 2)^ in. face ; 

 hang tills on IX round iron, as long as the 

 frame is wide, bearings on each end. On 

 one end inside the bearings put a 5 in. 

 spur pinnion, % in. face and 3^ inch pitch. 

 To match and drive this, use a 16 in. spur 

 wheel, hung on a shaft, 1 in. in diameter; 

 to this shaft attach the crank, 14 in. long. — 

 Put the pully and fly wheel at one end of 

 the frame and the saw arbor % of the dis- 

 tance to the other. With tills machine, in 

 12 hours, I cut all the stuff for 100 hives, 

 (Langstroth,) including the movable frames, 

 10 for each hive, 10x12 ; bottoms, tops and 

 honey boards, all the cleats, and rabbeted the 

 sides for bearings for the frames, all cut out 

 of wide lumber. 



I have made what all who have seen it 

 say is the most complete machine for hold- 

 ing the Langstroth frame while it is being 

 nailed. Take an inch board, 23^ ft. long, 

 and 1 ft. wide. To each end of this, fasten 

 legs so it will stand edgeways, up and 

 down, and 18 inches, from the lower edge to 

 the floor. Fasten to the lower edge a piece 

 of 2x3 the same length ; now take another 

 inch board, 10x18 inches, fasten to it across 

 one end, a piece 1 inch square and 10 in. 



long. Now, 10 in. from this piece fasten 

 another piece of inch board, 7x10. Now, on 

 this 7x10 piece strike a 10 inch circle and 

 work to it, the center of which will be 12 in. 

 from the first square piece. Through this 

 center put a large wooden screw, and into 

 the center, lengthwise of the first board and 

 2 Inches above the center, up and down, 

 screw it just tight enough so it will admit 

 of the rounded board working back and 

 forth. The lower rounded edge will rest on 

 the 2x3 that was fastened to the main 

 frame or first board. Now, on the No. 2 

 board, 10x18, between the inch piece and 

 the 7x10 piece that was fastened to it will 

 be, as it were, a sink of 1 inch, oben at the 

 ends ; this is to hold the 3 pieces to form 

 the frame ; but, as yet, only the top and 

 bottom pieces is held. To hold the sides, 

 take 2 pieces of inch band iron, 2 inches 

 long, and screw fast to the center of this 

 opening, projecting up 1 inch. Now, to 

 clamp and hold the 4 ])ieces in place, make 

 a button 10 in. long, 3'-i in. wide and fasten 

 with a screw in the center, turn this button 

 on to the top and bottom pieces. This holds 

 the whole 4 pieces firm, to nail ; the sides 

 being held by the pressure against the top 

 and bottom. 



To nail them, you have but to turn thia 

 No. 2 board (after nailing on one side) up, 

 and nail the top or angle piece ; and this 

 No. 2 board is held in position to do this 

 by a spring ; turn down and nail the other 

 side. The pieces are all put in position 

 quick, held firm and square, and less than 

 half the time is required to nail a frame 

 than by any other machine I have ever 

 seen. It is very simple and easily made. — 

 I saw my top and angle pieces all in one, 

 which makes a much stronger frame. 



And now, one more improvement ; or, at 

 least, it is so considered by all who have 

 seen it ; yet, some may have a better plan. 

 If so, let us know it. This is a slide to 

 open and close the fly hole in the hive. To 

 make the slide, and guide to hold it, take a 

 piece 3^x1 in., rabbet out from one edge 3^x 

 M in., cut off from this a piece for a slide, 

 long enough to cover the fly hole, and 

 another twice as long, and nail to the hive 

 for the slide to work in. The lower edge 

 of the slide will run on the bottom board. — 

 This slide must be put in very loose, so 

 that in wet weather it will work easy. To 

 hold it in position and to regulate it so it 

 will always work, take a strip of tin X i"- 

 wide, 3 in. long, and with a fine saw cut a 

 slot in one end of the slide, insert the tin, 

 bend it over, and with a small French nail 

 fasten the other end of the tin. This tin is 

 now between the slide and box. Take a 

 small screw eye, and screw it through the 

 slide against the tin ; this pushes the tin 

 against the box. With this tne slide is reg- 

 ulated, and the eye screw serves as a 

 handle. To close up a hive, you have but 

 to move the slide and turn the screw and 

 the slide is held fast. After the screw has 

 been put in, take it out and file off the point, 

 to prevent its pressing through the tin. 



All this may seem but a trifle to some, but 

 those who liandle bees much will appreciate 

 its worth. 



And now a few words about bees in 

 Southern California : The readers of the 



