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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



the liiililer and older hives had not moved 

 at all to speak of; and the few heavier and 

 newer frames that slid over to one side of 

 the hive did no injury at all. The bees 

 simply clustered at the empty side. One 

 hive we overlooked till fruit-bloom, and 

 found the combs over to one side; yet that 

 colony was thriving, and had about as mucti 

 brood as any other. We moved tliree loads 

 this way on common hayracks, with a little 

 liay under the hives, and lost no bees, broke 

 no combs, and no queen was killed. People 

 around here said, '• Those people will ruin 

 their bees hauling I hem so far. The combs 

 will all break down." 



That was seven years ago; and since then 

 we have kept outyards, moving bees each 

 spring and fall. 



Now, if the manufacturer of hives could 

 see the hives with combs in as the farmer 

 with a few hives invariably has them, I 

 don't know whether he would attach much 

 importance to the kind of frames. It seems 

 to me lie might decide against frames of any 

 kind. I have picked up quite a lot of bives 

 from farmers through the country, in the 

 last 20 years, and 1 have yet to find my first 

 one with straight combs huilt in the frames. 

 I have found only one or two that were 

 enough in the frames to enable me on a hot 

 day to pry around so as to get the combs 



out at all, and they had to go back just as 

 I hey came out, being too crooked to be inter- 

 changeable. Last year I bought one with 

 the dummy in the middle of the brood- 

 chamber and four frames on each side of it ! 



I am giving my experiences with loose 

 frames as above for what it may be worth 

 to ihe beginner. If you think you must 

 ha^e self-spacing frames to haul by wagon, 

 in any locality where propolis is reasonably 

 plentiful, you are mistaken ; and I consider 

 the loose hanging frame much more desir- 

 able for real practical honey production, 

 where time and labor must be used to best 

 advantage, and it is hardly necessary to add 

 that we never think of fastening a frame, 

 and have never had a dollar's damage from 

 moving. We usually lift the covers, espe- 

 cially of the heavy hives, after moving; and 

 if the fram.es are slid around a little we 

 straighten them up; but it does not injure 

 brood, bees, nor queen to have them do so. 

 We have moved bees twice in Augxist, when 

 propolis was thinnest, without fastening 

 frames, and no injurious results followed. 

 I would not consider a self-spacer necessary 

 for any wagon-hauling reasonable distances 

 or on reasonably good roads. Our hives 

 are the regular dovetailed, with metal rab- 

 bets. 



Du«lap, Iowa. 



BY RAY C. WILCOX 



My first experience with bees was during 

 the summer of 1906, when. I attemj^ted to 

 care for five colonies owned by a neighbor 

 who was more afraid of them than I. The 

 ricighbor had a sm^okcr, a pair of gloves, 

 and a veil, as well as a few empty frame 

 hives for use at " swarming time." I was 

 not just sure when " swarming time " was, 

 but had h^'ard that bees swarm, so I cleaned 

 up the hives and waited. At last a fine 

 swarm issued, and settled on a large limb of 

 a valuable apple-tree. The owner declared 

 that the limb must not be cut, and that the 

 bees would have to go. Thereupon I impro- 

 vised a swarm-catcher in the shape of a 

 large pail, which I held under the cluster 

 while the owner gave the limb a vigorous 

 shake. Most of the bees fell into the pail 

 and were immediately thrown on a cloth in 

 front of the prepared hive which tliey en- 

 tered. 



If more swarms issued they escaped un- 

 seen; but the bees interested me; and, 

 besides, gave a neat surplus of honey, con- 

 sidering the effort expended. I decided that 



I must have some bees of my own, and that 

 decision was develojoed into a resolution 

 when I found that one of my most intimate 

 friends was interested in bee culture, and 

 had obtained several copies of Gleanings. 

 Some of the latter I borrowed, and forth- 

 with became a real beginner. 



In April, 1907, I bought four of the colo- 

 nies I had tended the previous summer. As 

 they were less than half a mile from my 

 home I had no great difficulty in moving 

 them, altliough at the time it seemed like a 

 great undertaking. In reality it proved quite 

 simple. I closed the entrances one evening 

 with screen Avire, and placed the hives in a 

 spring wagon. A few minutes later they 

 were safely placed on their new stands. 



As much of my time when not in school 

 was taken up on the farm of my father, my 

 growth as a beekeeper and the increase of 

 the bees Avere slow; but by the spring of 

 1910 I had accumulated about 20 colonies. 

 My friend referred to above had a few more. 

 As Ave Avere but a few mile'; from a good 

 buckwheat location I proposed that we 



