1873.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



143 



comb every time, which is not secured in 

 Novice's great long gerrymandering frames. 



Our frames are fourteen inches long, ten and 

 one half deep, outside measure. The top bar 

 is three quarter inch square, thirteen and one 

 quarter inclies in length ; the end pieces 

 are ten and one half long, three eighths thick, 

 one inch wide, these are nailed to the ends of 

 the top bar witli No. 6 finishing nails, the 

 toi3 bar having one edge down. If used as a 

 sinj^le-story hive no bottom bar is needed. Now 

 to hang tliese frames upon the metal rabbits, 

 make staples out of four-inch pieces ot strong 

 wire, with the aid of a brad, and, to start them, 

 drive them down into tlie upper end of the 

 end pieces until they project only three quart- 

 ers of kn inch, then bend the projections out 

 at right angles to the frame, and they will oper- 

 ate the same and suit us as well as tin corners. 



Now put on your quilt and pray tell us who 

 has advertised this time in the pages of the 

 Journal, at the late of many columns at a 

 stretch, and that to with "nary a frame." 



Thu whole cost of material in sucli a hive if 

 made of cheap lumber will not exceed fifty 

 cents, but of course it is better to make them 

 of good quality of lumber and painted, and 

 we think they need not cost more than a dollar 

 all complete. We have been using a close 

 fitting frame hive the past season, during warm 

 weather, while the bee glue is soft, the frames 

 can be easily handled, but as cold weather ap- 

 proaches, force must l)e resorted to, to separate 

 them, — they are not adapted to rapid handling. 



Extracted honey is growing in reputation in 

 this vicinity. My few hundred pounds were 

 disposed of at our very doors for twenty cents 

 per pound. Scientific. 



Hartford, N. Y., Nov. 26, 1873. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



The Blowing Disease. 



Dr. S. J. Barker, in the Country Gentleman, 

 says — 



" This is not strictly a disease ; yet it causes 

 diseases that are largely fatal. It is a summer 

 cause of death, and as such needs the careful 

 attention of professional and other entomolo- 

 gists. It is best seen at the close of a hot day 

 in July, when hundreds and thousands of bees 

 are seen so feeble and diseased on the ground 

 about the hives that they cannot rise and re- 

 gain their homes. Others are so diseased that 

 if you take them up and put them back in the 

 hive, they will not stay, but leave, wander rest- 

 lessly for a while, grow quiet, and perish with 

 more or less rapidity. 



" The appearances are — 1. Worn and ragged 

 wings. This is of course simply the mechani- 

 cal laceration of hours of incessant ventilation 

 of the hive by blowing with their wings. 2. 

 The minute hairs or down on their bodies is 



worn off. This is also a mechanical eflfect of 

 their exhaustive labor in ventilation by fanning 

 with their wings. 3. Their bodies are either 

 partially or wholly bluckened. That this is not 

 the blackish or brown color shown by denuda- 

 tion of the hairy epidermis is proved by artifi- 

 cially scraping it ofi" a healthy bee. 4. The 

 body of such a dying bee is h)ng and tapering, 

 and the end of it next the sting is of clear 

 or light color. 5. When a bee dies in a minute 

 or two after coming out of the hive, cutting it 

 open longitudinally will show that the minute 

 circulatory tubes are full of white matter, not 

 tne clear or the yellowish fluids of health. 6. 

 The bee is restless, makes attempts to fly, 

 wanders about for a while, and at last settles 

 down, often in a path or smooth spot, grows 

 stupid and dies. 7. It is changed from the fine 

 proportions, color and intelligent movements of 

 health, in its action as well as in its whole 

 form. 



" Now I do not say that any system of bee- 

 keeping can so ventilate hives that bees shall 

 not do what is their nature to do — namely ven- 

 tilate the whole hive by a system of blowing 

 the air by their wings. They do this from joy, 

 as when they go blowing and humming into 

 a new hive, when one has been supplied them 

 in swarming. They always delight in placing 

 the brood cells close together for air artificially 

 by their wings over tlie porous caps of these 

 Cells, the brood would soon be dead ani a mass 



f putrid corruption. Bo ventilaticm is absolute- 

 ly necessary with their wings, no invention 

 can ever take its place. But in such years as 

 the last few, when life is so tenderly held by 

 the bee, and hence bees die so easily, it is a 

 sad matter for a kind hearted bee-keeper to 

 see so many of his pets die by every hard hot 

 day's work of blowing for ventilation ; and if 

 pliins that are feasible or practicable can be had 

 to lessen the loss by this cause, it is well wortliy 

 the attention of every bee-keeper. If the loss, 

 in an apiary of forty hives, is three quarts of 

 bees every such day, it is .a damage of no small 

 moment. What I am speaking of is not the 

 gentle cheerful hum of April, May and early 

 June or of corresponding fall months ; for one 

 then rarely sees bees either about the hives 

 injured in this manner, or dying or dead 

 of this excessive labor. .Neither do I say that 

 all bees injured in their wings die at once 

 or for days ; for many strong enough to collect 

 honey or pollen ai-e in all warm m(mths seen 

 at work. It is of the great loss of occasional 

 days, and of all the hot periods of summer, that 



1 speak. 



" When one handles, no matter how gently, 

 combs in these hot periods, he is surprised to 

 see how frail is the heated wax. Few can handle 

 and not crush the delicate combs of a new 

 swarm. Hence I believe we ought to shade 

 our hives more, and yet have them in sheltered 

 positions. 



