994 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 1 



in the red clover I could not see that any 

 particular strain had the advantage over any 

 other strain when at work on this plant. ' ' 



"That seems strange." 



*' Don't misunderstand me. Some strains 

 of Italian bees seem to work with a greater 

 vim and energy at all times than do others, 

 and these energetic bees will secure much 

 better returns in honey from any and all 

 sources than do the less energetic. What I 

 wish to be understood as saying is that these 

 energetic Italians do not show any special 

 increase in yields over the others, while red 

 clover is yielding honey, more than they 

 show while white clover, bass wood, or buck- 

 wheat is in bloom. They seem to be better 

 bees at all times and under all conditions, 

 often securing quite a little honey when the 

 others are apparently doing nothing. ' ' 



"I see. Will it not pay to breed from 

 those showing the greatest energy, then? " 



"Certainly. And that is ju3t what our 

 best breeders are and have been doing; so 

 that to-day the standard of the Italian bees 

 in this country is very much better during 

 1900 than it was during any part of 1800. ' ' 



V^jeM'-^ 



^jm 



IF I WERE TO START ANEW, WHAT 

 STYLE OF FRAMES, SUPERS, AND AP- 

 PLIANCES WOULD I ADOPT? 



In Favor of a Self-spacing Reversible Frame 

 and 4x5 Sections. 



BY E. W. ALEXANDER. 



When Editor Root wrote me that he had 

 chosen twelve honey-producers to discuss 

 this question I at once thought that here 

 will be a wide line of different ideas brought 

 out; and, although I think so still, there is 

 one thing of which I am sure— they will all 

 do the same, and that is this : According to 

 each one's experience they will give the 

 readers of Gleanings a fair, unbiased, im- 

 partial opinion of this compHcated question; 

 and, since learning the names of my associ- 

 ates, I must say that, although I may stand 

 alone on many points, I feel that it is an 

 honor to be in their company. 



If I were to start anew I would try hard 

 to adopt some one of the standard hives al- 

 ready in use, mainly for this reason: If I 

 wanted to sell my bees and appliances I 

 could find a buyer easier, and sell at a much 

 better price, than if my hives and appli- 

 ances were of an odd size. 



But, according to my ideas of a practic- 

 able all-purpose bee- hive, there are certain 



things of paramount importance that would 

 have to be embodied in it before I could in- 

 dorse any hive to the extent of adoption. 

 First, I should want a loose bottom— one 

 that is not permanently fastened to the 

 hive. Next, a telescope top. These are a 

 great protection to the upper part of a hive 

 from the summer heat and the cool weather 

 of spring and fall; and they never blow off 

 in bad storms, which is another good thing 

 in their favor. Then I should want the frames 

 self-spacing, so no two could ever, through 

 carelessness, be crowded close together ; 

 and I would have them reversible, with 

 some simple arrangement so there would be 

 no special top or bottom. The size of the 

 hive I should prefer would be equal to a nine 

 or ten frame Langstroth. 



In regard to the clamp for holding sec- 

 tions, and the size and shape of section, I 

 think the Danzenbaker clamp-and-section 

 arrangement for comb honey is far ahead of 

 any other I have ever seen. 



There, my friends, when you make a hive 

 with all those requirements you will have, 

 according to my idea, the best hive that has 

 ever been devised. 



Since I was invited to partake in this dis- 

 cussion I have spent some time in examin- 

 ing all the catalogs of different hives I 

 could get, and I find that the Danzenbaker 

 hive with its modern improved appliances 

 has fewer faults and more advantages than 

 any other hive I know of. 



The hive we use for extracted honey suits 

 us very well; and as we now have about 

 2100 just alike, it would seem foolish and be 

 quite expensive to make them over into an- 

 other kind of hive. 



FACTORY vs. HOME-MADE HIVES. 



In regard to which is the better and 

 cheaper, all things considered, home-made 

 or factory hives, I will say, don't be satis- 

 fied and contented with poorly made hives 

 of any kind. I know of nothing more provok- 

 ing than to have a lot of slam-bang hives. 

 Bee-stings can not commence to make me 

 feel as much provoked as to find some parts 

 of a hive left a little too thick or too thin, 

 too long or too short, to fit the place for 

 which they were intended. If you are a 

 good mechanic, and have a good planirg- 

 machine and all the necessary fine sharp 

 saws to do good work, and can buy your 

 lumber at a moderate price, then it is possi- 

 ble you might save a little in making your 

 hives and appliances right through; but un- 

 less you are so situated I think it would be 

 much better to buy all those things in the 

 flat from some factory that does nice work. 

 The one thing which is of far more impor- 

 tance than the first cost is to have every 

 piece in a hive an exact duplicate of that 

 part in every other hive. This is where 

 factory hives usually have a ereat advan- 

 tage over home-made ones. I have been 

 fortunate in getting our hives and appli- 

 ances without much trouble, always living 

 as I have within a short drive of wood- 

 working factories where I could either buy 



