1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



279 



"You are sure there is a difference be- 

 tween the two lots? " he asked. 



"I am sure of it," I replied. 



One lot, he said, was produced by wire- 

 cloth separators, and the others with fences. 

 "Then," said he, "I suggest you go home 

 and figure on making the Betsinger wire- 

 cloth separators in large lots, for they are 

 rather expensive as now made by hand." 



We have been figuring for some months, 

 and have not yet discovered any plan where- 

 by they can be made much more cheaply 

 than now. But the difference in price on 

 the honey produced with a wire-cloth sepa- 

 rator will easily pay the excess of cost of 

 the separator in one season. 



I notice by the American Bee Journal that 

 F. Greiner says it is his opinion that this 

 wire-cloth separator, even if it is more ex- 



Eensive than other separators, is ' ' enough 

 etter to justify the extra expense;" and 

 that, if this separator had been pushed as 

 the others were, it would "take the lead." 

 I am inclined to believe that Mr. Greiner is 

 correct. But we have been trying to solve 

 the problem of making this separator cheap- 

 er so that those who look at first cost may 

 share the benefit equally with those who do 

 look beyond first cost. 



In the mean time it is to be seriously re- 

 gretted that friend Betsinger may not live 

 to see the growing popularity of one of his 

 inventions. Perhaps it may be no small com- 

 fort to him in his sickness now if some 

 near-by brother bee-keeper would call on 

 him and convey to him the probable future 

 of his invention. Gleanings wishes him a 

 speedy recovery to health; and if any thing 

 can be done to add to his comfort, we should 

 be glad to have his friends notify us of the 

 fact. 



DANGER OF STARVATION THIS SPRING; WHAT 

 AND HOW TO FEED. 



Fears have been expressed, and not with- 

 out some grounds for it, that the extreme 

 mildness of this winter will result in a larger 

 consumption of stores, and this will mean 

 retrenchment in brood- rearing if not actual 

 starvation. Indeed, reports are already be- 

 ginning to show this to some extent. While 

 it is to be presumed that the ordinary read- 

 er of a bee paper will see that he has no 

 colonies running short of stores, many of 

 them, if they will make an examination, will 

 be surprised to see the actual amount of 

 stores consumed. It is very important to 

 go over all the bees that are outdoors, on 

 the first warm day. If there are any colo- 

 nies that are short, there is nothing better 

 in the world than a comb of sealed stores. 

 Where it does not seem desirable to stir up 

 the brood nest, lay the comb right on top of 

 the brood- frames, flat down. But bee-space 

 it above the frames, then bee- space the 

 quilt or cushion above the comb. If the 

 hive is not provided with an upper story, 

 put one on. Where combs of honey are not 

 available, a very good substitute is chunks 

 of candy made by mixing pulverized sugar 

 and good extracted honey into a good stiff 



dough; put a one, two. or three pound chunk 

 of this on each colony, according to" its 

 needs. 



In cool weather I do not advise giving 

 liquid food in a feeder, as it stimulates or 

 excites the bees too much, and causes them 

 to fly out and die on exposure to the chilly 

 atmosphere. If the atmosphere is warm 

 enough so that the bees can store all the 

 syrup before it turns cold, less harm will be 

 done. But a colony so fed is quite liable to 

 fly out; and if a weak colony is not watch- 

 ing its entrance, the fed bees are liable to 

 pounce on it. 



different METHODS OF CARRYING [HIVES 

 OUT OF AND'INTO THE CELLAR.^ j<» 



In the two illustrations here given are 

 shown, first, our method of carrying two or 

 three hives on a stretcher, as it were, to 

 and from a cellar. The other view shows 

 these same hives set down temporarily in 

 front of the window of the cellar under the 

 machine-shop, and the stretcher with its load 

 on the ground. After about 25 or 30 hives 

 are deposited, one man steps inside and the 

 other hands the hives one by one to him, 

 when he puts them in their final quarters 

 for winter. Unfortunately, we have no open 

 doorway for getting into this cellar, making 

 it necessary for the carriers outside to un- 

 load at the window. i:ft-!l^ 



Of this stretcher method of carrying'bees, 

 I may say it is adapted only to level ground, 

 and to men. who will keep even step one with 

 the other. At the time the photo was tak- 

 en, it was during the month of December, 

 and snow was falling, as will be seen. After 

 the boys had loaded up I requested them to 

 stand for a minute while I caught them with 

 the camera. 



The stretcher, or carrier proper, consists 

 simply of a pair of 2x2 poles 6 or 8 feet 

 long. For loading they are placed on the 

 ground in parallel position. Each man then 

 takes up a hive and places it on the carrier. 

 If the hives are not too heavy, another one 

 is placed over the other two. When loaded 

 each man takes his position, one in front 

 and one in the rear. The load is lifted, when 

 each one can walk in a perfectly upright 

 posture, with his arms outstretched, in which 

 position he can lift the heaviest load. 



On arriving at the cellarway it is very 

 easy to unload, for all the men have to do is 

 simply to stoop, allowing the poles to touch 

 ground. With a cellarway not too steep, 

 and plenty of room after they are inside, 

 the men could go clear into the cellar. But 

 where the ground is very uneven, as is the 

 case in our Harrington yard, I greatly pre- 

 fer to pick up the hives one by one. On an 

 uneven surface with underbrush, it is prac- 

 tically impossible for one m^n to keep step 

 with another; but where the ground is even, 

 and a helper can be had, this plan has the 

 advantage over any other way I know of. 

 It is better than a wheelbarrow, because 

 there will be no jolting, and because thri 

 hives will always be in an upright position^ 



