370 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May I. 



framos the spaces have got to be exact, and the 

 combs will have a fixed and definite thickness; 

 and I do not hesitate to say that you can alter- 

 nate them jnst as well, and even better, than 

 you can many of the loose frames. Let me ex- 

 plain. Space the loose frame during the honey- 

 haivest. anywhere from 1% to 13< or even 1% 



Well, practically amounting to tliat: and he is 

 an extracted- houey man at that. 



FIG. 5- 



-HANDIJNG HOFFMAN FRAMES IN PAIRS 

 AND TRIOS. 



THE HETHEKINGTON-aUINBY HIVE. 



AVHY yriNBY FRAMES PON'T KILI, BEES. 



inches from center to ceiiter, and then, after 

 the honey-harvest, try to alternate it with oth- 

 er frames placed a little closer, and see where 

 you are. You may say you can space frames 

 near enough right. Although I have visited 

 many large apiaries, I never saw a loose-frame 

 apiary spaced near enough right, unless it was 

 Mr. Manum's home apiary. He is one of those 

 precise men who are bound to have every thing 

 just so. 



Well, now, then, we will replace the follower, 

 and with the wedge, as shown in Fig. 1 of Mr. 

 Hoffman's article just preceding, we ci'owd the 

 frames tight together: then the wedge is push- 

 ed down between the follower and hive. If the 

 follower is only ,9g of an inch thick it springs a 

 little, and this will take up any unequal swell- 

 ing or shrinking in the Hoffman frames (if 

 there should be any) through changes of at- 

 mosphere, from extreme wet to extreme dry. 

 If there are any bees on the tops of the frames, 

 a whiff of smoke will usually drive them down, 

 and then the cover is replaced with a sliding 

 motion, which I have already explained. 



Perliaps from my description about manipulat- 

 ing the hive with Hoffman frames, it may ap- 

 pear like a very long operation; but I can as- 

 sure you that it is a very short one. Now, right 

 here I will ask you to look at the italicized sen- 

 tence (the italics are mine) in Mr. Hoffman's 

 article just preceding. Observe that he says 

 he can handle nearly double the number of 

 colonies on his frame that he could on any 

 loose frame; and I will add right here, that he 

 u.sed loose fi'ames for years, until necessity, the 

 mother of invention," caused him to bi-ing out 

 this style. 



Mr. Hoffman makes another big point; name- 

 ly, by removing two or three fiifmes in a trio, the 

 rest of the frames in the hive need not he lifted 

 out at all. They can be slipped back and forth, 

 and each surface examined; but if the rabbet 

 is covered with ijieces of ))ropolis. this lateral 

 sliding is not easily accomplished. * 



Mr. Manum piiiposes to handle some 400 oi' 

 .500 colonies on loose frames alone. Why. bless 

 you. Mr. Hoffman has been doing this for years 

 on his close-fitting frames. "• Alone."" did I say".* 



[Continued.] 

 In hooking frames together I have found 

 some bee-keepers who, after using this hive 

 foi' years, were still ignorant of the proper way 

 of handling them. Tliey pushed the edges of 

 the frames together from the side in such a 

 manner as to kill the bees between them; or. if 

 the motion was slow enough to permit the bees 

 to get out of the way. loo much time was con- 

 sumed in the operation. Now. the prope'r way 

 is to bring them together as shown in the en- 

 graving. Fig. :i. when a half-inch motion in the 

 direction of the arrow puts them in place, shov- 

 ing oft' the bees from tlieir edges instead of 

 crushing them: that is. end-bar C slides the 

 bees off the end-bar B. This is a very impor- 

 tant ijoint, and the proper observance of it 

 makes all the difference between total failure 

 and magnificent success in the practical work- 

 ing of the hiv^e. It is a point, also, in which 

 our hive is ahead of the excell(>nt Hoffman 

 hive, and all other closed-end hanging-frame 

 hives. In these there is not room inside the 

 hive for this longitudinal motion. I have 

 known other bee-keepers to fail with this hive 

 because it was not properly mad(\ If the hooks 

 on the frames ai'e not put on I'ighl, or if the 

 groove on tlie bottom of the board is too deep, 

 there is nothing but vexation in store for the 

 bee-keeper.* In handling frames it is well to 

 observe that we do not have to reach down 

 among the bees to pick up a frame, but take 

 hold of it at the outside, where there are usual- 

 ly no bees, thus saving time in j)icking it up, if 



FIG. 2. HOW THE QUINBY FRAME AVOIDS 

 KILLING BEES. 



not always in letting go of the same. (See Fig. 

 1 in former article, p, 317.) 

 The day was dark and rainy when Mr. Root 



* In Fig-. 3. C (re engraved from Clieshiie), it is 

 sliown conectly; h is the hook that engages the 

 sti;ipiroii ip. and (/r is the grnove hi the bottom- 

 board lib. This Hrruiigement wiis designed liy Mr. 

 Quinby to kCL'p the standing frames from toppling- 

 over, and also to hold the end-bars in alig-iiUH-nt. 

 Tlie hooks are on tlie outside of tht- liive proper, 

 and hence do not kill bees; nor are they tilled witli 

 propolis as s )me liave imagined. 4 and B in the 

 same figure aie respectively tlie frame and follower. 

 They are somevviiat owt of proportion.— Ed. 



