1900 



GI.EANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



475 



viciousness. I well remember how, in past 

 years, Mr. Wilkin used to keep his numerous 

 colonies without shade in hot inland canyons 

 where the temperature in heated spells would 

 be 110 to 115 in the shade. In the hottest 

 weather he would ventilate at the covers. I 

 remember a few cases of melting down ; but 

 the percentage was very small. So far as evap- 

 oration in the shade is concerned, it would go 

 on better in the dry air of his Sespe canyon, 

 for instance, than in the humid warm summer 

 air of the Eastern States. But I bring up Mr. 

 Wilkin's case for illustration, not for argu- 

 ment against you. He might now agree with 

 you. There must be some basis for shaping 

 definite principles regarding shade and sun- 

 shine whereby there need be no disagreement 

 or vagueness of views, each applying the prin- 

 ciples to the different conditions of climate, 

 and thus harmonizing what would otherwise 

 seem to be opposing views. 

 Monterey, Cal., May 2. 



[Of course, this is a question that hinges a 

 good deal on locality. In some places, per- 

 haps shade would be a positive detriment — es- 

 pecially so if it reduces the number of fanners 

 that would be required to keep up the requi- 

 site amount of evaporation of the nectar. But 

 in this locality, and for most localities, I do 

 not believe there would be any danger along 

 these lines. Here, for instance, the summers 

 are very warm, and we have been told they 

 are almost as warm as they are in the extreme 

 south. This, taken together with the sultri- 

 ness of the atmosphere, and the almost entire 

 absence of breeze at times, very often causes 

 the bees to hang out in bunches in front of 

 the hives if they are not properly protected 

 by shade or sufficiently wide entrances. Many 

 and many a time I have seen these single-wall- 

 ed hives out in the open, that had almost all 

 the bees on the outside of the hive. There 

 were a few fanners at work, but they seemed 

 to be discouraged. A cluster of bees would 

 hang all over the entrance, and nearly close it. 

 In this way they would loaf for several days, 

 and pretty soon the swarming fever comes on, 

 and then they are good for nothing the rest of 

 the season or until they have swarmed. 



As you probably know, I do not advocate 

 excessive shade. I would have the hives in 

 our locality in a grove of young trees, or mod- 

 erate-sized ones, and so situated that the rays 

 of the sun will strike the hives at about nine 

 o'clock and again at three. As our trees do 

 not leave out until the middle of May, the 

 automatic shade does not come on before it is 

 required. In a word, I have advocated shade 

 for localities like our own, to keep the bees 

 from boiling out in front of the hive, and 

 hanging in great clusters loafing, and clogging 

 the entrance. For that reason I have advocat- 

 ed wider entrances and moderate shade. Un- 

 der these conditions, if I have made no mis- 

 take in my observations, the fanners can do 

 their work comfortably and easily, and a full 

 force of them will keep up the air currents, 

 and all the bees will be either in the hives or 

 out in the fields. 



Where we have colonies out in the open, we 



arrange to have them in double-walled hives, 

 with a chaff cushion on top ; and I am not 

 sure but this arrangement, all things consider- 

 ed, is the best for comb honey ; for the double 

 walls with packing on top retain the heat over 

 night, permitting the bees to keep right on 

 with their work in the supers. But such 

 hives are, to a greater or less extent, unwieldy, 

 inconvenient to move to outyards, take up 

 room in the apiary, and, more than all, are 

 more expensive. — Ed.] 



SUPER SPRINGS, INTRODUCING-CAGES, ETC. 



When and by Whom were they Introduced ? a 

 Practical Form of Super Spring. 



BY W. D. WRIGHT. 



Some time ago I noticed in Gi^eanings that 

 there was some question as to who originated 

 super springs. I will not attempt to decide 

 that point. I will say, however, that I first 

 saw them in use by the Hetheringtons, some 

 time before I used them. These were fiat 

 steel springs, similar to a piece of clock-spring; 

 and, if I remember correctly, thej^ were about 

 yi or )4 inch wide, and fastened to the follow- 

 er. The round wire spring was original with 

 me (and may have been with others also), 

 and I shall claim priority until antedated 



Mr. Danzenbaker probably saw my clamp- 

 spring at Mr. Mendleson's, as he took a sam- 

 ple home with him when he returned to Cali- 

 fornia from the East, a few years ago, and ex- 

 pressed himself as much pleased with them. 



,BACK. 



I send you a photograph of the identical 

 clamps, springs, and separators, built by me in 

 the spring of 1883. At that time I constructed 

 about 300 of these clamps, have used them 

 more or less ever since, and have used no oth- 

 er for several years past. According to recent 



