GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 15. 



va\ plan Is the one used so successfully by the 

 Dadants, Geo. E. Hilton, and others. 



In the articles on clarifying wax with sul- 

 jihuric acid, we did not intend to have the im- 

 pression conveyed that expensive apparatus 

 must be used. However, most of our readers 

 like yourself could readily adapt them to their 

 own use. Steam under pressure is not necessary, 

 but it is a great convenience. I have no doubt 

 you can use the milk-crock for rendering small 

 quantities very nicely. Yes, the acid does have 

 a wonderful effect in improving- the color of 

 wax; and I propose to talk about it until bee- 

 keepers generally will use it. even in rendering 

 out small quantities. It is well known that 

 yellow wax brings several cents more per pound; 

 and the expense of the sulphuric acid is so little 

 in comparison with the returns in dollars and 

 cents, that no intelligent bee-keeper who has 

 very much wax to i-ender should neglect to try 

 it, especially if he has any regard for profit.] 



E. R. 



FIXED FRAMES. 



DR. MIIJ.EU SHOWS HOW THE LO<JSE FRAMES 

 KII.I. MORE BEES. 



Bangs wanted to know on what frame I had 

 settled. 



I said, "I haven't settled. As you know, I 

 am trying several, and I don't know yet which 

 I like best. On what have you settled'?'" 



"Ohl" said he, •"I'm well enough satisfied 

 with the old loose hanging frame. Even if any 

 thing else were better, have you any idea they 

 are enough better to pay for the trouble and 

 vexation of havin' a half-dozen different kinds 

 in your apiary, and throwin' away or chaugin' 

 over all your old ones that have done you good 

 service, and that you know are good?" 



"I've no notion." I replied, "'of changing 

 every thing in a day. For a long time I have 

 been dissatisfied to have my frames ?^ of an 

 inch longer and % of an inch shallower than 

 the Simplicity, although I don't suppose in ac- 

 tual results there will be difference enough to 

 notice; but I should like to be in line with oth- 

 ers, and to have what comes nearest to being 

 standard, if I can do so without too much sacri- 

 fice. So. as fast as any of my hives become too 

 old for good service I want to replace them with 

 Dovetailed hives; and as the frames must also 

 be changed, it is of some importance to find out 

 just what is the best." 



" Well," said Bangs, " what's the matter with 

 just changing the size and having loose frames'? 

 If I remember rightly, it was a man just about 

 your size that once told me he wouldn't tolerate 

 a frame that he couldn't move about in a hive 

 as he pleased." 



" Yes," I said, " I did say so; but we are learn- 

 ing all the time. At that time, the only advan- 

 tage I could see in fixed frames was the con- 

 venience of having them always ready for 

 hauling without any danger of having frames 

 swing or slide out of place. While that is a 

 very important matter to some, it is not so 

 much so to me. for I live in a rather level coun- 

 try, and can haul my hives without having the 

 loose hanging frames fastened otherwise than 

 by propolis. Still, thei'e are times when fixed 

 frames would be better, for sometimes I should 

 like to opi'U a hivi- before hauling it away in 

 the spring, but can not do so without breaking 

 up the fastening of bee-glue. But there were 

 other things that I did not realize at that time. 

 Now, Bangs, will yo>i please tell me some of 

 your objections to fixed frames?" 



"IMl give you one objection.'" said Bangs, 

 ■' thafs enough to knock the whole business. It's 

 this. If the distance is fixed, all combs must be 



just so far apart from center to center, no mat- 

 ter how thick the. combs be. and no matter 

 whether they are bulgin" or hollowin". Now, 

 you know well enough that some combs are dif- 

 ferent fi'om othei's, and one ought to have a 

 chance to space them different."' 



I didn't make any reply, and for a few min- 

 utes we talked about something else. I then 

 said, "Bangs, how far from center to center do 

 you think brood-combs ought to be spac<;d 

 apart?" 



"Scant 1M»" said he. "Mine are all that 

 distance." 



"Don't you think it would be handy," said I, 

 " to have some arrangement by which you could 

 be sure that your frames were always properly 

 spaced, without any danger of mistake?" 



" No," said he, "I wouldn't give a cent for any 

 thing of the kind. I'm so used to it that I can 

 space them exact just by letting a finger of each 

 hand be squeezed just so much." 



Said I, "Are you sure that all your frames, 

 every one of them, are so exactly spaced?"' 



" Yes, sir.'" said he, emphatically ; "you may 

 look through my hives, and measure between 

 the top-bars, and you'll find them alike all 

 through." 



"Now, see here, Bangs," said I, "if you try 

 to space all frames at exact distances, what be- 

 comes of your objection to fixed distances that 

 you can't space according to your combs? Ac- 

 cording to your own story, you try to have fixed 

 distances now, without the convenience of doing 

 it quickly, and being sure that it is entirely 

 exact.'" 



He looked down for a minute and scratched 

 his head, and then, like the good-natured fel- 

 low that he was, he broke out into a hearty 

 laugh. " Well," said he, "I don't know that it 

 ever came to me before that I was using any 

 thing like fixed distances. I guess you've got 

 me. But I'll tell you another objection that you 

 can't get over so easy. Whatever toggery you 

 use to keep your frames at fixed distances, 

 you're sure to kill a lot of bees: and with loose 

 frames, they don't touch, so you can"t kill any 

 bees." 



"I'm not so sure," said I. "You know that 

 it is claimed that, by having the right space 

 made exact, together with thick top-bars, there 

 are no burr or brace combs. Now, don't you 

 believe that your burr-combs make more trotible 

 than the end-bars touching together, if it is 

 true that such burr-combs can be avoided?" 



"Why, no,"" said he, "I didn't suppose so." 



"Well, you think about it. Bits of comb and 

 honey are put without stint between the top- 

 bars, and when a bee gets to licking up honey 

 in such a place, you must give her a pretty 

 rough squeeze, perhaps several of them, before 

 she is ready to move on. Then when you go to 

 replace your honey-board it's still worse. Yoti 

 can't see what you are doing: and unless you 

 go very slowly and carefully you are sure to 

 kill a number of bees, probably more than you 

 ever know of; for by the next time you open 

 the hive the dead bees are all cleared away. 

 Now, suppose the only chance to kill bees is by 

 having the end-bars come together; don't you 

 see there is less surface comes together, even if 

 the whole of the end-bars touch, than the com- 

 bined surfaces of burr and brace combs that 

 come together between top-bars, and between 

 top-bars and honey-board? But even if the 

 space between end-bai's were much greatei-. you 

 know very well that a little touch will make a 

 bee get out of the way when it is standing on 

 the bare wood of the end-bar: whereas you may 

 mash it sometimes before it will get out of the 

 way when on a spot daubed with honey." 



" Well, now," said Bangs, " I guess it's jest 

 accordin' to how we're used to things. Mebbe 



J 



