GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 



FASTENING THE FRAMES FOR SHIPMENT. 



After reading an article on page 30, Jan. Glean- 

 ings, f rt m John Do, under the head of Growlery, I 

 thought I would send you a few little simple tins 

 that we use; so if you should receive any more such 

 inquiries you will be prepared for them. It is sim- 

 ply a piece of tin cut V4 inch wide, and doubled so 

 the short end is y2 inch long, and the long end about 

 H inch. The short end goes inside the tin rabbet. It 

 is slipped on the tin rabbet, between the frames. I 

 first nail on the sides of the hive, in corners, a strip 

 of wood % inch thick, and about 3 inches long, with 

 '/i-inch wire nails, so they will come up even with 

 top of frames; then put in frame; then put on one 

 of these little tins at each end, then frame, and so 

 on until you get in your ten frames. It is what we 

 call Howard's device. My friend Howard seeing the 

 need of something to space the frames, and hold in 

 place while moving the hive, invented this device 

 (and it didn't rack his brain mUch either). We all 

 like it much. It takes 18 for a hive, and is easily 

 made at any tin-shop. I would like friend Do, or 

 any other bee-man, to try them. I don't ask you to 

 help me get it patented, either. D. C. Blair. 



Columbus, Pa., Jan. 10, 1884. 



Friend B., your device is quite inj^enious 

 indeed ; and if it were only the tops of the 

 frames we wished to fasten, I believe it 

 would be ahead of all other devices. Tha lit- 

 tle clips could be made for perhaps ]0 cts. a 

 hundred, and they can be slipped in without 

 any possibility of killing a bee. The objec- 

 tion is, that they do not hold the lower end 

 of the frames from spreading, as the spacing- 

 boards do. JMo doubt they would answer 

 every purpose for fastening the combs where 

 they are transported in a wagon or buggy, or 

 even by rail, if the owner did all of the hand- 

 ling of the hives; but where hives of bees 

 are to be trusted to the mercy of railroad 

 men, I think I should hardly dare risk them 

 without the spacing -boards shown in our 

 price list. 



CAN WE AFFORD THE BEST KIND OP SUGAR TO 

 FEED OUR BEES? 



No, Mr. Root, that won't do; we shall have to stop 

 somewhere, and why not at once? Some years ago. 

 New Orleans sugar or common molasses was good 

 enough to feed bees; then coffee A and grape sugar 

 must be bought; then those were not good enough, 

 but granulated; and now you have taught them to 

 spurn that, carry it out of the hive, and throw it 

 away, even when they were likely to starve. You 

 didn't come along here, and slyly whisper to those of 

 mine that there was a grade of sugar better than 

 what they were getting, did you? Next we know, 

 pulverized sugar will not be good enough, but some- 

 thing still better must be found to suit their fancy 

 stomachs. I am unable to figure out where my 

 profits are to come in, to sell honey at 10 cts., and 

 buy sugar at 13 cts. per lb., to feed them. I guess 

 they will have to come down a peg or two. 



THE JONES HONEY-BOARDS. 



I see there is some discussion on the Jones zinc 

 queen-excluder. I tried half a dozen of them- last 

 season, and in two or three cases I found the queen 

 had passed them. I shall still use them next season, 

 for I have been very badly annoyed by their going 

 into the upper stories. A. A. Fradenburg. 



Port Washington, Ohio, Jan. 4, 1884. 



Friend F., if you buy any kind of bee 



candy, you have to pay about 15 cents per 

 pound for it, at the lowest estimate, and 

 that is 2 cents more than the powdered su- 

 gar. Very likely it would behoove us to 

 have our bees so lixed for winter that they 

 will not want any candy or sugar either.— I 

 am very glad to know that you find the zinc 

 honey-boards good, even if some queens do 

 get above. 



MAKING ODD-SIZED SECTIONS AND FRAMES. 



The extra number of sections is all right. When 

 you make odd-sized sections for me, and they over- 

 run the number ordered, send them along, and 

 charge them to my account, and I will see that they 

 are paid for, whether the money is in your hands or 

 not. G. M. Freeman. 



One of the great difficulties in making odd- 

 sized sections, frames, etc., is to pick out 

 just enough lumber to make the amount 

 called for, no more and no less. As it is 

 next to impossible to do this, we generally 

 aim to have a few more. As they are of no 

 value to us whatever, we have been in the 

 habit of putting them in at the same price, 

 subject to the approval of our customer. In 

 most cases we get a reply like the above ; 

 but once in a while we have a friend who in- 

 sists on having orders obeyed to a letter, and 

 who will not pay for the overplus. If they 

 run under, we have to take the chances of a 

 sharp letter because we did not send as many 

 as ordered. J have mentioned this that our 

 friends may know why we so much dislike 

 to make small lots of odd-sized goods. 



peat FOR SMOKERS. 



Your postal of the 20th is received, asking for 

 price of peat per barrel. I think I can furnish it at 

 $2 00 per. barrel, and probably lower. I shall not be 

 able to ship any before spring, as it is snowed under 

 now. Please let me know if you want any, and how 

 much you want, and I will send price, and make 

 preparations for shipping. Elias Berg. 



Cicero, Ind., Nov. 28, 1883. 



At the price you mention, friend B., I 

 think a great many of the brethren will take 

 a barrel. You may put me down for five 

 barrels. Of course, it should be sent by 

 freight. 



SMOKER FUEL. 



For cross bees I take a small piece of an old quilt 

 that has been used over the frames until it is cover- 

 ed with propolis, and put it in the smoker with the 

 rags or wood, or whatever I am burning. It makes 

 a terrible smoke, and a few whiffs of it always quiet 

 the worst bees I have. I guess they think their 

 house is on fire when they smell the burning pro- 

 polis; any way, they fill themselves wilh honey as 

 quickly as they can, and then stand on their heads 

 and just luncl for mercy. Nebraska is going to lead 

 the world in quality of honey someday; sec If she 

 doesn't. Bees did very well here this year. 



Chas. R. Thompson. 



Fort Omaha, Neb., Nov. 37. 1883, 



robbing at .50° temperature. 

 My attention was called to the bees to-day on their 

 summer stand, with their usual place of entrance 

 left open, when, to my surprise, I found one colony 

 flying around as in June. I watched them awhile, 

 and found they were robbing that hive, with the 



