56 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



of the hives. This 

 ing the cleats nin 

 year we have provided 

 against this by mak- 

 lengthwise, and by 

 l^roviding stops or 

 cleats nailed on the 

 bottom inside edge of 

 the rim or case itself. 

 These projections rest 

 on the bottom or floor 

 so that the case itself 

 will not slip down, 

 bringing the outer en- 

 trances out of align- 

 ment with the inside. 



In Fig. 5 will be 

 seen a bale of pine 

 shavings. These can 

 be secured, where one 

 has neglected to gath- 

 er together a lot of 

 dry leaves, at about 25 

 cents a bale at a livery stable. It takes 

 about a bale and a half to pack four hives. 

 The expense is not great, because the shav- 

 ings can be used over and over again, win- 

 ter after winter. 



Our winter case is made so we can take 

 it apart in panels and pack it in the flat to 



Fig. 5. 



Fig. 6. 



save room; but we prefer to put it together 

 with common wood screws as shown in Fig, 

 6, with the idea of leaving them together 

 year in and year out at the yard where they 

 are used. 



It is Mr. Holtermann's plan to leave 

 these cases assembled. In unpacking he 

 removes the cover, turning it upside down. 

 He shovels the sliavings on top on to the 

 cover, lifts the four hives off, piles the 



-The four hives in position, the regular covers removed, leaving only 

 the super covers, so that the hives may be close together. 

 (This picture shows our former construction.) 



shavings back in the case, and then places 

 the case at the outer edge of the yard, to 

 stay there for the season. The four hives 

 removed are put back in the same position, 

 but ten or twelve inches apart to afford 

 convenience in handling the bees during the 

 summer. Mr. Holtermann says that where 

 one takes down his 

 cases every season he 

 loses his packing ma- 

 terial and enormously 

 increases the labor of 

 packing and unpack- 

 ing; and there is no 

 reason why one should 

 take down the cases 

 usless he desires to re- 

 move them to an out- 

 yard. The idea of 

 winter cases is to keep 

 them in one place, 

 year in and year out, 

 using them as a sort 

 of windbreak around 

 the apiary during 

 summer. 



In the front cover 

 picture there are shown nearly fifty pack- 

 ing cases of the Holtermann type. At three 

 of our outyards there were no windbreaks, 

 and as protection from wind is very impor- 

 tant — as much so as packing — we decided 

 to haul the bees home and pack at the home 

 yard wliere we have ample windbreaks in 

 the form of factory buildings and ever- 

 greens. We consider a good windbreak 

 next lo packing. 



-An automatic, screwdriver for putting in the screws at the 

 corners of the case. 



