774 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 15 



using a buzz-saw, is certainly capable of 

 making one himself, as good as or better 

 than he could buy, and for about one-third 

 cash outlay. 

 Marion, N. Y., Feb. 25. 



[Your plan of marking the distances off 

 in the hive will work ; but in the case of the 

 old-style Langstroth frame, absolute accu- 

 racy in spacing is not necessary. One can 

 ordinarily do a fairly good job with his fin- 

 gers after he has had a little experience. 

 Years ago, when I used to handle these 

 frames, the space between the ends of my 

 fingers as I moved each frame into place 

 would make the distance approximately 

 right.— Ed.] 



LOOKING 



FOR QUEEN-CELLS WITHOUT 

 OPENING THE HIVE. 



A Simple Clamp for Securely Holding the 

 Supers in Place so that the Hive may be 

 Tipped Back and the Condition of the 

 Brood-nest Seen at a Glance; a 

 Boon for Comb-honey Pro- 

 ducers. 



BY F. H. CYRENIUS. 



Advanced methods of comb-honey produc- 

 tion require an examination for queen-cells 

 once in seven or eight days during the hon- 

 ey-flow or swarming season, or the practice 

 of natural swarming. To remove the supers 

 and take out the combs of a hive crowded 

 with bees (as they always are at this time) 

 is a tedious job compared with simply tip- 

 ping the hive back, if the supers were se- 

 cured so they would not slide off, saying 

 nothing of killing more or less bees or per- 

 haps a choice queen. 



It is an indisputable fact that bees will 

 store more honey over a hive full of brood 

 so long as they do not attempt to swarm 

 than by any other plan or condition. This 

 being the case, why disturb or change them 

 so long as they do not make preparations to 

 swarm? 



With this simple device 100 or more colo- 

 nies may be examined per^hour; and if this 

 examination be made every seven or eight 

 days there need be no fear from swarming. 



The proper time to do the shook-swarming 

 act isafter queen-cells are started; and I be- 

 lieve no plan is superior to that described in 

 April 1st Gleanings by Mr. Sibbald. 



As ventilation very much retards swarm- 

 ing, I should recommend the Pettit tapered 

 pieces under the hives at the approach of 

 hot weather. 



The clamp above referred to is made of 

 straight-grain hard wood, IJ inches square, 

 tapered at one end, and four pieces or blocks 

 nailed on all four sides, which gives the 

 proper fulcrum with eight bearings so it can 

 be adjusted to take up all the slack cord. 

 On the tapered end is attached a cord with 

 hook to grapple in the back hand- hole of the 

 hive after which the lever is turned to take 

 up all the slack cord. 



Now place the other (or detached) hook 

 in front hand-hole. Now bear down on lever 

 until the proper pressure to hold the supers 

 securely is attained, and wind the cord 

 around the lever a sufficient number of 

 times to hold it securely as the hive is tipped 

 up. Be sure the cords are wound in oppo- 

 site directions around the lever so that it 

 will not turn as it would if both cords pulled 



on the same side. Now grasp the lever 

 around where the cord was just wound, 

 which will prevent it from slipping, and also 

 furnish a very convenient handle for tipping 

 the hive, as shown in the photo. 



If the hive-cover is strong enough to 

 withstand the strain it will not be necessary 

 to remove it. If the cover is not strong 

 enough it must be removed and a piece of 

 board laid across the super to receive the 

 strain. With a little practice any one will 

 soon become efficient in its use. 



Blow a little smoke in the entrance before 

 adjusting, then a little more, and tip the 

 hive back and smoke the bees up out of the 

 way. 



Oswego, N. Y. 



[For the benefit of beginners it may be 

 well to state that Mr. Cyrenius omits saying 

 that the success of his plan depends on the 

 fact that the swarming- cells will be built 

 along the bottom-bars of the brood-nest 

 tipped up as shown in the illustration. In 

 some cases there might be no swarming-cells 

 at the bottom of the frames where there 

 will be several of them located in the mid- 

 dle portions of them. But, generally speak- 

 ing, the swarming-cells will be along the 

 bottom-bars, and the plan would give the 

 desired information in most cases. But even 

 then the plan contemplates (see illustration) 

 the use of a double brood-chamber, as I un- 

 derstand it — that is, a two-story hive with 

 a super on top. Mr. Cyrenius apparently 

 assumes this kind of combination, taking it 

 for granted that the veterans will under- 

 stand him, as no doubt they will. But in 



