582 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 15. 



and 18 {A. B. J., Vol. I., p. 199). Cowan says 15. 

 Will It come down to 10 in 30 years more? No, 

 the bees have not changed. For if the work is 

 done in a small nucleus to-day it may take 18 

 days: but if the egg is laid in a strong colony, 

 and left there, during the season when bees 

 naturally raise queens — in short, as queens are 

 actually raised by the bees undisturbed — 15 

 days is right. 



gENE^^D C^RREgP^NDENCE. 



COMB FOUNDATION. 



SOME STRONG ARGUMENTS FOR ITS USE IN THE 

 BROOD-CHAMBEX{. 



Friend Root: — This spring Goold & Co. estab- 

 lished an apiary at the Homedale, and I think 

 any one who would have looked through that 

 apiary of some eighty odd colonies would have 

 been a thorough convert to the use of full 

 .sheets of comb foundation in the brood-cham- 

 ber. We were very busy for a time, and colo- 

 nies purchased from all parts of the country, 

 and all gi'ades. from light pure Italians to black 

 German bees, had their own way as to di'one 

 production, as far as the combs would allow 

 them, and they made good use of their liberties. 

 The time came when, for the sake of the young 

 queens soon to be mated, undesirable drones 

 had to be desti'oyed. and it was then we found 

 how many there were. We trapped thousands 

 and thousands of drones worse than useless to 

 as, and in the production of which not only 

 much valuable honey had been lost, but, if they 

 had not taken the room, workers would have 

 been reared, meaning another loss in the work- 

 ing force of the apiary. Italian colonies we al- 

 lowed to rear all the di-ones their combs would 

 allow, and some of these have so many drones I 

 do not believe they will either swarm or store 

 much in the surplus apartment. Why is this 

 loss? Just because it was desired to effect a 

 saving in comb foundation. But, was it a sav- 

 ing? Surely not. A little outlay in the begin- 

 ning would have avoided this drone comb; and 

 not for one batch of drones only, but for many. 

 I think no one can point out a system of secur- 

 ing with certainty all worker coinbs. The bees 

 will build worker comb until the first young 

 bees emerge from the cells after swarming; 

 then if they build at all they will build drone 

 comb. Of course, we must allow for variations 

 of a slight nature. But to tell a bee-keeper, 

 and especially one of experience." that it is not 

 expensive to use only starters, is, I think, a 

 grave error in judgment. I say nothing about 

 the many other arguments in favor of full 

 sheets of foundation. There is only one in- 

 stance in which I use starters; and that is, 

 where I put swarms on them to g(>t comb honey 

 for exhibition purposes. I then sacritice the 

 comb for a special pui'pose. 



I like Gleanings just as it is. If there were 

 one wish I could have, it would be to have the 

 honey statistics of Canada as well as of the 



U. S. R. F. HoLTERMANN. 



Brantford, Out., Can., June 39. 



[You have given some heavy arguments for 

 comb foundation. Chalon Fowles says he can 

 not afford to buy hives, but he can afford to 

 buy brood - frames and foundation. Founda- 

 tion he must have. In regard to statistics for 

 Canada, if you Canadians will give a list of bee- 

 keepers who will agree to report, and if it is 

 agreeable to tlie officers of the United States 



Honey-Producers' Exchange, we will undertake 

 the expense, and publish reports for Canada 

 along with the others.] 



FIXED DISTANCES IN ENGLAND. 



THE W. B. CARR METAL ENDS. 



In (.rLEANiNGS of Api'il 15 is an article headed 

 "Objections to Fixed Distances." With refer- 

 ence to this matter, I have before written, ad- 

 vocating the use of W. B. C. metal ends, which 

 allow of the frames being placed at any inter- 

 val from IX inches, center to center, to l-^g. See 

 diagram. As regards the question of moving 

 bees with these metal ends, nothing could be 

 more simple. Two strips of wood are laid (one 

 at either end) across the ends of tlie frames 

 over the metal ends; and where it is intended 

 to move frequently, it may have a button to 

 hold the strips; but when it is for only one re- 

 moval, a screw at each end will be all that is 

 needed. Then for the question of propolis: I 

 never have frames glued real fast with the 

 W. B. C. ends; but if I let the ends of the 

 frames rest in a rebate, or rabbet. I am sure to 

 have the frames so fixed as to be quite unable 

 to move them without a lever of some sort. 

 I have had no experience with a closed-end- 

 frame hive; but I should imagine that it is a 

 return to very pi'imitive times, since Huber 

 made a hive which was closed end all round, 

 which is now known as •' Iluber's book-hive." 

 The W. B.'C. ends are not found to be in the 

 way of the knife when uncapping; and, if ow- 

 ing to circumstances of which I have no knowl- 

 edge, they were found to be so, they are remov- 

 ed without much trouble, simply by sliding 

 them off from the end of the frame. I will in- 

 close a diagram of the W. B. C. end, in different 

 positions for wide and naiTow spacing. 



In England the W. B. C. end has whipped 

 very neai'ly every thing else out of the market; 

 and from the description of the Hoffman frame, 

 I imagine that frames fitted with W. B. C. ends 

 would answer in the hands of a novice (juite as 

 well if not better than the Hoffman. 



EXCLUDER ZINC. 



A great deal has been said about excluder 

 zinc. I have lately seen a pattern of Dr. Tin- 

 ker's excluder zinc, and find that the main and 

 only difference between it and some that was 

 described in the July issue of the 1888 Bee- 

 keepers' Record, as made by Messrs. F. Braby, 

 the design of which was stated to have been 

 registered, is that the openings are a degree 

 longer and narrower, and that Dr. Tinker 

 makes his without any " burr." I like Tinker's 

 pattern very much for its better finish: but 

 when I have said that I have said all that I can 

 see to be novel in its construction or design. I 

 think Mr. West's cell-protector a very neat con- 

 trivance, and only wait opi)ortunity to try one. 



THE WATER CURE. 



When I came to your own work. " Wash ye, 

 make you clean," it reminded me that, as I had 

 a very severe cold, I might get clear of it, as I 

 had done on previous occasions, by going to 

 George's Pier-head (salt water) baths, Liver- 

 pool, and have a swim. I did so on Saturday, 

 and woke up Sunday quite free of it. My plan 

 is, to dive three or four times, swim the length 



