332 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



MAY 



be $1.25 each, or $10.00 for ten. It seems to 

 me the upright gearing is unwieldy and un- 

 handy. It is also awkward and unwieldy to 

 ship, {'om]»are(l with the compact and simple 

 liorizontal gearing. 



O. J. HETHERINGTON'S REVEESIBLE- 

 PRAME BEE-HIVE. 



THE MUST KKASIBLE KEVEHSIBLK FKAMt: NOW BE- 

 FORE US, AS IT SEEMS TO ME. 



TN order to explain the arrangement of this 

 4| new feature I shall have to ask our 

 'T readers to imagine an ordinary Simplic- 

 '■' ity hive standing befoi-e them. Xow. 

 friends, you Ivuow that the great l)ulk of 

 frames in common use are what are called 

 susi)ended frames--that is. they are hung by | 

 the pi-olongation of the top-bar of the frame : 

 at each end. Wlien 1 th-st madeoiir metal cor- 

 nels for frames. I thought of having theral)- 

 bet at the bottom of the hive, and using the 

 frame ui>side down. This would necessitate 

 some sort of spacers to keep the tops of the 

 frames at the proper distances from each 

 other. AVe should also have to have the pro- 

 jecting arms of the metal corners short 

 enough to go into the hive, for I hardly need 

 tell you that the space between the en<ls of 

 tlie "frames and the end of the hive should 

 not exceed I of an incli ; therefore these 

 projections of the metal corners can not well 

 be more than i inch in length. The figures 

 below sliow you liow friend Iletherington 

 manages it : 



2. Brood-frame, with metal corners aftachefi to each corner. 



5. Metal coiners detached from the frame, showing nail- 



6. Metal corner in place, inserted in a saw-cut in thfi end-bar. 

 1. Metal corners attached to a wide frame, showing how it 



can be used without any top-bar. 



4. End-bar of the wide frame, showing cuts necessary to take 

 in metal corner. 



In order to understand this hive we will 

 suppose tlie Simplicity hive, before men- 

 tioned, has a strong rabliet of Russia iron at 

 the lower edge of the end-board inside. This 

 raliiiet is simplv a strij) of Russia iron about 

 -i wide, bent into a A'-sliaped trough. The 

 longer edge is driven into a. saw-cut, made 

 diagonally in the lower inside corner of the 

 eii(i-l)oai(i. When nailed securely it leaves a 

 projecting edge of the iron t inch wide, 

 reaching into the hive, and upward, so as to 

 just catch the arms to this corner. The 

 frames sit in looselv, and go down until the 

 arms strike this stri]) of metal. The upper 

 corners have the same arms, as you see, to 

 keep them awav fn>m the ends of the hive, 

 and little points in the casting project out- 

 ward and touch each other so as to space 

 tlie frames from each other at both top and 

 bottom. These metal corners (figure 5) are 

 •(X fraction less than U indies from extreme 



to extreme. When ten frames are placed in 

 a hive, there is a little play, as it were, 

 which allows of a slight lateral movement. 

 The stuff used for making the frames, figure 

 2, is U inches by o-16, all around. The end- 

 bars are nailed' through into the top-bars 

 with long slender nails passing through the 

 holes in figure 5. The saw-cut in the end of 

 the end-bar as seen at figure 6 lets in the 

 metal corner. 



Now, I hardly need tell you that, with this 

 arrangement, there is sonie dirticulty in get- 

 ting out the first frame when we wish to 

 open the hive. To help us in this \mrt of il, 

 each story of tlie Simplicity hive has the 

 upper half of one side made side oiiening. 1 

 may say here, that I do not like this side- 

 opening arrangement ; but I do not see how 

 we could well get along without it. If even 

 a i)art of the side to any hive is made to 

 open, it very much impairs the strength and 

 rigidity of the hive. The end-boards are at 

 liberty" to warp to some extent, thus piiicli- 

 ing the frames, or .giving them too much 

 play. You will notice, that with this frame 

 we have got to have hives pretty accurate, 

 or the frames will pinch endwise, or go to 

 the other extreme and slip from the rab- 

 bets. In fact, some of the frames pinch in 

 the sample hive at hand, although this cer- 

 tainly ought to be remedied liy accurate 

 macliinerv. 



Figure 1 shows the wide frame made on 

 the same plan. However, as the ends and 

 toi)s are close fitting, the lower corner has to 

 be let ill the middle of the eiid-ltars. The 

 figure will make this all plain. 1 think. You 

 notice that friend II. dispenses with a top- 

 liar entirely, which is certainly a desirable 

 feature. lie is enabled to do this by using 

 seiiarators. as in figure 3. These separators 

 are about ^ inch thick, made of sawed and 

 planed pinr, and are strong enough to hold 

 the frame without the top-bars. This ar- 

 rangement is (juite ingenious, and pleases 

 me very much indeed. 



The question may be asked, ^'Why not 

 make our hanging wide frames in the same 

 manner?" The difficulty is in getting a 

 strong support for these supporting arms, 

 without any top-bar. You will remember 

 we illustrated the plan for doing this by 

 means of hoop iron a year ago or more. 



A word more in regard to the movable 

 side. This is held in place by what is called 

 the Vandeusen clamps, a cut of wliich we 

 give here. 



I find the price of these clamps given in 

 Nellis' catalogue is $2.00 per 100.* 



*In the cut, the clamp is shown as it is used m fastenuiK a 

 bottom-buard to a hive; luid 1 may add. that friend Hethering- 

 ton n-cx tlu-^r cl.-iiiips not only to hold in the movable side, but 

 fi, liiilil the liiM' to till' biittoiii-h.iaid, tlu- cover to the hives, 

 ova ^tni V 1" I 111- OIK- \iii,tcr it. Kotii' clamps are used on each 

 storv ami t« II oil cai'h cnvti- In localities where high winds 

 tak-e oir tlio caivns tliesrarc pciliaps the simplest fastening 

 that can be use<l. In our apiary, however, we have thought 

 the time occupied in using them more than overbalanced the 

 inconvenience of being obliged to go out after a storm and re 

 p!a<'e a few covers. 



