JANUARY 1, 1916 



would make an ideal one. I took it to a 

 lithographic artist, who lettered it, and got 

 a half-tone made, which 1 reproduce. The 

 same label can do also for cans. Another 



25 



point worthy of attention is that a similar 

 block can be utilized by the beekeeper when 

 his circulais are printed — note paper, bill- 

 heads, envelopes, etc. 

 Stone, Staffs, England. 



JOTTINGS ON BEE-YARD EFFICIENCY 



BY E. E. STERNER 



I have shade-boards on all my hives to and a weak or worn-out bee is no good 

 protect the colonies from the hot sun. I anyway. 



believe that every hive ought to have a Grass ought to be kept cleaned away 



shade-board in winter as well as in summer. from around the hives. Why? Bee-moths 

 In summer it keeps oft' 

 the hot sun ; in winter 

 it keeps off the snow 

 and prevents the cover 

 from rotting. 



In the illustration 

 the pole I hold in my 

 hand has an old lard- 

 can attached. It is one 

 of the best swarm- 

 catchers in the world 

 for a home apiaiy. I 

 would not give ten 

 cents for a manufac- 



tured swarm - catcher. 

 They are too small in 

 the first place, and 

 they ought to be at- 

 tached rigidly to the 

 pole so they will not 

 swing. 



Hives should not rest upon the ground, 

 but should stand about eight or nine inches 

 above it, as these in the illustration do. 

 What will you do with the bees that fall to 

 the ground? A strong bee will fly up again, 



Hives should stand nearly a foot above ground. 



as well as toads have their hiding-places. 

 You . never see a butterfly or toad around 

 my apiaiy. I keep my hives above ground 

 and cut down all long grass. 

 Wrightsville, Pa. 



HIVES USED IN CENTRAL EUROPE 



BY ERNEST TSCHUDIN 



Bees are not particular about the kind or 

 shape of their home, provided it affords 

 sufficient shelter and room for building 

 combs. This fact is confirmed by the many 

 kinds of hives used. Almost every material 

 fit for making receptacles has been used for 

 hives — earthenware, basketwork, cork, 

 straw, wood, etc. Of these materials straw 

 has been the most popular for a long time 

 in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland ; and 

 even now, after the frame hive has been 

 known there for a lifetime, straw skeps are 

 still in use to some extent. 



In the majority of cases the skep owners . 

 are farmers who keep a few colonies and 

 are satisfied to reap what they can get with 



least trouble and fewest stings. Usually a 

 specialist — a practical beekeeper — has to 

 visit the skep owners in his neighborhood 

 in early spring to cut out the surplus hon- 

 ey. I still remember such a scene I wit- 

 nessed in childliood on my grandfather's 

 farm in northern Switzerland. The skeps 

 were taken from their shelves in the bee- 

 house, and turned upside down. The bot- 

 tom-board was lifted, smoke from the pipe 

 was blown in, and the operation began. 

 The skeps in question have a diameter of 

 about 20 inches, and are about 12 inches 

 high. 



As the combs do not reach quite down to 

 the bottom-board they remain undisturbed 



