64 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



January, 1917 



FROM^; 



HEAP S OF GRAIN l i gOMj ii Ji DIFFERENT FIELDS 



inches for the rest of the year. The loose- 

 swinging frame is the best for this purpose, 

 and I believe for all other purposes except 

 moving; and for moving I use a screen frame 

 on top with small wire nails driven thru the 

 ends of the frame. This is tacked on the 

 hive, and these nails projecting into the top- 

 bars automatically fasten all the frames. 



The bottom of the frames can be held by 

 crowding wads of paper between them. 



Oswego, N. Y. F. H. Cyrenius. 



Would This F'ool Why do bees seem to 

 the Bees? prefer not to build 



comb down to the 

 bottom-bars of frames? If, say, a hundred 

 frames are examined it will generally be 

 found, I think, that in at least 75 per cent 

 of them the bees have left a space between 

 the comb and bottom-bars, sometimes as 

 much as three-quarters of an inch. This 

 occurs, too, where full sheets of foundation 



have been used that, when first put in, 

 nearly touched the bottom-bar. Why is it? 

 I have lately heard a theory suggested that 

 the bees do this so that they can more 

 readily and quickly get from comb to comb. 

 It will be noticed that where natural comb 

 has been built — that is, without the aid of 

 foundation — the bottom edges are made 

 round, and are not, therefore, angular as 

 they are when attached to the bottom-bar 

 of a frame. The bees are thus probably 

 aware that this exactly suits their require- 

 ments and that they are thus able to pass 

 around from side to side expeditiously. Now 

 if this is proved to be the case would it not 

 be better to humor them in this respect and 

 thereby induce them to attach the comb in- 

 variably to the bottom-bar as we wish them 

 to do? If this could be accomplished by 

 having the lower edges of the bottom-bars 

 of frames made rounding, instead of square 

 as at present, it would pay to make the alter- 

 ation. W. J. Sheppard. 

 Nelson, British Columbia. 



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Benny 

 instead of 



THE BACKLOT BUZZER 



BY J. H. DONAHEY 



Applehloxsom' s woman says she's mighty glad the new Gleanings will only come once a 

 every two weeks. Benny always knocks off when it a/rriveS' and jes' calls it a half a 



month now 

 (lay. 



