1118 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 1 



pers. We hope for much more: but let us 

 first build the foundation, more honey. 



Census figures show less than one pound 

 of honey a year for each person in the Unit- 

 ed States: that where the most bee-keepers 

 are. there the most honey is produced and 

 eaten: that dense population does not de- 

 mand honey, and that the United States 

 sugar-factories produce 20 pounds of sugar 

 a year to each person, and are still building 

 more sugar-factories. 



Los Angeles, Cal. 



BLACK ANTS. 



How to Protect AVeak Nuclei. 



BY E. \V. PEIKCE. 



The article hj Mr. O. O. Poppleton. on 

 Florida ants. Feb. 1. recalls some experience 

 I had with ants last season. In feeding up 

 some nuclei the syrup was placed in an emp- 

 ty super over the l^ees. As the super was a 

 little out of true, quite a crack was left be- 

 tween it and the hive-body. Through care- 

 lessness, also a little syrup was spilleil on the 

 ground, which soon attracted a nuiltitude of 

 large black ants. These, having licked up 

 the syrup, returned with re-enforcements, 

 climbed up the sides of the hives, dodged 

 through the cracks, and eventually sneaked 

 in at the entrances. 



As ants seem not to be accounted a serious 

 enemy of bees here in the North, I Avas at 

 first disposed to look upon the matter with 

 some degree of indift'erence: but when I lie- 

 gan to realize that A bore to B al)out the ra- 

 tio of 16 to 1, and that the latter, though of- 

 fering a noble resistance, could not long en- 

 dure against such odds, I bethought myself 

 of an investigation. An examination reveal- 

 ed the fact that not only had the ants left the 

 bees paralyzed with hunger and fear, but. 

 not content with rifiing them of their stores. 

 were feeding upon them Iwdily. as attested 

 by heads and l)its of wings deposited in the 

 lids and coi'ners of the hives. 



On account of the number of ant-harbor- 

 ing cavities in the old trees of the orchard 

 in which my little apiary is located it was 

 found impr'actic-al)le to destroy the ants in 

 their nests. The experiment was made of 

 pouring kerosene al)out the hives, but this 

 proved of no avail. Finally the invaders 

 were circumvented by mounting the hives on 

 improvised scaffolds with spikes for legs, 

 each spike tjeing immersed in a tin-can lid 

 kept tilled with kerosene and water. After 

 the nuclei became strong enough to defend 

 themselves they were again set down on 

 their brick foundations. 



These ants must be fully as large as those 

 descriVjed by Mr. Poppleton. and. like them, 

 ••love dai-kness rather than light. Ijecause 

 their deeds are evil." 



They, too, have '•powerful jaws"' — at least 

 the one that took occasion to explore the in- 

 terior of my nether apparel. 



So far as my experience goes, these ants 

 never molest fidl colonies of bees. Possibly 



they would not attack nuclei unless attracted 

 by outside sweets. However, in my future 

 dealings with them I shall atlopt the advice, 

 ■■Trust not the horse, O Trojans!" 

 Zanesville, Ohio. 



H0FF3IAN FRAMES. 



Can the Slats of the Fence Separator be 



Spaced Further Apart? Bee^i that 



Work on Red Clover. 



BY C. D. FARRAR. 



During the past few years I have notetl 

 with considerable interest the controversy 

 over the advantages and disadvantages of 

 the Hoffman frame. My own experience 

 with them has been confined to the past 

 three seasons: and. although our bees collect 

 a large amount of propolis. I should never 

 once think of again using the unspaced 

 frames. There are one or two points aboi;t 

 them which, as ordinarily used. I consider 

 great drawbacks, but defects that are easily 

 remedietl. 



The first and (with me) the most impor- 

 tant is where the two outside faces of the 

 outside combs allow so little bee-space 1)e- 

 tween them antl the sides of the hive and 

 follower. This space, I find by the use of 

 observatory hives, to be ji;st enough for a 

 scant bee-space: consequently the queen rare- 

 ly lays on the two outside surfaces: and the 

 space between the top-bar and side of hive 

 is so narrow that the bees are quite inclined 

 to clo.se the space with glue. 



Now. I find that a good plentiful outside 

 wall of liees is most essential for the best 

 welfare oi the colony, as well as for complet- 

 ing the outside row of sections. Here on 

 these outside surfaces the bees have stored 

 several pounds of white honey, which with 

 loose frames would have been well tilled with 

 brood. My experience has been that, in our 

 climate with its cool nights, bees can not 

 rear brood where a single layer of bees is 

 the only protection. Now this trouble can 

 l)e obviated by simply tacking a narrow 

 strip of section, say | inch wide by three 

 long on the upper inside corner of the side 

 of the hive where the spacer of the Hoffman 

 frame c-omes in contact with the side of the 

 hive, and using a follower I inch thick with 

 a similar piece of section tacked where it 

 comes against the frame, antl then using two 

 super springs in the space l)etween the fol- 

 lower and side of hive where it comes in 

 contact Avith the frame. While working 

 about a hive I always stand upon the same 

 side — that is. with my right hand nearest the 

 entrance. So I have the strip tacked on 

 the far side of the hive with follower next to 

 me. I have all hives face the southeast so 

 as to bring the single wall of the hive where 

 the sun will strike it early, thus sending the 

 bees much earlier to the fields. 



Another point about which I am particular 

 is to have the side of super which contains 

 the springs come over the follower in the 

 hive, as every bee-keeper well knows that 



