1888 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



m 



WIRING FRAMES. 



HOW SHALL, IT BE DONE? 



TF I remember rightly, some of the bee-friends 

 M objected to Hutchinson's plan of using strips 

 ^l of foundation in the brood-frames only, on the 

 ■*■ ground that the combs, when built, are not 

 firm enough for extracting or shipping. If you 

 will allow me the space, I will describe my experi- 

 ments in striving to overcome the difficulty. In the 

 first place, I used nothing but the narrow starter, as 

 advised by Mr. Hutchinson. I succeeded very well 

 as far as worker comb was concerned. But a few 

 of the combs thus built broke down during the hot- 

 test part of the season, while combs built as I am 

 about to describe did not. I tried extracting from 

 some of them, and, by being very careful, I suc- 

 ceeded fairly well. But siace cold weather came, a 

 few which contained honey (that wei-e stored away) 

 have become badly cracked. This would probably 

 not have occurred had they been stored in a warm- 

 er room. 



As a second experiment, I used a bar of folded 

 tin in the same manner as in wired frames, driving 

 a 3i-inch wire nail through the top and the bottom 

 bar into the closer fold of the tin. By this means I 

 succeeded in getting better and firmer combs. They 

 stand extracting well. At the suggestion of neigh- 

 bor Hilton I also used two and three bars of tin. I 

 had the best success with two. He and I also tried 

 empty wired frames (starters, one inch wide). I 

 used fully wired frames and bar of folded tin. Dur- 

 ing the honey-tlow, the bees built right down over 

 the wire; and if the hive was level, the combs were 

 true with the frame. Were I to choose between 

 combs built in this way and those made from foun- 

 dation in frames with only two wires, 1 should 

 choose the former, provided that things are so 

 manipulated as to secure mostly worker comb. I 

 should be glad to hear how others have succeeded 

 along this line. 



In wiring frames of foundation I have tried al- 

 most every conceivable method, and have settled 

 down to three wires running lengthwise the frame 

 (instead of the six perpendicular ones which you 

 use), and the diagonal wires and bar of folded tin. 



ANOTUEIl PLAN FOR WIKlNfJ KKAMKS. 



The bees place an abundance of wax around the 

 lolded tin, fastening the wires to it securely, thus 

 making them practically only H^n in. long. I can 

 wire faster this way, and get as good strong combs, 

 as by your method. I fill the frames full of founda- 

 tion. Perhaps in the past this subject has been 

 gone over; but I should be glad to know just why 

 you decided to use wire as you do. 



Fremont, Mich. William E. Gould. 



Friend G., we have had several reports in 

 regard to bees filling wired frames where 

 natural combs were to be built in the frame, 

 and T believe, as you say, it works all right. 



We have never tried wired frames with two 

 horizontal wires, in the place of our perpen- 

 dicular ones. It has, however, always seem- 

 ed to me there would be more danger of sag- 

 gingof the bottom-bar ; but I presume likely 

 your diagonal wires are amply sufficient. 



SHIPPING HONEY BY FREIGHT OR BY 

 EXPRESS. 



ABE EXPRESS COMPANIES CAREFUL, AND ARE THEY 



RESPONSIBLE FOR HONEY WHEN IT GETS 



SMASHED UP BY EXPRESS? 



EDITOR GLEANINGS:— I inclose you some re- 

 ports from commission men on shipping hon- 

 ey. It looks to me as though the express 

 companies were getting careless. 

 New Milford, Pa. F. W. Dean. 



F. Tr.Dea/t:— Your 13 boxes came to hand to-day, 

 badly smashed, and honey leaking badly. I have 

 put in a claim against the express company for 

 damage, and will do the best I can for you. 

 Philadelphia, Pa., Dec. 19, 1887. F. S. Gibson. 



F. ir. Dean:— The honey trade is very dull. The 

 supply on hand is large for the season, owing to 

 continued mild weather. Strictly choice white 

 clover, one-pound combs, have a limited demand at 

 16 to 17 cts., any thing else dragging at 12 to 1.5. The 

 worst feature in the trade is the almost impossibili- 

 ty of getting here either by freight or express, in 

 good order. Nearly every case received by us this 

 season has been more or less bi-oken and leaking. 

 We would, in all candor, advise you to sell at home, 

 avoiding the risk of transportation. If we could be 

 certain of its arrival here in good condition we 

 would offer you some inducements to ship, but can 

 not under the present arrangement of handling in 

 transit, both by express or railroad freight. 



New York, Dec. 1.5, 1887. P. Merseles & Co. 



While at the Chicago Convention this 

 matter of shipping honey by freight or ex- 

 press was discussed, and a rising vote was 

 called for. I believe that less than one in 

 ten recommended shipping honey by express. 

 In fact, I don't know but every one who 

 voted on the question had had bad luck in 

 some way or other in undertaking to send 

 honey by" express. All were in favor of ship- 

 ping "honey by freight, and at the same time 

 we pay express companies a much higher 

 price for the sake of being careful. It is 

 true, honey is fragile and risky, but not as 

 much so as many things the express compa- 

 nies do carry. For instance, they carry 

 looking-glasses, and pay for them if they are 

 broken. VVhy shouldn't they undertake hon- 

 ey if we pay them the same price they are 

 paid for carrying looking-glasses V 1 have 

 just submitted the matter to our agent of 

 the American Express Co. here in Medina, 

 and he says the matter shall certainly have 

 attention. lie says he is quite sure the 

 American Express Co. does not propose to 

 let a large trade slip through its fingers in 

 that way, and he says there can certainly be 

 no reason in the world why tl:e men employ- 

 ed by tlie express company can not take as 

 much pains in handling honey as handlers 

 of freight, or '' baggage-smashers,'' as they 

 are sometimes called, do. On the way home 

 from Chicago I found a bee-man on our 

 train: and when I asked him his occupation 

 (you see I am a natural born Yankee) he re- 

 plied, with a smile, that he was one of that 

 obnoxious class commonly known as '' bag- 

 gage-smashers." lie gave me a good many 

 excellent points in regard to shipping hon- 



