20 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



Jan. 12, 1899. 



the prisoner. How th.it fully-matured dead queen happened 

 to be in the cell, I don"t know. 



I can't quite understand the description given of the 

 second case, but at any rate it seems tiiat something' came 

 out of a cell, and afterward no queen could bo found. It is 

 barely possible that by some means the queen disappeared 

 and a worker took her place ; and it is possible that the 

 queen was so poor she could not readily be distinguisht 

 from a worker. McHenrv Co., 111. 



Improved Frame Top-Bar for Fastening- the 

 Foundation. 



BY LEWIS K. THOMPSON. 



NOW and then some follower of a fraternal pursuit 

 makes a discovery which he believes to be of value, 

 but either from lack of means or selfish motives does 

 not obtain a patent for his ideas. I may say that the fol- 

 lowing invention ispublisht for both of these reasons. 



Feeling, with the majority of bee-keepers, the necessity 

 of a more secure way of fastening foundation into brood- 

 frames, my father, Irwin Thompson, set out to study up a 

 better way than the uncertain methods of sticking- the 

 sheets into the frames in grooves, or to the flat surface of 

 the top-bar. The result was the best device he has seen or 

 heard of— one that is practically secure. 



A top-bar is made of the usual length, yi inch wide and 

 '2 inch thick. It is then sawed lengthwise in the middle to 

 within one inch of the end. Thus the top-bar is in two 

 pieces all the way between the end pieces of the frame. In 

 nailing the fi-ames together the end of the bar that has not 

 been sawed through is nailed on as usual. At the end 

 where the bar is in two pieces only one piece is nailed be- 

 fore the foundation sheet or starter is put in. 



When the foundation is put in, the bar is spread open 

 by pulling on the free end of the half of the bar which has 

 not yet been completely fastened, until there is sufficient 

 room all the way along the opening to the other end-bar to 

 admit the foundation. (If the inch which was not sawed 

 splits out no harm is done, for two nails have been put in at 

 that end — one near each edge of the top-bar — and it is still 

 fastened.) 



When the foundation is in, the nailing of the other end 

 of the bar is finisht by putting a nail in that end of the 

 loose prong, the foundation having been prest between the 

 two halves of the top-bar as in a clamp. Nails are then put 

 through the bar edgewise to further seciire the foundation. 



My father has a form in which to lay the frame while 

 putting in the foundation. Tliere is a board the size of a 

 full sheet of foundatio:i and about 's-inch thick nailed on 

 another larger board. This is to support the foundation 

 while it is being fastened in the frame. The frame is laid 

 flat with the thin board just fitting the inside, and with 

 other pieces outside of the bottom and end-bars to hold the 

 frame solid while the nails are put in. Erie Co., Pa. 



A Hive-Tool— 10-Frame Hives— Queen-Cages. 



BY J. A. BEARDEN. 



DURING a year of universal failure, such as this has been 

 so far as bee-keepers are concerned, anything of espe- 

 cial economical value should have first notice, so it 

 seems to me. Still, the main subject seems to be. Who has 

 invented the best hive-tool? Hence, I will describe my in- 

 vention, which is a piece of steel 'ixl inch, about 12 inches 

 in leng-th, with one end drawn out to about .!2X'-2 inch, and 

 sharpened sidewise like a screw driver, for moving frames. 

 The other end is drawn out as wide and thin as possible 

 with the end for the edge. But right here is where almost 

 all of the hive-tools quit off. Mine is carried just a little 

 farther, so this wide end is just turned at right angles to 

 the main body or handle, and sidewise of the same, and 

 then it is sharpened with the bevel all from the outside end, 

 thus makings a fine scraper for cleaning covers, hives, etc. 

 Then the tool is relieved of all sharp corners on the handle, 

 and rubbed generously with some emery cloth to smooth 

 and polish, and you are all ready for work. 



Of course this is not the best, but if any one can tell us 

 an improvement let's have it, for the best is none too good. 



