336 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15. 



board should be wide enough so as to darken 

 the entrance to a considerable extent, and turn 

 the bees to one side in going out. In this way 

 the bees notice at once that something is wrong, 

 and this causes them to mark their location 

 anew; otherwise they would start off in a 

 straight line as usual, and get lost. The old 

 place should also be disguised in some way so 

 it will not look as it did. Many bees will un- 

 doubtedly go back to the old place, but after 

 careful watchings for many years I am satisfied 

 that all these bees finally go back to the new 

 stand. 



MA.TOR SHALLARD'S NARROW SPACING AND 

 NARROW TOP-BARS INDORSED. 



Mr. A. I. Root: — It has long been my desire to 

 write a letter for publication in Gleanings; 

 and Major Shallard's article on page 101 gives 

 me an excuse for so doing. I have been experi- 

 menting with frames of different widths for the 

 past seven years, and I have come to the con- 

 clusion that }{ inch is a correct bee-space; and 

 if the brood-frames are spaced a full K inch 

 between top-bars, and the top-bars are just K 

 inch, the problem of burr and brace combs is 

 practically solved. In the season of 1891 I 

 transferred six colonies from old box hives, and 

 the combs were very crooked, so I could not get 

 the number of frames (S) in each hive. At dif- 

 ferent times in the season I placed frames con- 

 taining sheets of foundation in each of the six 

 ■colonies, and at the close of the season I had a 

 nice lot of combs; that is, in those frames which 

 contained foundation in them when placed in 

 the hive. The frames which had foundation in 

 them I placed at one side of the hive, and I had 

 to space them closer than I wished, on account 

 of the old crooked combs which I had transfer- 

 red. I noticed, after I had placed 4 frames of 

 foundation in one of the hives, that the top- 

 bars seemed to be more clear of bits of comb 

 than the others, so I left them spaced just as 

 they were (a small fraction over }{ inch), and 

 at the close of the season this hive was almost 

 ■entirely free from brace and burr combs. 



The next season, 1892, I made a hive with top- 

 bars IK wide, and hived the first swarm of bees 

 in it, thinking that the frames spaced just X 

 inch at the top, and 1;V from center to center, 

 would do away with burr and brace combs en- 

 tirely; but after a time I noticed that the combs 

 were not smooth and nice (and some burr-combs), 

 like the frames which I had in general use, 

 which were % of an inch wide, so I placed 10 

 frames in a hive (my hive is just IIH in. inside, 

 by 13X long) with sheets of foundation, and 

 hived a late swarm on them, and I was very 



much elated to find that there wasn't a sign of 

 a brace or burr comb either, and the combs were 

 perfectly straight. There were a few cells 

 along the bottom edge of the top-bar tHat were 

 pushed out a very little. I tried four colonies 

 this last season, with the same results. I am 

 not, however, satisfied with the results as yet, 

 on account of so little honey being stored in the 

 brood -chamber. If my hive were larger it 

 might give different results, and I am inclined 

 to the belief that different localities will give 

 different results. I shall make one hive this 

 season the same style as the Dovetailed, and 

 see what the difference will be. The above 

 were all hanging fi'ames. J. H. Goe. 



Mossy Rock, Wash., Feb. 9. 



[This is quite interesting; but, say! Doolittle 

 and a host of otheis would " kick " hard against 

 adopting l^-inch spacing. Will Bro. D. please 

 stand up and explain for himself. — Ed.] 



I4-INCH SPACE BETWEEN BARS % INCH THICK, 

 PREFERRED. 



As to ii-inch space between top-bars. I should 

 agree with the article in Gleanings given by 

 Major Shallard, having been in the bee busi- 

 ness for 1.5 years, and having tried a good many 

 kinds of frames, from a K to a 1^ in. top-bar. 

 That is the frame I am now using. I have at 

 this date 94 colonies in winter quarters, all on 

 their summer stands, and I find that I get the 

 best results, without burr-combs, to have my 

 top -bar liV in. wide, % deep, and Hoffman self- 

 spacing sides, using the same end-piece that 

 you do, which leaves just )c(-inch space between 

 frames. Since I commenced using them I have 

 not been troubled with burr-combs. I would 

 not use any other spacing than ^4 inch. It is 

 enough for me. I have now 50 colonies on those 

 frames. It is just fun to takeoff honey. I fur- 

 nish all my hives now with those frames, and 

 find all those using them say that they want no 

 other than ^4 inch between frames. Mr. Nel- 

 son Morton, of Maples, is burning up all of his 

 old frames, and is putting in all the Ij^-inch 

 top-bar. He is an experienced bee-keeper, and 

 has had bees for ;.*5 or 30 years. 



Eddyville, N. Y., Feb. (i. C. H. Avars. 



[We believe our correspondent is about right. 

 The larger part of the testimony seems to point 

 this way. We have been making, for three 

 years back, just such frames as friend A. speaks 

 of; but 1%-inch spacing from center to center 

 will give more than 34 inch between top-bars 

 1^1,; in. wide. For that reason we contemplate 

 making them 1>8 in., providing our readers do 

 not think this too wide.— Ed.] 



MAKING THE HOFFMAN FRAME DEEPER. 



Friend Root: — Don't you think that, if the 

 Hoffman frame were 10 inches deep, it would 

 give better results? From my experience, the 

 frame as made by you is so shallow that it 

 breaks the queen's circle, or, at least, the brood 

 extends some four or five inches along the top- 

 bar, while with a frame 10 inches deep, the 



