236 



GLEANINGS IN KEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15 



iing-er and thumb of the right hand, which 

 holds the hammer about the middle of the 

 handle. With the right hand set the staple 

 in place against the right side of the cen- 

 tral notch; hold it in place with the left 

 thumb, which rests against the beveled cor- 

 ner of E, Fig. 2, and comes flush with its 

 top. Set the nails in the same way, the 



it three or four times about the point where 

 it leaves the nail to break it oflf, and the 

 job is done. 



It takes a long time to tell it; but one 

 minute is long enough in which to do it if 

 you move fast and waste no time between 

 motions. 



This plan consumes two or three extra 



Fig. 6. 



12 



thwing's method of wiring frames. 



right one first. Slip 2, Fig. 1, out and in- 

 sert 3, repeating the process followed with 

 2, except that the staple slants the other 

 wajs so that in both cases it may strike the 

 thicker strips of top-bar, see Fig. 3. 



Before removing 3, seize a top-bar in the 

 left hand (the pile of top- bars was laid so 

 that all have the thick side of the bar at the 

 left when lying grooved side up); press the 

 end-bar 3, Fig. 3, in place with the small 

 end pushed against the body; drive the 

 nails home; slip the little spacing-block, 4, 

 Fig. 1, in place, and drive the staple down 

 to the proper level. Keeping the block in 

 the left hand, and the hammer in the right, 

 turn the frame and nail No. 2, Fig. 3, but 

 do not drive the left-hand nail quite home, 

 see Fig. 4. It projects ^s inch to fasten the 

 wire, etc. Turn the frame down with 3 to 

 the right, and put 1 in Fig. 1 in place. 

 The right-hand nail in 1 is also left pro- 

 jecting >s inch for reasons to be explained. 



TO WIRE A FRAME. 



Place on the support G, Fig. 6, with the 

 end 2 at the right, the end 3 resting in the 

 notch of J, Figs. 5 and 6. Start the wire 

 through the upper middle hole at 7, Fig. 6, 

 back through top at 6 to nail 5; loop it once 

 around this; nail with '2 inch or less over 

 length, and drive the nail home with the 

 hammer. With the shears cut off the wire 

 at a mark near K, in Fig. 6, and finish the 

 wiring through 8, 9, 10, 11, to nail 12; loop 

 it temporarily about this nail, and tighten 

 the wire. To do this rapidly and effective- 

 ly, seize the middle of the top wire in the 

 right hand near the right end, and catch 

 the loop (now rather snug already) with 

 the finger-nails of the left hand and slip the 

 right hand along the wire toward the left 

 to remove any kinks. Let go with the right 

 hand first and seize the second wire to draw 

 up the slack held in the left hand. Repeat 

 the process, alternating the hands; loosen 

 the end at 12, and fasten it tight. Last of 

 all, loosen the button, remove the frame, 

 drive nail 12 home, and, taking the loose 

 end of wire in the thumb and finger, revolve 



inches of wire, but saves two nails and the 

 time taken to drive them. 



The plan of working both ways from the 

 middle of the wire saves much time, and 

 obviates practically all of the trouble from 

 kinking. 



[Nearly every one has his own peculiar 

 way of doing things; but Mr. Thwing has 

 devised a very simple and methodical plan 

 for putting frames together, and his article 

 will be very seasonable just now when api- 

 arists are preparing to put together frames 

 received from the supply-manufacturers. — 

 Ed.] 



MOVING BEES. 



A Serious Accident, Resulting in the Loss of a Team 

 of Mules ; the Importance of Extreme Caution. 



BY A. E. VB. FATJO. 



Some three weeks ago I had an exception- 

 al experience with moving bees; and for 

 your guidance I give a hasty account of the 

 occurrence. I was moving a few hundred 

 colonies from one apiary to another, and on 

 the day of the accident some 38 colonies 

 were placed on a large hay-wagon drawn 

 by four black mules. The wagon left the 

 apiary at 4:30 a. m., and had traveled 

 three miles over good, bad, and indifferent 

 roads, when, after pulling up a rather 

 steep and long hill, they reached a macad- 

 amized road. The teamster was told to re- 

 arrange and tighten his ropes. While mov- 

 ing the hives to a better place it seems the 

 gable cover was strained enough to let a 

 bee or two out at a time; but the next cover 

 had closed the opening by being pressed 

 under it, so when the hive was moved an 

 inch or more the bees came flying out. I 

 was driving a few hundred yards in the 

 rear, and immediately^ hastened to the wag- 

 on, called for the smoker, that, unfortunate- 

 ly, the loader had borrowed from the apia- 

 rist (who was walking in the rear of the 

 load), and, through inexplicable careless- 



