1891 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



3159 



HOW TO MAXirrr.ATE HOFFMAN Fl'.AMES. 



^Ir. Hoffman has already given, better than I 

 can, the advantages in the use of a spacing- 

 board, or '■ follower." as we call it in our pric(> 

 list, sol will not dwell on that point. We will 

 now proceed to open up a hive having Hoffman 

 frames. One of the conveniences, and almost 

 necessities, is a small screwdriver. This, or a 

 good strong knife, is something that almost ev- 

 ery apiarist uses nowadays. With a screwdi'iv- 

 er or wedge I pry loose the flat board cover of 

 the Dovetailed hive, ha\ ing previously blown a 

 little smoke in at th(> entrance. 



The cover removed, I place the same under 

 me, and sit down on it milk-stool fashion (see 

 Fig. 4). You will observe that the cover is a 

 seat on which we can lean back\\'ard and for- 

 ward. This I find is a great convenience, in 

 that the body can be h>aned toward or from the 

 hive: and. the elbows i-esting on the knees, 

 they can support quite a heavy weight, in the 



screwdriver or wedgi\ we pry apart the first 

 pair or trio of franu's, if the frames are not too 

 heavy, and lean them against one corner of the 

 hive, as shown in Figs. 4 and .5. Don't you see 

 we pretty nearly handle the brood-nest in 

 halves and quarttu's? 



You will notice that these frames will hang 

 together by propolis, and that the bees on the 

 two inside surfaces are not disturbed at all. 

 The loose frames, when out of the hive, have 

 got to be leaned against one or two corners of 

 the hives, against each other — in fact, be scat- 

 ti^-ed all around for the depredations of rob- 

 bei's; and, besides all that, the liability of kill- 

 ing bees or the queen is much greatei'. This is 

 a big point in favor of the Hoft'man frames. If 

 we do not find the queen on the frame in hive, 

 pry off the outside frame of a trio leaning 

 against the corner of the hive. If she does not 

 appear on that one, pry off the next one, and so 

 on. 



Fia. 4.— HOW HOFFMAN FKAMES AKE MANIPULATED.* 



way of two or three Hoffman frames. You may 

 argue that you would not sit down on the nar- 

 row edge of a J:s board for anybody or for aijy 

 money. I will say in reply, that, in handling 

 Hoffman frames, so short a time is occupied in 

 examining the hive that no inconvenience will 

 be experienced; and, besides, there is no law to 

 compel you to sit in any one attitude over every 

 hive. Comfort as w<'ll as convenience some- 

 times suggests a standing as well as a kneeling 

 posture, though usually I prefer to sit down on 

 a cover. Well, to return. 



A little smoke is blown over the top of the 

 frames. The wedge that holds the follower, or 

 spacing-board, against the frames, is next re- 

 moved; and while the wedge is in the hands, 

 the follower is leaned against the hive oijposite 

 to where we are silting (s(>e Fig. 4). With a 



* Although I sat for the picture, our engravei' has 

 very kindly pvit anotlier bead on my shoulders; 

 therefoie you will not detect any striking resem- 

 blance between your h\niible servant and the sub- 

 stituted head. E. R. R. 



If frames are heavy with honey, we may lift 

 out only one frame. Having seen the surfaces 

 of two or three combs, the practiced eye will 

 get a pretty fair idea of the condition" of the 

 colony and what the queen is doing. If we see 

 eggs and larv* in all stages, as well as sealed 

 brood, we do not usually bother to hunt up the 

 queen; so we put back the second pair removed, 

 and finally turn the trio as shown in Figs. 4 and 

 5. Now, as Mr. Hoffman explained in his for- 

 mer article, we generally crowd these frames 

 together at once. We blow a little smoke down 

 between each of the end-bars, and then with a 

 quick shove see Fig. l.in Mr. Hoffman's article, 

 we close them all up again. 



There is no cut-and-try spacing as with 

 loose frames — no big and little fingers to get the 

 distances at wide and narrow spaces. There is 

 no continual instructing the beginnei' on just 

 how far to space combs, and there is no finding 

 the apiary afterward, with the combs spaced so 

 far apart that spurs of combs are built where 

 they ought not to be. No, with Hoffman 



