1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1009 



PROJECTIONS ON FRAMES VS. NOTCHES 

 IN RABBETS FOR SPACING COMBS. 



A Discussion of the Merits of the Notched 



Rabbets; Metal Frame-spacers; Views of 



some Different Foreign Styles. 



BY L. STACHELHAUSEN. 



[Mr. L. Stachelhausen, a native cf Germany, has, ev- 

 er since he came to this country, been keeping in close 

 touch with all that has been going on in the fatherland. 

 Knowing that he is familiar with the frame-spacer 

 question as it has beeji tested in his own country, we 

 requested him to write an article on the subject. In 

 doing so he sent along a large number of prints of va- 

 rious frame-ipacing devices from the Gierman catalogs 

 and journals. These we have redrawn and reengraved, 

 and place the same before our readers without any at- 

 tempt at classifying or naming them. Any practical 

 man familiar with the frame-spacer question will at 

 once see how these devices are applied, either at the 

 top or bottom of the frame. Our correspondent's arti- 

 cle will be read with unusual interest.— Ed.] 



Mr. Root:— Last year we had some cor- 

 respondence about the merits or demerits of 

 Hoffman frames compared with a spacing- 

 device on the rabbet. As you have devised 

 a very nice metal spacer I see you are try- 

 ing to overcome some of the difficulties with 

 the Hoffman frame. This means you con- 

 cede some of them at least. As I still think 

 you are on the wrong track I will again ex- 

 plain my position on this question. 



In 1859 I worked in Germany with a bee- 

 hive open on one side and on the top. The 

 frames were of the Berlepsch pattern, 

 spaced in the same way as your Hoffman 

 frames. The top of this hive was open so 

 that any frame could be taken out from be- 

 tween the other frames, but it did not work 

 right. To move a frame in the middle, all 

 the frames from the open side to this frame 

 had to be loosened and moved some distance, 

 at least, to make room for lifting out the 

 desired frame. By and by we fourd it bet- 

 ter to take out all the frames by the open 

 side, and the open top had no use any more. 



These Berlepsch frames had many disad- 



vantages. They were propolized together 

 more or less. In separating them, once in 

 a while the wood split off. 



About 1860 G. Dathe used wire nails with 

 large heads for spacers, the same as Dr. 

 Miller does now. Soon these nail-spaced 

 frames were in general use in Germany in 

 all the side- opening hives, and I used them 

 till I went to Texas in 1879. Since this time 

 many different metal spacers have been in- 

 vented in the fatherland, and I inclose a 



few prints from wood cuts of such spacers. 

 Besides, different hives were invented which 

 were operated from the top or from one of 

 the ends, so that any single frame could be 

 taken out between the other ones. All these 

 hives, if spacers on the frames were used, 

 disappeared very soon, and only such as had 

 the spacers fastened to the hive and not to 

 the frames are still in use. These experi- 

 ences and other reasons taught me the prin- 

 ciple that, in a side-opening hive, the spac- 

 ers are correctly placed on the frames; but 

 in a top-opening hive, or one which is oper- 

 ated from one of the ends, the correct place 

 for the spacer is on the hive. If this is not 

 observed, all the advantages of such hives 

 over the side-opening hives are lost. 



In Texas I commenced bee-keeping with 

 the ten- frame Langstroth hive without any 

 spacer. At that time the opinion of all 

 practical bee-keepers was that a spacer in 

 the Langstroth hive was not necessary, and 



spacers on the frames were called a nui- 

 sance, a? they made the frames immovable. 

 Nevertheless, since 1880 I have used a spacer 

 on the rabbet of my Langstroth hives, to be 

 sure that the frames were ppaced correctly 

 and could not get out of place, and at the 

 Bame time they could be handled just as eas- 

 ily as the un spaced free hanging frame. I 

 still use this same spacer, and have not as 



