1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



745 



the queens are fertilized. In order to have 

 our queens turn out all right, plenty of 

 drones are quite necessary; and the more 

 you have the better (especially in a queen- 

 rearing yard) . We have noticed when there 

 are bushels of drones present in a yard the 

 young queen becomes mated much sooner, 

 and with fewer flights, which means less 

 loss of virgins. H. G. QuiRlN. 

 Bellevue, 0. 



MODIFICATIONS OP THE WIRE-CLOTH SEPA*- 

 RATORS. 



Noticing that the matter of wire- cloth 

 separators is being quite fully discussed in 

 Gleanings of late, I take the liberty to 

 submit two forms of separator which I hope 

 to be able to test carefully the coming sea- 

 son. Referring to the adjoining sketch. 

 No. 1 consists of two end supports of wood 

 held together by iV iron rod, which forms 

 top and bottom-bars. Strips of netting wide 

 enough to cover about | of the comb surface 

 are stretched between these rods. This 

 separator will not buckle, and the spaces 

 will encourage the bees in filling the sides. 



BURR-COMBS IN DANZENBAKER HIVES. 



When the Danzenbaker hive is crowded 

 with bees, as when working for section hon- 

 ey, do the bees not occupy the space at the 

 ends of the frames above the supporting 

 cleat, building brace-comb and daubing with 

 propolis? F. H. Jones. 



Westholme, B. C,, Dec. 1, 1905. 



[We have had no trouble from burr-combs 

 being built back of the end-bars. No diffi- 

 culty need be apprehended if the end cleats 

 are used to close up the space; but we have 

 never found it necessary to use them.— Ed.] 



FOUNDATION 



ANTS, TO CON- 



No. 2 is the same excepc that horizontal 

 wires i or J inch apart are stretched as in 

 wiring brood-frames. The illustration here 

 is not quite correct. 



Just how far apart these wires may be 

 placed and yet serve the purpose I have yet 

 to learn. C. T. Willson. 



Amenia, N. Y, , March 26. 



[Your separators are all right in theory, 

 but it would be practically impossible to 

 make the one of stretched wires, as some 

 wires would have a tendency to be tauter 

 than others. Even if this were not the case, 

 the expense of making and the diflficulty of 

 shipping would be practically prohibitive. 

 The same thing might be said of the other 

 form, wire-cloth squares secured to the two 

 top and bottom rails. If the strands of the 

 wire were folded over, this would be a slow 

 and tedious job. To solder them on the top 

 and bottom rails would be equally expensive. 

 -Ed.] 



STRETCHING I 

 TROL. 



I have an apiary of six hives, and a shed, 

 about four miles from home. I wish to ask, 

 why is it, if you put in worker comb, the 

 bees sometimes change it to drone? What 

 is the best way to get sections full? I have 

 left sections in a hive six months, and the 

 bees would not fill them. Dozens of cells 

 are empty. We do not have foul brood in 

 South Africa, but I hear that a man in 

 Transvaal has imported 

 some queens. In this 

 case it will not be long 

 before we shall have it. 

 I for one will try to pre- 

 vent bringing in the 

 Italian bees, so as to 

 keep the country free of 

 foul brood. I have only 

 three of your hives, 

 which I intend to in- 

 crease; but in this coun- 

 try, where it is some- 

 times 100 to 112 degrees 

 and over in the shade, 

 do you not think it would 

 be better if I had venti- 

 lation on the cover, some- 

 thing like the English 

 super- cleaner or bee- es- 

 cape? 



1 have been troubled 

 with ants in the hives. 

 Wiictt is the best means to keep them out? 

 Would it be good to put some salt around 

 the legs of the hives? Our honey-flow is 

 from October to May. 



A. W. OOSTERBERG. 



Mount View, South Africa, Oct. 8, 1905. 



[Worker foundation is sometimes worked 

 over into drone comb because the founda- 

 tion stretches in the process of building. 

 Such elongated cells will be built near the 

 point of attachment. In rearing queens, 

 bees will sometimes reconstruct worker- 

 cells into drone, as they seem to feel the ne- 

 cessity of rearing drones. 



Your inquiry as to how to get sections 

 filled out is one that requires a more elabo- 

 rate treatment than we can give here. I 

 may say briefly, however, that the honey- 

 flow should be strong, and there should be a 

 large force of bees working in the supers. 

 As the season begins to ease up, give no 

 more sections, but compel the bees to com- 



