1911 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



75 



while being moved; and, even if there is a 

 slight movement lengthwise of the bottom- 

 board, no bees can get out, as the entrance- 

 block slides with the hive and is held in 

 place by the above-mentioned side-pieces. 



We use no division-board or follower in 

 our hives, the inside furniture consisting 

 merely of the ten self-spacing Hofifman 

 frames as they are regularly listed. 



We have some covers so built that a thin 

 inner cover is necessary, so that two covers 

 have to be handled at each opening of the 

 hive. There may be some advantages in 

 these double covers, but we have decided 

 there is not enough in them to offset the ex- 

 tra work of handling two instead of one. 

 The Excelsior covers as shown in the en- 

 gravings are very good, and we are now buy- 

 ing that style exclusively. 



VENTILATION DURING HOT WEATHER. 



In Figs. 2 and 3 the covers are raised a 

 little and slid forward until the rear cleat 

 rests on the back of the hive-body. This 

 forms a V-shaped opening the whole length 

 of each side of the hive. This is the way 

 that we ventilate our hives during the time 

 between taking off the early m hite honey 

 and the darker fall flow (in those locations 

 where we get a late flow), and also in loca- 

 tions where no supers are put on the hives 

 after the early white honey is removed. 

 This ventilation is needed during the hot 

 weather following the white honey-flow, for 

 the colonies are rather strong in numbers at 

 this time of the year; and if we were to crowd 

 the bees into a single story they would clus- 

 ter out on the front. We also follow this 

 same plan for ventilation during extremely 

 hot weather during the honey-flow. 



While all, or nearly all, of our hive-bot- 

 toms are reversible, one side having a yi- 



inch entrance and ttie other %, we use the 

 ^-inch side exclusively, depending upon 

 the ventilation at the top, as described, 

 when needed, as we think that the smaller 

 entrance is better at other times. It must 

 be remembered that I am not writing for lo- 

 cations or states south of me, but for my 

 own location, where there are but few hot 

 days when there is need of more ventilation. 

 Remus, Mich. 



BEE-KEEPING 



IN THE HIGHLANDS 

 MEXICO. 



OF 



Yucca-trunk Bee-hives; Running Bees for Wax 

 Only; Bitter Honey. 



BY O. B. METCALFE. 



Continued from last issue, page 50. 



My next stop after leaving Monterey was 

 at San Luis Potosi. Here I soon learned, 

 by making inquiry, of Mexicans about the 

 park, that there were some bees kept in the 

 city, but that in the low hot lands toward 

 Tampico there are a great many bees and 

 professional bee-keepers among the na- 

 tives. However, I could not learn of a sin- 

 gle modern bee-keeper in tbat region. It 

 seems that the native bee-keepers run bees 

 more for wax, the honey being of an inferior 

 quality. 



For a few cents I hired an old Mexican to 

 conduct me to the house of a professional 

 bee-keeper who spends part of the time in 

 San Luis Potosi, and keeps a few stands of 

 bees there, but who has the bulk of his bees 

 at Liones. Figs. 1, 2, 3 were taken at his 

 home in San Luis Potosi, and show, accord- 

 ing to all accounts, the type of hive used in 

 the Tampico region. 



Fig. 1 shows the arrangement of the hives 



Fia. 1. 



-YUCCA-TRUNK BEE-HIVES AT SAN LUIS POTOSI, MEXICO, SHOWING ARRANGE- 

 MENT OF HIVES ON SCAFFOLD ALONG ADOBE WALL. 



