GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



February, 1921. 



where we least desire them. A looping of 

 one wire over another is much more likely 

 to cause such trouble than is a plain cross- 

 ing of wires. 



Several have suggested Mr. Eoot 's plan, 

 but having the ends of the diagonal wire 

 attached to the bottom-bar instead of the 

 end-bar. 



H. M. Tarbox, Brattleboro, Vt„ and others 

 have suggested making two holes in the 

 bottom-bar and bringing the wires over the 

 corners, thus stiffening the bottom wires 

 (Fig. 13). This method works well if the 

 wires are drawn tightly without springing 

 the bottom-bar too much. 



The Plan We Like Best. 



After having spent considerable time and 

 expense in trying out many promising plans, 

 the one that we have finally decided most 

 satisfactory is a slight variation of the 

 "thousand-dollar trick." The frame is 

 pierced in the usual way with four holes in 

 each end-bar, but in addition to this there 

 is a 3/16 inch slot at the lower end of each 

 end-bar. 



Holding the frame with top-bar down the 

 frame is wired horizontally thru the slots 

 and pierced holes in the end-bars in the order 

 indicated by the numbers (Fig. 14) and the 

 wire is fastened at 10. The foundation is 

 then placed on top of the horizontal wires, 

 a tack driven thru the foundation and part 

 way into the side of the groove in the top- 



bar. The wire next the bottom-bar is then 

 made slack and slipped over the tack at A 

 and after being drawn taut is fastened at 1, 

 after which the tack in the top-bar is driven 

 clear in, the wedge tacked in place and the 

 wire imbedded electrically. 



If imbedded too deeply the wires cut the 

 foundation, the bees make the holes still lar- 

 ger and then build in drone comb; there- 

 fore we advise that the wires be imbedded 

 only on the surface of the foundation. Last 

 summer we had hundreds of frames wired 

 as shown in Figure 14, with no trouble from 

 stretching or buckling of foundation. Nor 

 were there any drone-cells at the crossing of 

 the wires when the foundation was imbed- 

 ded properly. On the whole we have found 

 the plan a good one and one that requires 

 but little extra work. 



A Concluding Word. 



The plans of wiring given in this article 

 are only a few of the very many submit- 

 ted. But some of these were the same, or so 

 similar to some one of the plans mentioned 

 above, that it would have been mere repeti- 

 tion to print them. Many other plans sub- 

 mitted were too impractical to deserve 

 space being given to them. But out of the 

 whole mass of correspondence regarding wir- 

 ing received by us during the last year, we 

 have endeavored to select the best ideas and 

 give these to our readers along with explana- 

 tory drawings. 



,\ mile of Calit'ornia almond trees in bluom in 

 Februai-j'. 



