Vol. XII. 



JUNE 1, 1884. 



No. 11. 



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NOTES FBOM THE BANNER APIARY. 



NO. 55. 



SEPARATOHS, HONEY-BOAKDS, AND L. FHAMES. 



fRIEND ROOT, you say that you did not know 

 that it had been repeatedly proven that sepa- 

 rators could be dispensed with. Now, aside 

 from private reports, did you not note, in the 

 report of the Northwestern Convention, held 

 last fall at Chicago, that three-fourths of the mem- 

 bers could dispense with separators? 



You say that the Heddon honey-board is a great 

 deal thicker than the perforated zinc. As used, the 

 zinc raises the sections about .5-16, and the Heddon 

 honey-board about' '4 of an Inch higher; that is not 

 a " great deal," is it? I have used both, and was un- 

 able to detect any difference in the amount of honey 

 stored. 



You say, " Now, when we use an L. frame to get 

 our surplus boxes close to the brood-frame, why 

 should we put in a wooden honey-board and two 

 bee-spaces besides, to push the boxes away otT 

 ag:ain?" I was not aware, that by the use of the L. 

 frame we mulCL g'et our surplus boxes any closer to 

 the brood-frames. As I understand the matter, the 

 L. frame is used because it secures the brood-nest 

 in a flattened instead of a globular shape, thus se- 

 curing a larger top surface for boxes, and also in- 

 ducing the bees, in their desire to keep their combs 

 in a globular shape, to more readily enter and store 

 honey in the boxes placed over the brood-nest. We 

 do not put in a honey-board simply " to push the sur- 

 plus boxes away off again," but to prevent the build- 



ing of brace-combs between the brood-frames and 

 the sections, and, in some instances, it has been put 

 to the further use of keeping the (lueen in her prop- 

 er " sphere." You say, that you do not think that 

 you should use the perforated zinc in the produc- 

 tion of comb honey, and I will admit that, with some 

 systems of management, I should consider the zinc 

 unnecessary. 



LOSS OF BEES IN A CLAMP. 



Last fall a large proportion of our bees were fed 

 sugar. Five colonies were left unprotected upon 

 their summer stands, 10 packed with chaff and saw- 

 dust in dry-goods boxes, 13 placed in the cellar, and 

 57 buried in a clamp. One colony left unprotected 

 died of dysentery; about one-half of its stores was 

 honey; the other half, sugar. It was the only col- 

 ony that elustcrcd on the upper part of the combs, 

 where was the honey, and, it is to this that I attrib- 

 ute the (l.sscntery. One other unprotected colony 

 star\ed in one end of the hive, with plenty of food 

 in the oi)i)osite end. One other strong colony, with 

 nothing except sugar in its combs, perished by 

 inches, so to speak. The bees between the outside 

 combs perished first, starved, or froze, or perhaps 

 both, I don't know; I only know that they were 

 found dead between the combs. Then the bees be- 

 tween the next space would be found dead; and 

 this continued, without the slightest trace of dysen- 

 tery, until the colony was dead. The other two col- 

 onies had about one-third sugar stores. They lived 

 through until spring, but were greatly reduced in 

 numbers. Finally one dwindled away to nothing, 

 and the other became so reduced in numbers that it 

 was united with a queenless colony. For several 



