1068 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 15 



ed one way as another. This matter has 

 been a nuisance to me, both in buying and 

 selling bees. 



Now in regard to the top-bar, I do not 

 want a bar g inch thick. A bar 1| wide and 

 I thick suits me far better, and I have no 

 more burr and brace combs with such a bar 

 than with one i thick; and I do not want any 

 comb-guide nor saw-kerf and wedge, for 

 either starters or full sheets can be fastened 

 to a plain bar with melted wax much quick- 

 er and more securely than with a saw-kerf 

 and wedge; and a molded top-bar, or one 

 with a comb-guide, is a nuisance to clean. 



After further experience I have decided 

 that I want a top-bar full length. Staples 

 and a short bar work all right in hives that 

 are straight and true; but if a hive is warp- 

 ed or gaped at the corners it is a different 

 matter. I also want the top-bar to run out 

 full width clear to the end. As now made 

 they give a better chance for one to insert 

 the fingers at the ends; but these small ends 

 with me often break off, and then the bar is 

 ruined. 



Another advantage of small ends is that 

 the bees do not have such a chance to stick 

 them to the end of the hive as they do with 

 a bar that is full width at the end; but this 

 advantage can be had without weakening 

 the bar at the end, by simply cutting off each 

 corner, so that just a point of the end-bar 

 touches the end of the hive. I pointed the 

 ends of about 500 frames in this way last 

 winter, and after one season's use I can see 

 no fault with the plan. It gives the bees no 

 chance to fasten the end of the top-bar to 

 the end of the hive, and the frame is not 

 weakened in the least, for it is left full 

 width where it rests on the rabbet. 



Southern Minnesota. 





HOFFMAN FRAME ESPECIALLY ADAPTED 

 TO INCOMPETENT HELP. 



Hoffman Frame Come to Stay. 



BY H. H. HYDE. 



Mr. Root: — I have read your symposium 

 on Hoffman frames; and as I have been an 

 advocate of a special form of that frame I 

 feel that I must have a word to say. 



In reply to Mr. Green, page 930, I wish to 

 say that division-boards are worse than use- 

 less in ten-frame hives, and I do not approve 

 of their use in eight-frame hives. Where 

 bees are run for extracted honey we use 

 only 7 frames in an eight-frame hive, and 8 

 or 9 in a ten-fame hive. If we desire to use 

 the frames for brood-combs we carefully 

 scrape the edges of the projecting end-bars, 

 and then they are ready for the brood-cham- 

 bers. In fact, once a year we go through 

 our bees and scrape off all surplus propolis 

 from the hives and frames. We do this in 

 the spring of the year, and we thus have 

 clean hives and frames to manipulate during 

 the busy season. To scrape the bees thor- 

 oughly is not nearly the job you might im- 

 agine it to be. One man can easily clean 



from 25 to 50 colonies per day, and he ought 

 to get nearly enough wax to pay for the 

 work ; but if he does not, we get the money 

 back in time saved later on in manipulations. 



On page 931 Mr. de Beche remarks on the 

 excellence of the Hoffman frame, especially 

 where hired help is to be considered. Where 

 much of the work is dependent on hired 

 help I can not see how any one can get 

 along without Hoffman frames. I know 

 that we can not here in Texas. Again, 

 when it comes to moving or shipping bees, 

 or practicing migratory bee-keeping, the 

 Hoffman is the only hanging frame that we 

 can at all consider. Referring further to 

 his mention of propolis, I will say that, if 

 properly made hives are used, and Hoffman 

 frames too, and both hives and frames are 

 well cleaned each year, the manipulations of 

 the Hoffman frames will be a pleasure in- 

 deed. 



Please note F. Rauchfuss' opinion of the 

 Hoffman frame on page 933, and he agrees 

 with me exactly. Give me long top-bar 

 frames and square edges on the end-bars, no 

 matter how bad propolis is; for by proper 

 spring sci'aping you can keep your frames 

 easy to manipulate at all times. 



Allow me to reiterate my formerly ex- 

 pressed preference for frames having a top- 

 bar only I in. thick. These are thick enough 

 to prevent any sagging, and we do not have 

 any more brace-combs with top-bars J inch 

 thick and 1 inch wide than we do with the 

 heavier article. We save just this much 

 wood and get the brood that much nearer 

 to the supers. When it comes to bottom- 

 bars, give me one at least f inch wide and g 

 thick; then we have a bar that will stantl 

 the racket. This, with long tops for the 

 top-bars, and square edges on the end-bars, 

 constitutes the ideal Hoffman brood-frame. 



To discontinue the use of the Hoffman 

 frame would be a step backward in the wrong- 

 direction. That frame is here to stay, and 

 I for one am glad of it. We have used it 

 for comb and extracted honey largely, hav- 

 ing operated as high as 1200 colonies of 

 bees, and we have not found it wanting. 

 Keep them going, and you will make no 

 mistake. 



NO DANGER OF POISONING BEES FROM PAR- 

 IS GREEN SPRAYED ON COTTON. 



I have noticed during the present season 

 one or two requests for information, and 

 your replies, in regard to the use of Paris 

 green or other poisons on cotton, and note 

 that the editor is of the opinion that bees 

 may be poisoned by working on cotton poi- 

 soned to kill insects. I wish to inform you 

 that such is not the case, and I do not be- 

 lieve that there is an authentic case on rec- 

 ord where bees were poisoned by working 

 on poisoned cotton. Several years ago while 

 in Williamson Co., the leading cotton county 

 in the State, each fall the cotton was poi- 

 soned for the army-worm, and our bees 

 worked heavily on the cotton, and so did all 

 the bees in the entire country roundabout; 

 and so far as I know there were never any 



