THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



263 



beginners will follow my way of 

 swiirmingj they are sure to have 

 strong colonies, and tiiat is the sure 

 way of getting a large crop of lioney. 

 Do your best, and the bees will do the 

 rest, if there is any honey to gather. 

 Cokato, Minn. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



The Use of Separators. 



T. E. tui:neb. 



I confess to becoming " so insane " 

 as not to use separators, and will not 

 charge those who continue their use 

 with insanity ; but will confess that 

 ray e.xperience has made me so saue 

 as to discontinue tlieir use. My ex- 

 perience with tliem lias been varied. 

 I have used narrow strips of tin for 

 separators, and also broad pieces, and 

 find that bees work best with narrow 

 strip separators, if any are used ; but 

 they will build some combs fast to the 

 tin. Witli broad pieces and large 

 passages for bees to enter the sections, 

 combs are built under, out of shape 

 for casing, and witli broad pieces and 

 narrow passages, bees are slow to 

 commence work in the sections. 

 Some may force them into sections 

 with such separators by keeping them 

 in prime condition, but witli all the 

 forcing I can do, they are slow to en- 

 ter sections with narrow spaced sep- 

 arators. 



That separators lessen the crop of 

 surplus is not a delusion, as is proven 

 by the experience of many leading 

 apiarists. To test this matter, last 

 season, I put a frame of sections in 

 each end of a hive, one witli and the 

 other withoutseparators, and the bees 

 worked in the one without separators, 

 and would not touch the other ; then 

 they were changed in the hive, and 

 new sections put in with the same re- 

 sult. Then sections were put in both 

 ends of the hive without separators, 

 and they worked in both places nearly 

 alike. Now this result, with the fact 

 that bees will, things being equal, 

 work more readily in the space occu- 

 pied by 8 or i) sections than that oc- 

 cupied by one section, proves that as 

 much honey cannot be obtained with 

 as without separators. 



Now, with the riglit kind of a rack 

 to hold sections, and a little care in 

 putting starters in, I claim that one 

 can manipulate more colonies of bees 

 for comb honey, without separators, 

 than he can witli them, and produce 

 his honey in just as good shape for 

 market. The reason for this is. that 

 he will have to give less time and care 

 while the sections are on the hive, 

 to see that they get sealed, and taking 

 them off, and no more in casing them 

 for market. 



The tinest section honey in Chicago, 

 at the time of the meeting of the 

 Northwestern Convention, and, per- 

 haps, during the past season, was 

 produced by a bee-keeper in this 

 county, without separators. Seven 

 thousand pounds were produced 

 from 60 colonies, spring count, in that 

 way. Twenty thousand pounds of 

 tirst-elass honey was produced in this 

 part of Wisconsin, last season, with- 



out separators, and packed and ship- 

 ped to various points with no com- 

 plaint of leakage from combs rubbing 

 each other. 



Mr. Steer's narrow frame and sep- 

 arators, described on page 189 of the 

 iJEE Journal, for April 11, though 

 he uses a divison-board, will not ad- 

 rait of the speedy removal of the full 

 sections from the hive, and the bees 

 will propolize his section frame to the 

 hive, if it is the same size as the in- 

 side of the hive. 



Glassing sections is too expensive 

 both to producer and consumer; for 

 the time and cost of glassing is much 

 greater to the producer than he gets 

 returns for, and the glass is useless to 

 the consumer. 



So separators are dispensible, and 

 bee-keepers are dispensing with them, 

 and also with broad frames, and are 

 adopting suitable racks in their stead. 

 Progressive apiarists here would not 

 think of securing a large crop of comb 

 honey in marketable shape with their 

 use now. 



You will see from these remarks 

 that the articles on separators, tin or 

 wood, that have appeared recently in 

 the Bee Jouknal, are of but little 

 interest to some of its readers, for 

 they regard them as useless and cum- 

 bersome. 



Sussex, Wis. 



Western Michigan Convention. 



The Western Michigan Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association held their regular 

 semi-annual meeting at Grand Rapids, 

 Mich., May 3. There were about 20 

 members in attendance. 



The meeting was called to order at 

 10 a. m., by the president, W. II. 

