756 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15. 



pensable adjunct to practical bee-keeping in 

 Florida, I hereby send you a ground-plan of 

 my apiary of 112 hives, and also a small pic- 

 ture of the outward form and manner of locat- 

 ing the hives. The shed is octagonal, each 

 side being 16 }4 feet on line outside and with 

 front of hives, except the tvro angles running 

 up to the shop and extracting -room. 



The shed is cheaply constructed. The posts 

 are 3x4 inches, and rest on pine blocks. All 

 the other timbers are 1)^x3, using this size for 

 rafters, ties, and roof-stiips to nail the boards 

 on, which are of cypress, 5 feet long, making 

 the shed about 8 feet wide, so that my hives 

 will lean back about a foot, leaving a walk 3 

 feet wide, as ni}' hives are all 16 inches square, 

 outside. But for the Langstroth hive the shed 

 should be roofed about 10 ft. wide, so that the 

 hives could be placed back under the shed 

 about a foot, leaving about a three-foot pass- 

 age. For ease of handling, the entrance to 



I place my hives on four stakes driven into 

 the ground about six inches, and leave about 

 four inches above ground, so that the hives 

 stand four inches high. I have what I term 

 an " apron " to reach from the entrance to the 

 ground, made of a thin board about six inches 

 wi ie, and as long as the hive is wide. I bevel 

 one eilge to an angle of about 45°, and tack to 

 the hive, letting the other rest on the ground 

 so that, if it warps, it will keep its place to the 

 hive. This is a great help to weary bees. 

 Where something better than stakes is desir- 

 ed, four bricks set on end four inches in the 

 ground, in true mechanical order, are pleasing 

 to see. 



I am unable to see how I ever kept bees so 

 long before building this shed. I can contin- 

 ue my work, rain or shine, often working bare- 

 headed, without gloves or veils, doing a great 

 part of my manipulation sitting, as I have sev- 

 eral stools around the shed. A shed of this 



CRAYCR.\FT"S BEE-SHED, ASTOR PARK, FLORID.V. 



hives should be at the side, so that the opera- 

 tor can work from the side instead of from the 

 end of frames. 



I give no details of material to construct 

 such a shed, as any mechanic can make out 

 that. In regard to the form, it is very com- 

 pact, and a walk around under the shed will 

 show at a glance where attention may be re- 

 quired ; or a step into the passage leading into 

 the inner court will show the section of a 

 swarm issuing. All the work is done from the 

 back of the hive, with very little annoyance 

 from bees coming and going; and, besides all 

 this, I have all supers right up over the hives 

 on the framework, or I can set extra hives for 

 queen-rearing up under the eaves of the shed, 

 as there is sufficient space there so that I can 

 place as many nuclei as I have hives below, 

 which is 112. 



form is far superior to a vine or tree. The 

 shade is always where you need it, and the 

 hives will be always dry and clean. 

 Astor Park, Fla., Aug. 3. 



FULL SHEETS VS. STARTERS IN SECTIONS. 



Comb Honey Better in Flavor than E.xtracted, and 

 Why; Worker Cappings Prettier than Drone. 



BY F. GREINER. 



It was with a great deal of satisfaction that 

 I read friend Aikin's article on the use of 

 comb foundation — in particular the part that 

 touches upon foundation in sections. It is 

 just exactly for the reason that honey built 

 upon foundation is not equal to the natural 



