124 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURK 



Many of the colonies in the upper cellar are 

 being fed dry hard candy, and breeding has 

 been going on rapidly ; but, unfortunately, 

 the candy this year had too much honey in 

 it. (See editorial esewhere.) Some of it, 

 and we might say much of it, has been so 

 soft that it ran down on the bees. Fortu- 

 nately, we discoverd it before much damage 

 had been done. But the extreme softness of 

 the candy caused the bees to consume more 

 than was needed for brood-rearing, with the 

 result that signs of dysenteiy began to show 

 on some colonies. Fortunately we had three 

 or four days of warm balmy weather when 

 the bees were taken out of the cellar and 

 given a nice flight. The soft candy was 

 removed, and in the mean time breeding had 

 progressed very satisfactorily in most colo- 

 nies. While the bees are still outside, they 

 will be put inside to avoid the threatened 

 blizzard. More anon. 



We asked our Mr. Mel Pritchard, who 

 has worked our basswood beeyard for some 

 years, how much brood-rearing he had no- 

 ticed in the hives in and out of the cellar 

 for years back. We remarked that some 

 skepticism had been shown to the effect that 

 cellar breeding would result in disaster. 

 " That is a joke," said Mr. Pritchard. " For 

 years and years I have noticed brood in 

 hives in the cellar, sometimes in January 

 and February. This brood hatched out, not- 

 withstanding the colonies had had no flight 

 until they were set out in April." 



We have ourselves observed that breed- 

 ing continues in our cellars. Once or twice 

 we have noticed that our cellared colonies 

 b-ave come out stronger than when they went 

 in. Two years ago this present winter after 

 it turned so cold we put our Carniolan api- 

 ary in our machine-shop cellar in midwinter 

 when it was bitter cold. We placed this 

 yard inside because the colonies were so 

 weak that we knew they would not survive 

 a month outdoors. When we took them out 

 in the spring they were very strong, and 

 the only lot of bees that severe winter that 

 wintered well, while the outdoor bees were 

 weak and dwindling. 



STAXDARDIZATION OF BEEKEEPERS' SUPPLIES. 



A COUPLE of years ago Dr. Burton N. 

 dates. President of the National Beekeep- 

 ers' Association, called attention to the 

 variation in our standard hives and frames 

 as put out by manufacturers throughout the 

 country; that under present conditions the 

 beekeeper was almost under the necessity of 

 continuing with the same style of goods with 

 which he started. 



An effort is being made on the part of 

 manufacturers to standardize goods. For 

 example, more and more the manufacturers 



are adopting the same styles and sizes of 

 shipping-cases. In years gone by, the mul- 

 tiplicity of sizes and styles was most con- 

 fusing to the beekeeper, and expensive for 

 the manufacturers and dealers to maintain. 

 Now the styles and sizes have been reduced 

 to a very few ; and it is to be hoped that the 

 time will speedily come when the beekeeper 

 can buy shipping-cases anywhere, and have 

 them match those he already has on hand. 

 More and more the novelties in hive con- 

 struction are being eliminated. The tenden- 

 cy is most decidedly toward the simple ten- 

 frame Langstroth hive, without portico. 

 Bottom-boards are plainer and stronger, 

 hive-covers are becoming less numerous in 

 design, and the something-new-under-the- 

 sun hive or hives have all but disappeared. 

 'Tis well. 



Incidentally, we believe that the plan 

 suggested by Charles Howell, page 1.51, will 

 do away with one of the odd-sized sections, 

 namely, the 4^/4 x 4%. We see no objection 

 to the plan — on the contrary there are cer- 

 tainly many advantages. The springs, if 

 they are too stiff, must be weakened by 

 being bent backward somewhat ; otherwise 

 the top-bar will be bowed up out of line. 



At the present time there are the ten and 

 eig'ht frame hives, both of which require a 

 complete layout of supers, escape-boards, 

 honey-boards, covers, and bottoms. If the 

 ten-frame hive becomes the standard it will 

 mean a large saving to the manufacturer 

 and dealer as well. Just a few years ago 

 the majority of hives sold Avere the eight- 

 frame. Now the ten-frame outnumbers the 

 former nearly three to one. 



Mr. Louis H. Scholl has something to say 

 about standardization of hives and fixtures; 

 and on this subject he says in this issue, p. 

 129, '' My own experience has taught me 

 that, on the average, a colony in a ten-frame 

 hive is usually just so far ahead of one of 

 eight-frame capacity as the difference made 

 by those two extra frames after the combs 

 are built out." 



The day is not far distant when the eight- 

 frame will be eliminated. The twelve-frame 

 hive may have some advantages, but it is too 

 heavy for the average person to lift. If a 

 larger capacity is needed, it can be easily 

 secured by means of an upper story with 

 half depth or full depth. The ten-frame 

 liive may be made a fifteen-frame or twenty- 

 frame capacity by tiering up with the great 

 advantage of having a unit of such a size 

 that an ordinary man can lift it. The six- 

 teen-frame hive, for example, would requiro 

 two men to handle it; and in these days of 

 outapiary work and moving bees, the unit of 

 hive consti'uction should he of such a size 

 that an ordinary man can handle it. 