 Walker, of Berlin. Secretary Frank- 

 lin S. Covey, of Coopersville, read the 

 minutes of the last meeting, and they 

 were approved by the association. 

 The treasurer's report was also read, 

 which showed the society to be in a 

 good financial condition. All ex- 

 penses had been paid, and a surplus 

 of a few dollars still remained in the 

 treasury. 



The forenoon was chiefly occupied 

 with dissusions on wintering bees. 

 T. M. Cobb, of Grand Rapids, intro- 

 duced the subject with a few remarks. 



Quite a number spoke concerning 

 the matter, and the general sentiment 

 of the convention seemed to be that a 

 good cellar was preferable to any 

 method of out-door shelter. 



A. B. Cheney, of Sparta Centre, had 

 wintered his bees in a cellar for ten 

 years past, with uniform success. 



President Walker thought that they 

 should be so protected, if left out dur- 

 ing tlie winter, that tliey would not 

 be compelled to rely upon the rays of 

 the sun for their warmth— that heat- 

 ing apparatus was too variable. 



Secretary Covey thought that too 

 much pollen was detrimental to a 

 healthy condition in bees. Honey 

 taken by the bees passes off in insen- 

 sible persiration, having no ash in the 

 bowels of the subjects, and they need 

 not tly to void their faices. Pollen is 

 stronger food, and excites breeding in 

 the winter time, when such an act is 



out of season, thus causing disease 

 and otherwise disarranging the sys- 

 tem of the hive. 



A. A. Dodge, of Coopersville, pre- 

 sented the next topic for discussion — 

 the subject of foul brood. He had 

 met with good success in using the 

 Jones method of cure. He shakes the- 

 bees of their combs into a box which 

 has been provided with thorough ven- 

 tilation, and places it in a cool, dark 

 place. The bees remain in their com- 

 parative dungeon for two or three 

 days, in a state of absolute fasting. 

 They are then removed to a new hive. 

 He starves the bees until the infected 

 honey of the sacs is all consumed. 

 The use of automizers and salicylic 

 acid had proved unsuccessful in meet- 

 ing the desired end. 



T. M. Cobb made a few remarks 

 upon the different varieties of bees. 

 He expressed a preference for the 

 Cyprians. They were more hardy and 

 better honey gatherers. They would 

 breed faster, and raise more and bet- 

 ter queen cells ; also, they were less. 

 liable to swarm. 



The meeting, upon the whole» 

 abounded in features of interest. 

 Although the attendance was not a& 

 large as the merits of the discussions, 

 deserved, yet those who visited the 

 scene displayed the greatest zeal in 

 their work of investigation, and re- 

 tired at the adjournment of the meet- 

 ing fully salistied with the manner in 

 which they had spent the day. 



The fall session of the association 

 will be held at Berlin, on the last 

 Wednesday in October.— frrand Bap- 

 ids Times. 



For the American Bee JoumaU 



Essentials of a Standard Frame. 



E. B. SOUTHWICK. 



I notice that every little while there 

 comes up the subject of the " stan- 

 dard frame," and an article giving 

 the writers preference, but seldom 

 the inherent properties, for which the 

 preference is given. 



It is also frequently asked, " What 

 is the best frame V" And the answer 



given is, " We use the frame, '^ 



without giving the merits that frame 

 i%above all other frames. The two 

 classes of frames that their advocates 

 have been trying to have recognized 

 as the standard frame, are, I believe, 

 the long and shallow frame like the 

 Langstioth, and the nearly square 

 ones like the Gallup. 



Now, I request that some one, fully 

 competent and versed in all the wis- 

 dom and lore of the Langstroth frame, 

 and its every property and merit, will 

 write an article and mention every 

 good feature it has, not leaving out a 

 single quHlity that recommends it to 

 be •• the standard frame," and I will 

 write an article comparing its merits 

 with that of the square frame, and 

 have both articles printed side by 

 side in the same Journal, and copied 

 into other papers, if their editors can 

 be induced to do so. Then when the 

 kind of hive or frame is asked for, 

 the inquirer can be referred to these 

 articles for the reasons for either. 



