S46 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



May, 1917 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



the above theories, that we do not know 

 tliat laying workers ever work, in the 

 sense usually meant by that term. That 

 is, we do not know that a field bee ever 

 becomes a laying worker; the little evidence 

 available all points the other way. 



Obtaining data on questions like this 

 is vei-y ditticult owing to the impossibility 

 of controlling the mating of the queens. 

 If the greenhouse experiment alluded lo on 

 another page is a success, the problem 

 would be much simpler. — Ed.] 



Painting Hive-bottoms 



Hive floors or bottoms, whetlier jdaced 

 directly on the ground or on stands of 

 some kind, are more subject to decay than 

 anything else about the apiary. Most bee- 

 keepers, whether they are managing a few 

 colonies or several hundred, seem to think 

 that anything will do for a hive-bottom, and, 

 since it is poorly constructed, is not worth 

 painting. 



Where only a few are to be painted, the 

 same paint that is used on other parts of 

 the hive is all right; but beekeepers who 

 count their colonies by the hundreds should 

 use black rooflng-paint or something similar. 

 This is well suited for this purpose, and not 

 nearly as expensive as the lead and oil 

 paint. There are Isome hive-bottoms in 

 Liveoak County that I dipped eleven years 

 ago. These are still in use. Ordinary coal 

 tar serves very well and is readily secured. 



For several years I have been using a roof 

 and iron paint. The price was 37 cts. per 

 gallon delivered, altho it has advanced now. 

 I have also used water gas-tar, a residue 

 from the manufacture of gas. This costs 

 oidy $4.00 a barrel. It makes a vei-y good 

 coating but requires nearly a month to 

 harden enough to handle on a warm day. 

 This season I added five pounds of pitch to 

 the gallon. This cost me 1% cts. a. pound 

 by the barrel. I hoped that by this method 

 I could get a good thick coat at one opera- 

 tion, while with the tar alone two dippings 

 are reciuired, and the job is prolonged about 

 three weeks for the two operations, besides 

 the extra labor. 



I use a dipping-vat as shown in the illus- 

 ti-ation. This is 24 inches long, 10 inches 

 wide, and 30 inches deep. This vat is seam- 

 ed at the end. The preparation has to be 

 heated over a fire; and to protect, the seam 

 I dig a pit for the fire and lower the vat 

 about 10 inches below the surface of the 

 ground, then plaster all around with mud. 

 The temperature often runs so high as to 

 melt the solder if not protected from the 

 fire. 



The vat sliould never be more than two- 

 thirds full; otherwise, when the temperature 

 runs too high it might boil over. None of 

 these paints seem to be injured by heating, 

 tho it is not necessary to heat more than 

 somewhere near the boiling-point in order 

 to make the liquid thin so that it will pene- 

 trate into every crevice. 



After the boards are dipped, they are 



Dippiiij;' liive-bottomis iu hot roofing paint. 



