1894 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



949 



standard hive that I am very sorry to change 

 to any thing else; but I have decided to " flop," 

 and not only from the eight to the ten frame 

 Langstroth, but right over to the ten-frame 

 Quinby, with the frames shortened to that of 

 the Langstroth. 



As this discussion in Gleanings will encour- 

 age new styles of hives of so many dift'erent 

 sizes, I think the manufacturers should all, if 

 possible, invent a new hive in keeping with the 

 times and demands that are being made by 

 bee-keepers. I\Iy customers are now ordering 

 larger hives tiian last year, many of them new 

 styles. 



Chatham, Out., Nov. 31. 



ANSWERS TO o-^^ 



BY G.M.DOOLITTLE.BOROOINO.N.Y. 



^^^^ 



BUILDING A HONEY -HOUSE. 



Question.— I am thinking of building me a 

 honey-house; and as 1 wish to get ready this 

 winter I wish you would tell me just how you 

 would build such a house for the storing of 

 comb honey. 



^?isit.'er.— My experience tells me that I should 

 want such a honey-house only in connection 

 with a shop or general workroom, for a honey- 

 house away from the general workroom causes 

 very many needless steps and worry not caused 

 by the two being combined. Any building can 

 be cheaply lined so as to exclude bees, with 

 half-inch stuff, for the general workroom, and 

 the storage room be built on the south side so 

 as to make it convenient, airy, strong, and suf- 

 ficiently warm to ripen honey thoroughly. If I 

 were building a shop I would build it so that I 

 could partition off this storage-room on the 

 southwest corner, having the body of the shop 

 for doing work of all kinds pertaining to the 

 apiary. I would build it two stories high, and 

 use the upper story for storing every thing not 

 in use. or liable to be used for some little time. 

 If I did not wish to build a shop, I would use 

 any old building I had, lining and fixing it as 

 in the case first given for a room for this general 

 work, for such a room can not well be dispensed 

 with. It would be preferable to have this gen- 

 eral room mouse and rat proof; but if an old 

 building is used it could hardly be expected, 

 without quite an outlay. The room used for 

 storing honey I would have mouse-proof, let it 

 cost what it would; for the filth from vermin 

 about honey is not to be tolerated at all. If 

 mice get into the general room, keep them 

 caught out with traps; and as for the rats, 

 they will not be liable to bother unless you have 

 grain of some kind In your room for them to 

 feed upon, and this, of course, you will not tol- 

 erate, for this general room is for bee-fixtures 

 and not for grain. 



Having given a little outlinaof what I would 

 have for the general workroom, I will next tell 

 about a room for storing honey. This need not 

 be larger than 8x10 for storing all the comb 

 honey from 100 colonies in the spring, even 

 should they produce 200 lbs. per colony on an 

 average. Whether built in with the shop, or 

 at the outside of another building. I would 

 have a wall of mason-work for the sills to rest 

 upon, if drainage could be obtained so the 

 water would not stand under the wall, as in 

 such case the freezing of the water about the 

 wall would soon destroy it. If I could not dis- 

 pose of the water I would use abutments. The 

 wall or abutments need not be more than a foot 

 high; and if a wall, two or four six-inch-square 

 holes should be left at the sides so that air can 

 circulate freely under the floor. If a wall is 

 used, Gx8 would be plenty large for the sills, 

 and 8x10 in any case; for you will see that the 

 abutments, if such are used, are close together, 

 not more than three or four feet apart. For 

 sleepers I would use 2x8 inch, and place them 

 about eight inches apart from center to center, 

 having them run the shortest way of the room. 

 Now, do not think this is too strong, and place 

 these sleepers further apart; for if you do you 

 will repent should you ever get from five to ten 

 tons of honey in your room. 



I would have the room nine feet high in the 

 clear. If built separate from the shop I would 

 have a tin roof, and paint it a dark color; but 

 if in a shop, of course no roof will be needed 

 save that over the whole building, as the upper 

 floor will make the roof. So far I would use 

 good hemlock for the wood employed, for this 

 holds a nail well, is strong, and does not easily 

 decay. For the floor, I would use 1^4 matched 

 spruce four inches wide, and inch pine common 

 ceiling for the sides. If all is put together as it 

 should be, you will not be bothered with mice, 

 provided you keep the door to this room shut 

 when not in use. This door is to be on the side 

 next your general room, of course. I. would 

 have a window on one side and on one end, 

 which are to be opened in warm dry weather, 

 so as to ventilate thoroughly the room and pile 

 of honey. Over these windows on the outside 

 is to be placed wire cloth so the windows can 

 be left open at pleasure, without any fears of 

 robber-bees. To let the bees out, which may 

 chance to come in on the honey or in any other 

 way, let this wire cloth run 8 or 10 inches above 

 the top of the window, nailing on strips of lath, 

 or other strips % thick, so as to keep the wire 

 cloth out that far from the sides of the build- 

 ing, thus giving space for the bees to crawl up 

 on the cloth to the top when they are on the 

 outside. No robber-bee will ever think of try- 

 ing to get in at this entrance, so your room is 

 kept clear of bees, flies, and other insects all the 

 while. 



This completes the building, I believe, ex- 

 cept that we want it painted some dark color 



