GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 15. 



them at their option. Any of these things 

 cost in the first place. While bees at the 

 close of the season may paste propolis at the 

 juncture of the paper with the sections, to 

 prevent wax-moths or worms from secreting 

 themselves under the paper on the top of the 

 sections, they do not paste on its surface be- 

 tween the sections as they do with the other 

 fixings. 



It was the comparative freedom from pro- 

 polis when properly applied that has proved 

 its value here on my own hives which, as there 

 are no rabbets or open spaces requiring much 

 gluing, may make some difference, for I have 

 seen L. hives covered with enameled sheets, 

 with tin rabbets stuck even full of propolis. 



is more valuable, as we use new sections rather 

 than clean up the old. However, I think it is 

 nearer correct to say that the sections are 

 praclically free from propolis, or sufficiently so 

 to justify the use of the paper in the time 

 saved alone; of time cleaning sections where 

 it is not used; but this is mentioned only as a 

 compensation to offset the time taken to put 

 it ( n. But it was not intended to be the lead- 

 ins; advantage — only a secondary one. 



The chief owe was that it renders the supers 

 air-tight at once, when properly placed, thus 

 sparing thovisands of bees to go afield that 

 might be needed to keep up the necessary heat 

 in the su])er without it. While saving other 

 bees from gathering so much propolis before 



MORTON'S PORTABLE HOUSE-APIARY — INTERIOR VIEW. 



To-day I examined here my last supers taken 

 off, and there was simply a line of pure wax 

 at the juncture of the paper and edge of the 

 .sections. It could all be wiped off the entire 

 super of sections vith apiece of section, when 

 they were ready to pack in cases, and the 

 .same set of mats had been used during April 

 and May in North Carolina, then two weeks 

 in Washington, and six weeks in Virginia. 

 Many of them had been taken off and used 

 seven and eight times, and are good yet. 

 Heavier, tougher paper like flour-sacks, dou- 

 ble coated, might be as strong and tough as 

 enamel sheets, at one-third the cost. 



But in using the lighter paper, single coated, 

 at2cts.,it is intended to use it but once or 

 twice, so that it may be as well to tear it off 

 and use clean sheets to clean it off when time 



work could begin in the supers at all in a cold 

 spell, it might save a week or more in the 

 starting in the supers, and pay a hundred 

 times its cost, even if a new sheet had to be 

 used each time. 



Washington, D. C, Oct. 31. 



["It never rains but it pours." Perhaps 

 friend Danzenbaker will think so when he 

 reads the following editorial from the Cana- 

 dian JJee Jon Dial for November. Here is the 

 item : 



Ourb;et}iren (or, rather, .rawc of our brethren) ou 

 the other side of the line have been advocating paraf- 

 fine paper over the sections to prevent the bees from 

 propolizing the sections. We do not hesitate to say 

 that no bee-keeper, anxious to produce first-class hon- 

 ey in .sections, and willing to master that business, 

 .should use such paper. In the first place, it is not nec- 

 essary so far as propolizing is concerned; and in the 