The hive discussion has rather cooled down of late in 

 the Bee Journal, still, the cooler times are close at hand 

 with .some ; snow here just a few days back. It was the 



first snow I can recollect seeing in October, as I have always 

 lived here in Lincoln Co., Tenn. 



Still, the 10-frame hive beats the 8-frame in this county, 

 and for this reason alone : When the fall flow of honey is 

 taken, most bee-keepers take all the honey in the top stories 

 or supers, thinking- that the bees have enough for winter in 

 the lower story, and of course the honey is all above. So 

 the 8-frame hive, to accommodate a good-sized colony, must 

 be three stories high, and when the top one is taken he says : 

 •• I'll bet that they have got plenty down below, for Mr. So- 

 and-So always takes the honey out clean in all but the bot- 

 tom story for winter." 



But Mr. So-and-So has the 10-frame hive, of two stories, 

 and the bees have filled out both sides of the brood-chamber 

 with good, thick honey, that was carried above in the 8- 

 frame hive. So if the bee-keeper is careless, or very busy, 

 he would better get the 10-frame hive, but not with the 

 Hoffman self-spacing frame, for goodness knows I don't 

 need a frame that takes a quarter of an hour to remove from 

 the hive ; but I do want all of my frames to have the thick 

 top-bar. Also, it is a good plan when putting frames to- 

 gether to use some small wire brads for nailing the bottom 

 corners of frames crosswise, as they will be three times as 

 strong as if they had been nailed into the end of the end-bar 

 from the bottom side. 



I don't know, or understand, why the manufacturers of 

 supplies use wire-cloth for making queen-cages, for the per- 

 forated tin used by tinners for making molasses skimmers 

 is much better. It is not very costly, is smooth and stiff, 

 with plenty of ventilation, and so much better to get in 

 shape, and keep in shape ; and the holes are just the right 

 size for a '4 -inch tack. 



I don't want any more entrance-feeders, for they are 

 good fuss-breeders, causing trouble where none would have 

 happened if a feeder had been used on the hive- top, by 

 getting the bees in the notion to rob one another. 



Lincoln Co., Tenn., Oct. 30, 1898. 



CONDUCTED BY 



DR. C C. AHLLER. Marenigo, III. 



[Questions may be mailed to the Bee Journal, or to Dr. Miller direct. I 



Dead ttueen at Hive-Entrance Camphor-Balls 

 for Mothworms. 



1. What is the best plan to pursue when you find a dead 

 queen, at this time of year, at the entrance of a hive that 

 has been packt for winter (on all sides except the front) on 

 the summer stand ? 



2. Can camphor-balls be used in any way to keep moth- 

 millers out of hives, by putting them under the roof, or 

 above the enameled-cloth or quilt? Or can they be used to 

 kill the wax-worm whiih may be in some frames of honey 

 placed in empty hives and set aside for next season, or in 

 cases of section honey? New Jersey. 



Answers. — 1. Let it entirely alone. You can't do any 

 good by meddling with it now. and will be pretty sure to do 

 harm. ' Just as likely as not the colony has a good queen, 

 for a dead queen in front of a hive doesn't always mean 

 that the colony is queenless. When bees begin to fly well 

 in spring- will be time enough to look and see whether any 

 brood-rearing is started. If not, it will then be time enough 

 to decide whether it is best to break it up and unite with 

 other colonies (and the probability is that will be the best 

 thing if it is queenless) or to g-ive it brood in case it is 

 strong, so as to coax it along till you can give it a queen. 



2. No, don't waste tiiue and camphor trying it. 



Clover Questions. 



Which is the best clover for bees, sweet clover, Alsike, 

 or some other ? How much should be sown on an acre, and 

 when ? What kind of land is best, and which is the best 

 kind of grain to sow it with ? What kind of feed does it 

 make for cattle ? Is wet or dry land necessary ? Iowa. 



Answers. — Some of your questions hardly come within 

 the scope of apiculture, but I can tell something about the 



