82 



THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. 



March 



Notes and Comments. 



BY THE ASSISTANT EDITOR. 



END SPACES FOR TOP BARS AND REGU- 

 LATORS FOR SAME. 



A feature which has long been in 

 evidence in apiaries conducted upon a 

 " bread and butter basis," but seldom 

 seen in the product of our large hive 

 factories, is a bee space at the ends of 

 the top bars. This desirable point is, 

 of late, being commented upon by 

 manufacturers as its importance be- 

 cemes more generally realized. 



Every man whose livlihood depends 

 upon the production of honey must 

 have realized the importance of this 

 feature in the construction of a prac- 

 tical hive, especially in localities where 

 " bee glue " is gathered in excess. In 

 such cases we have seen the rabbet 

 entirely filled with propolis, so as to 

 prevent the frame from resting upon 

 the metal bearing. Each time the 

 frames are disturbed or interchanged 

 the bees add to the accumulation, 

 while in the hives having \ or g^ space 

 at the ends of the top bars, the rabbet 

 would remain almost unsoiled for 

 years. 



End play of the frames may be 

 easily and cheaply regulated by 

 driving a window blind staple, (which 

 may be had at almost any hardware 

 store) into the end of the bottom bar, 

 far enough to gauge the space equally 

 at either end, and allow of easy 

 manipulation. 



We have used these staples in all 

 our frames for nearly fifteen years. 

 Even in hives having no end space 

 they are invaluable as a safeguard 

 against killing l)ees in handling. 

 They are especially servicable when 

 shaking bees from the combs, and one 



soon learns to effectually dislodge the 

 bees in shaking by allowing the staple 

 at the right hand end to play directly 

 against the end of the hive, doing it 

 more easily and with less jar than 

 could otherwise be doue, and that 

 without killing a bee or endangering 

 the queen, l^he bottom bar ehould be 

 at least f thick to allow wood enough 

 to drive the staple in a verticle posi- 

 tion, thus giving the necessary 

 strength when shaking bees. If the 

 staple is driven at the top of the end 

 bar, as advocated by Editor Root, 

 their greatest utility is lost, besides 

 interfering with the firm grasp which 

 is necessary to efiiectually dislodge 

 bees from a heavy comb by shaking, 

 and if frames are squarely nailed there 

 is no advantage in placing them at 

 the top. We learned to handle bees 

 with these bottom staples and would 

 not think of doing without them. 



Bee keepers everywhere are now 

 looking hopefully forward as the sea- 

 sou draws near. Now is the time to 

 prepare for the harvest. Hives, sec- 

 tions and all necessary appliancies 

 should be put in readiness before the 

 busy season is upon us, It is false 

 economy to wait until the swarming is 

 here, as we are sometimes prone to do, 

 in order to see just what supplies are 

 absolutely essential for the season's 

 use. Under this mistaken policy the 

 full benefit of a heavy flow is never 

 derived, and the bee keeper is subject 

 to endless annoyance as a result of his 

 negligence. If we make ample pro- 

 vision beforehand we are in a position 

 to care for our stock easily and secure 

 the best possible results in honey, 

 whether the flow is meagre or abund- 

 ant 



