1894 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



829 



think there is no question but that the queen 

 is the primary cause. Hut it seems that, after 

 it once gets started in some colonies and in 

 some localities, her removal does not work fa- 

 vorably.— En.] 



THE PHENICIE SELF-SPACING FRAME. 



FASTENING FOUNDATION, ETC. 



By C. E. Phrnicic. 



Mr. Root:— After reading Dr. Miller's article 

 in Gleanings, Aug. 1, headed "Fastening 

 Foundation to the Bottom-bar," I concluded to 

 mail you each one of my self-spacing frames. 

 The tin spacer should be heavier than the one 

 I have mailed you; but my machine will not 

 bend any heavier tin, as it is one that I made 

 in a hurry, just as an experiment, and does not 

 bend them very accurately, but will show the 

 principle. 



My claim for them is, that they space the 

 same throughout the entire hive. I must raise 

 objection to any spacer that projects half the 

 space on either side of the frame, as the two 

 outside spaces will be only half the width un- 

 less you tack pieces on the inside of the hive 



PHENICIE FRAME AND SPACER. 



and on the division-board, which does not ap- 

 pear to prove satisfactory. I raise two objec- 

 tions to the half or eighth inch space. First, 

 should the queen be on the outside of the frame, 

 near the top- bar. where there is generally a 

 little sealed honey, she is liable to be crushed, 

 as it crowds her into an eighth-inch space; but 

 if she is down near the center or bottom of the 

 comb, she will be all right. 



Second, the bees will build brace-comb in 

 this narrow space; then when this frame is 

 placed between two other frames, the bees, in- 

 stead of tearing them down, will continue them 

 to the next frame: and those remaining on the 

 side of the hive will be treated likewi.'-e. These 

 spacers require no extra nailing, as the same 

 nails fasten the frame also. 



THE TOP BAR. 



The doctor speaks of grooving the top-bar. 

 You will notice that mine is grooved also; but 

 instead of the groove being square in the bar, 

 it is on a bevel. The foundation, when being 

 bent against the wires, binds on the edge of the 

 groove, thus holding it secure. This is ranch 

 easier and quicker than with the roller, and 

 will not slip out and lap over, as I have been 



troubled a great deal when sticking them on, 

 and it always hangs in the center of the frame. 

 I tried one without foundation, and the bees 

 accepted the groove as a comb-guide all right; 

 yet I can not say any thing about that, as I do 

 not consider it a sufficient trial. 



THE BOTTOM-BAR. 



My bottom-bar consists of two bars, as there 

 are two pieces I4 inch square, with about i^- 

 inch space between them. I have not tried the 

 bottom-bars at all, as the thing occurred to me 

 after it was too late to put any of them in; so I 

 shall have to talk theory on this. But I have 

 tried the top-bar and spacers quite extensively, 

 and find them very satisfactory. My idea of 

 having the two bottom-bars is, to let the foun- 

 dation hang loose between them, and the bees 

 are to fasten it there. As it hangs between the 

 bars, it is always down to them, yet can not 

 settle down on them and wrinkle, whether it 

 stretches little or much. 



Now, this is what I should like to have the 

 bees do, and think it no more than right that 

 they should do; but whether they will or not, 

 is to be decided. I should like the opinion of 

 some older heads on this frame. 



Tacoma, Wash., Sept. 6. 



[The objections that you urge do not hold 

 true in practice. We do not find it necessary 

 to tack pieces on the outside of the hive or 

 division-boards, as you seem to think; and I do 

 not remember that a queen was ever killed in 

 our yard, nor have I heard of one being so 

 killed. I have no doubt your metal spacers, 

 however, will work very nicely; and perhaps 

 in places where propolis is very bad they would 

 separate more easily than the Hoffman widened 

 end-bars. I hardly think your double bottom- 

 bar, with a partition passing between, will 

 work satisfactorily. The bees would fasten the 

 wax to one or both the bars before much sag- 

 ging would take place, I think, and bucklins 

 the result.— Ed.] 



FAX. 



Bi/ Elltry Knnn. 



Caged four queens together by way of 'sper- 

 iment. and the first one died in two hours; at 

 the end of fifteen hours wuzen't left a single 

 one alive. 



Wuz transferrin' larvte the other day and 

 came 'crost two grubs growin' in the same cell. 

 The biggest one wuz nearly three days old. 



Hest place to put cell cups is whare the bees 

 put theirs— on the edges of the combs; and 

 when you dip 'era mold the base to a sharp 

 pint and it haint no trouble fixin' 'em in the 

 comb. 



Feed your bees airly as possible and make the 

 sirup purty thin. If the bees git it capped over 

 before it shows enny signs of granulashun it 

 will keep as nice as hunny. I have a sample 

 left over frum last yeer and it is good yit. 



Two pounds of fine beeswax is the way my 

 unfinished sectshuns turn out to the hundred. 

 I'd ruther turn 'em into foundashun and gain 



