1892 



(JLEANINdS IN BEE CULTURE. 



3<)1 



Mr. EI\v(M)d supRosts tliat. tlH> work he t;ik(>ii 

 from Dr. Ivilfv's hands. Even ijrantinf.' tliat 

 this he desirable, it is not praelieal. We surely 

 can not iret a separate Divi-ijon for a|iiciiltiire 

 now. I think, tiionuli. tliat Dr. Ixiley will leave 

 the work almost if not wholly with the apiarist. 

 1 tliink. too, that it would be impossible to stf- 

 i-nre an apiary at Washington. Is it not hotter 

 to hold on to what we have, and not grasp for 

 more and lose all? The other advantagos so 

 well i)resented by Mr. Elwood are seeiired liere 

 as well as liiey would he at Washington. 



I believe Mr. Larrabee is the right man in 

 the right place. I believe that, if he is sustain- 

 ed by th(^ governmcMit and by bee-keepers, he 

 ^\ ill give far more than value i'ei'ei\(^d for the 

 money spent. 1 believe that, if tlie bee-keepers 

 ask this, he will be kejjt at work for a .series of 

 years and will achievi' large results. Is it not 

 worth while for the bee-k(>epers all over the 

 country to write to the Secretary of Agriculture 

 and ask this favor, or, better, rhjlit ' I have 

 no doubt in my own mind of the wisdom of this 

 cour.se. If the bee-ke(^ping public agree with 

 me, and act in the matter, there is but little 

 question that Mr. Larrabee's work will be con- 

 tinued, and real substantial good be the result. 



Agricultural College. Mich. A. J. Cook, 



BEE-KEEPING AFTER THE OLD FASHION IN 

 GERMANY. 



.1, H. GRAVENHORST, OF THE ILLU.STRIERTK 

 BIEXENZEITUXG, TELI.S WHY THE REE- 

 KEEPERS OF GERMANY STICK TO THE 

 OLD STRAW SKEP IN PREFERENCE 

 TO THE MOVABLE-FRAME HIVES. 



Of course, it will seem strange to many read- 

 ers of GLEANING.S. to know that, in one part of 

 North Germany, the old straw skep is to-day 

 the hive most in use; that thousands of pounds 

 of honey are raised in it. and thousands of 

 men earn the greater part of their livelihood by 

 bee-keeping after the old fashion. The mov- 

 able-comb hive is used there by only a few bee- 

 keepers. It is equally strange that there is not 

 a part of (Germany where there is not a bee- 

 keepers' association that did not, besides the 

 fourteen (Jerman bee-journals, recommend the 

 movable-comb hive. If yon were to travel 

 through North Germany, especially the prov- 

 ince of Hannover, the dukedom of Brunswick, 

 etc., then you would see in erc;i/ village or town 

 two, three, or more apiaries, and all run only 

 for jirotit and not for pleasure. 



W hy is it that the owners, I might say with- 

 out any exception, stick to their old hives, their 

 management of bees, and not use the movable- 

 comb hive, and look upon the modern hive as a 

 plaything, like Monsieur Hamet. the late editor 

 of the AiJicultciir at Paris? 



Answering this question, I must say: 1. The 

 hive they use is unsurpassed by any other in 

 regard to wintering bees outdoors, preserving 

 the colonies in the spring and through tin; .rea- 

 son: 2. The hive is very cheap, and can be 

 made by every one: !{. Bee-keepers have learn- 

 ed from infancy to handle their bees in their old 

 hives, consequently they are very familiar with 

 it; have all tricks of management at their fin- 

 gers' ends, so that they use it witliout failure; 

 4. It is the best hive for moving bees; .'j. The 

 management of bees in this hive takes the least 

 time and labor, so that the bee-keepers are able 

 to .sell a pound of honey much cheaper than the 

 movable-comb-hive men. Let me say another 

 word in praise of that right honorable old straw 

 skep that has done much service for the bee- 

 keeping world in the past time, and will do it 

 further, at least in North Germany. If you go 



over Europe yon will meet with this hive in 

 every country, from sunny France to the frozen 

 sliores of Siberia; and almost everywhere the 

 bees thrive in it. even without-any care of men. 

 Who in the civilized world is not ac(|uainted 

 with at least its picture? Von not only find It 

 printed in every l)ook that treats on beei, honey, 

 and wax. but in many other books— yea, on labels 

 and signboards as a symbol. 



THE STRAW SKEP OF GERMANY. 



The cut above shows the reader the hive our 

 German "tixists" have in use. As he will see, 

 it is dome-shaped, nearly 18 inches high, and 

 has a diameter of 10 or more inches. The top 

 has no hole for a super, as these are not in use. 

 If it is necessary to give the bees more room, 

 then the bee-keeper will put one or two straw 

 rings under the hive, and fasten these to the 

 hive with three iron clamps. The entrance is 

 near the head, and this has, by the construction 

 of this hive, many advantages, but it would be 

 of danger for the bees by any movable-comb 

 hive. For want of space I can not explain this; 

 but should the reader understand German, then 

 he may find a full explanation of this and many 

 other things in my bee-book, " Der Praktische 

 Imker." To give the combs in this hive the 

 necessary stability, eight or ten wooden sticks 

 are pushed through the hive from the outside, 

 running parallel with the entrance. Two or 

 three starters are to be pinched between the 

 top and the first set of sticks. These starters, 

 mostly made of fresh and mashed drone comb, 

 run ((crofys the sticks from front to n>ar, so that 

 the combs and spaces ijetween the combs run 

 against the entrance. 



Every bee-keeper in North Germany who 

 u.ses this straw skep goes with .50 to 1(X) and 

 more colonies into his winter quarters. In his 

 house yard he has selected a protected place, 

 and there built a house-apiary. In this he 

 places hives on low shelves, one above the 

 other, so that they are facing .southeast. He 

 knows very well, that not in all, but in some 

 winters, it is of great benefit for his bees to have 

 a cleansing flight in the sun, while there is in 

 the shade too low a temperature for the bees to 

 have a flight without much loss. 



The bee-keepers of North Germany keep their 



