THE AMERICAN APIGULTURIST. 



87 



Frames tliat will prevent burr combs. 



Solon. Me., April 4, J880. 

 American Apiculturist:— 



Please {five lis in your next issue what you 

 think should be the dimensions of th;^ several 

 parts of a IVame that will prevent burr or brace 

 combs. Give (1) the exact dimensions of all the 

 parts ofa standing frame like that standuig tiauie 

 of the "Bay State hive;" (-2) the exaiJt dimensions 

 of a hanging framt" like the hanging frame used 

 iu the "liay State." 



Turner Buswell. 



We will first spenk of llie Langs- 

 troth frame. The first L. frames we 

 ever saw were f of an inch wide. That 

 is, all the pieces for top and bottom- 

 bars were that width. We were not 

 long in discovering what a nuisance 

 they were in our apiary. 



We also found that Mr. Langstroth 

 recommended a wider to|)-bar. These 

 we soon had in use and they gave sat- 

 isfaction. The bees will build no 

 burr-combs above the top-bar when 

 just the riglit bee- space is allo.wed be- 

 tween the top of frames and honey- 

 board. The latter was thought to be 

 indis[)ens^ble in those days. But we 

 found that as the top-bar was but one 

 and a quarter inches wide, while the 

 bar to which the comb was attached 

 was but I of an inch wide, the l)ees 

 would build burr combs between the 

 frames but not above them. We then 

 made some frames that were 1| inches 

 wide, and J inch thick. We found the 

 first season that this was just the thing 

 and all we desired, as since that time 

 we never have had any burr-combs be- 

 tween or above the frames. 



The principle cause of burr-combs 

 is too mucli bee-space. Another 

 cause is the want of room for storing 

 surplus honey. If a strong cohjny is 

 not given abundance of room during 

 a good fiow of honey tliey are likel}^ 

 to build burr-combs in almost any part 

 of the hive. I have even seen capped 

 honey on the bottom-board of a hive. 

 Give the bees plenty of storage room 

 and less burr-combs will be l)uilt. 



Now about the Bay State frame. 

 The top and bottom- bars of the Bay 

 State frames are the same in dimen- 

 sion. The bars are l^'g inches wide, 

 and J. inch thick. The bee-space 

 above the frames and between the 



inch ; while a little burr-comb may be 

 found between the (rames, there is 

 never any above them. We use eiglit 

 frames to a hive, the end i)ieces of 

 which are 1^ inches wide. I tliink, 

 liowever, should 1 begin beekeeping 

 again I sliould use frames tliat would 

 be but If inches from centre to cen- 

 ter. Yet 1 find that 1^ inciies from 

 centre to centre has worlied well ; still 

 it seems to me that there is an advan- 

 tage in a less space from centre to cen- 

 tre. — Ed.] 



Self-liivers; a new use for the droneand- 

 queen trap. 



Herewith we present our renders anoth- 

 er illustration of a device for catching a 

 swarm of bees wlien they issue. "Have 

 yon ever tried ii ?" will be the question 

 hundreds of beekeepers will ask. Yes, 



Fio. 1. 



we have been usin:*- it the past twenty- 

 nine years. Up to date it lias caught ev- 

 ery swarm, save one, tliat has issued from 

 a hive where the trap was set. 



Fig. 1 shows the trap attached to a 

 Bay Slate Hive You will see tliat it pro- 

 jects considerably beyond the front of the 

 hive. The bees to gain access to their 

 hive must pasS under the trap and enter 

 throuiih the metal, A. 



Fig". 2 shows the interior of the hiver. 

 It is the same as the drone-trap. In fact, 

 it is nothing but the drone-and-queen trap 

 on a larger scale. Instead of being as now 



