1166 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



plete ; but if the bees can be kept at home, 

 and swarming prevented, we can secure a 

 greater amount of surplus honey. 



I have a plan that I have followed for the 

 last ten years that has proven very success- 

 ful. I had only four swarms this season 

 out of forty colonies. Some colonies will 

 swarm, regardless of what is done to prevent 

 it. I can prevent swarming by cutting the 

 queen-cells; but every beekeeper knows 

 that this is a very troublesome job. 



I control swarming by giving plenty of 

 ventilation to the bees. It is useless to give 

 plenty of supers unless there is also plenty 

 of air. I use the eight-frame dovetailed 

 hive; and before I nail the hive-body to- 

 gether I rijD a piece 5 inches wide off the 



lower side of one of the end pieces, this end 

 that has been ripped is to be the front of the 

 hive. I then put the hive-body together, 

 leaving the five-inch piece out. I saw the 

 dovetails off the five-inch strip, and fasten 



it back in place with two small hinges. 

 This makes a five-inch door the width of 

 the hive, for an entrance door. In hot 

 weather, when my bees begin to get strong 

 in the spring, or at the beginning of the 

 honey-fiow, I open this door and turn it 

 back up against the hive. This gives the 

 bees plenty of air. If there is also plenty 

 of super room there will not be one swarm 

 in ten colonies. With this large entrance it 

 is no trouble for the bees to force plenty of 

 air up into the supers where it is needed 

 in hot weather. I have two small buttons 

 on each side of the door to hold it in place 

 when closed for winter. 



At the close of the honey-flow in order to 

 prevent robbing I close the door to all hives 

 that are weak and not able to guard so 

 large an entrance; but the doors to all 

 strong colonies are left open until winter. 

 These large entrances keep the bees cool 

 and comfortable during hot weather when 

 no honey is coming in, and when the bees 

 are idle. 



I have an Aspinwall hive that has made 

 over 200 lbs. of honey this season. I have 

 had this hive for five years, and the bees 

 have never swarmed; but it is much trouble 

 to take out the dummy frames in the fall 

 and put them back before the honey-flow. 

 During the honey-flow the bees build the 

 comb in the brood-frames clear out even 

 with the edge of the frame; and in the 

 fall, when one takes the dummies out, there 

 is no bee-space left between the frames 

 when crowded up for winter. 



The plan I have given, if pi-operly car- 

 ried out, will nearly do away with swarm- 

 ing. It is the best thing I have found. 



Owingsville, Ky., Aug. 18. 



THE BEE-SUPPLIES USED IN HOLLAND 



BY J. II. J. HAMELBERG 



Considering the population of this coun- 

 try, we are well provided with opportunities 

 for buying our bee-supplies ; but the supply 

 stores furnish only the hives and fixtures 

 used by the majority of the Holland bee- 

 keepers. Those using American hives, as 

 I do, have either to make their own fixtures 

 or order them from the United States, 

 which is rather expensive. 



With the exception of hives and their fix- 

 tures, honey-jars, and comb foundation, 

 most of the articles sold by our dealers in 

 bee-supplies are of German make, and in 

 general they answer all purposes. I do not 

 consider our hives and fixtures the equal to 

 the American jirrduct, for as a rule they 



are much frailer and not so well finished. 

 This can be accounted for by the limited 

 trade, which does not permit the use of 

 such expensive machinery as American 

 manufacturers use. 



I can not understand why our comb foun- 

 dation is so inferior, for American machines 

 or the equivalent of American machines are 

 used in its manufacture. The brood foun- 

 dation here is so thick that only thirteen 

 Danzenbaker frames can be filled from a 

 kilogram (2.2 pounds), and extra - tliin 

 foundation suitable for cections is not 

 manufactured in this country at all. Deal- 

 ers claim that the bees will draw out the 

 wax in this heavv foundation so that thev 



