1904 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



969 



We have just heard of a case in which an obstinate 

 owner "is keepinjr a district infected," and who said to 

 the local expert who offered (o treat the bees free of 

 charpre— "I know nothinir about the disease, and I don't 

 w»int to. I don't cai-e about my neighbors' bees. I 

 have no intention to trouble myself, and I won't allow 

 any one to touch my hives." 



The matter has been hotly discussed in the 

 British Bee Journal, but I do not under- 

 stand that the editors of that paper are un- 

 conditionally opposed to a foul-brood law for 

 England— I hope not. If no repressive 

 measures were used in this country, foul 

 brood would be almost universal; whereas it 

 now cuts but little figure, and that in small 

 spots. The plague is thoroughly licked here. 



HAVING THE BEES BUILD STRAIGHT WORKER 



COMB FROM NARROW STRIPS OF BROOD 



FOUNDATION, AND AT THE SAME TIME 



GET A CROP OF SECTION HONEY. 



' ' How long have you been in the bee busi- 

 ness, Mr. Doolittle?" 



" I commenced keeping bees in the spring 

 of 1869, or 35 years ago last spring. But 

 why did you wish to know, Mr. Green?" 



"That was before the advent of comb 

 foundation, was it not?" 



"Yes." 



" Could you get your combs built straight 

 in the frames before you used foundation?" 



"Not at first, till I learned how." 



"Thinking that you might have tried to 

 get straight worker comb built without the 

 use of comb foundation was the reason for 

 my asking you how long you had been in the 

 bee business. And now I want you to tell 

 me just how you worked for straight work- 

 er combs before the days of foundation, as 

 I wish to prepare my frames for next year 

 during the fall and winter, thus having them 

 all in readiness for use next season. I tried 

 a few colonies at comb-building last sum- 

 mer, and got a lot of crooked combs, quite 

 a share of which was of the drone size of 

 cell." 



" As a starting-point toward straight comb 

 we used to stick strips of worker comb to 

 the under side of the top-bar to the frames; 

 but as a strip of worker-comb foundation 

 half an inch wide is much more preferable, 

 I should certainly purchase enough founda- 

 tion for this purpose." 



' ' How do you cut the foundation into 

 these half-inch strips?" 



" I pile half a dozen sheets together, then 

 lay on a straight-edge, having a block under 

 each end of the right thickness, so that only 

 enough pressure will come on the foundation 

 to hold it in place, the most of the pressure 

 coming on the blocks. Without these blocks 



the foundation would be smashed together 

 so as to injure it." 



"That solves one of my troubles, for in 

 trying to cut more than one sheet at a time 

 I have jammed the side walls to the cells all 

 into each other. How about the cutting?" 



" Having all fixed ready, take a very thin 

 table-knife and grind it very sharp. Soak 

 a rag with kerosene oil, and then draw your 

 knife across this rag once or twice before 

 you try to cut the foundation. Then with a 

 quick motion draw the knife along the 

 straight-edge, not bearing on too hard. If 

 you draw it quickly enough the friction 

 caused will warm the knife and cause the 

 kerosene to lubricate it so that you will have 

 a smooth perfect cut, the edges shining like 

 glass after the cut has been made." 



"Well, that is a kink worth knowing, for 

 I have always about mauled mine off. Now, 

 how do you get it on the under side of the 

 top-bar of the fi-ames where you wish it?" 



"The first thing you want is a lamp, a 

 tin dish, a spoon, and some wax or paraffine. 

 Put the tin dish over the lamp and the wax, 

 and spoon in the dish. When the wax is 

 melted, turn the wick of the lamp up or 

 down, as the case may be, till you are able 

 to keep the wax a little alaove the melting- 

 point all the while." 



* ' I have always melted wax over the 

 kitchen stove; but I can see an advantage 

 in this way of having things just where I 

 wish them, and in regulating the heat. 

 This will help me in many ways." 



" Besides this wax part you will want a 

 light board having a handle on it, a little 

 larger than your frame, outside measure. 

 Near one edge of this board you will nail a 

 strip about two inches wide, that is a little 

 shorter than the inside of your frame under 

 the top-bar, and a little less than half the 

 thickness that your top-bar is wide, so that, 

 when your frame is laid on the board, and 

 the under side to the top-bar pressed up 

 against this strip, your half-inch strip of 

 foundation will come just in the center of 

 the bar to the frame, when the foundation 

 is laid on this strip and placed up against 

 the under side of the top-bar. Do you see 

 how this is done?" 



" Yes, I can see that part." 



' ' Now di'ive two nails part way in, just at 

 the edge of the board your frame lies on, 

 and in such a place and shape that, when 

 you lay your frame against these nails, it 

 will slip right up to the strip the foundation 

 is to be laid on, without any holding or 

 trouble on your part, further than to drop 

 in the frame. Do you get that?" 



"Yes." 



"Now make two more boards like the 

 first, and fix all three on your bench so that 

 the top-bar to the frame and the foundation, 

 when in place, will form a V-shaped trough, 

 one end of which is to be considerably high- 

 er than the other. We are now ready for 

 our work of putting on the strips of founda- 

 tion which are to be the comb-guides. Drop 

 the frame in place. Lay the strip of foun- 

 dation on the narrow strip of wood, and 



