1903 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



633 



outside appearance is exactly the same as 

 the Miller cover. 



Seven-eif,'-hths boards are bad enough to 

 wind, but ;s would be a little bit worse. 

 But lumber has become so scarce now that 

 the time is shortly coming- when bee-keep- 

 ers who desire to make their own goods 

 will have to buy up dry-goods boxes for 

 material. 



When Mr. Miller says his cover is a good 

 one I am quite prepared to believe him. — 

 Ed.] 



TO KEEP EMPTY COMBS. 



Seeking Darkness Rather than Light. 



BY G. C. GREINER. 



A writer from Pennsylvania inquires in 

 Gleanings, May 15th, how to keep empty 

 combs. The editor, in answering this ques- 

 tion, gives the same plan I have practiced 

 for many years. But for the last twelve or 

 fifteen years I have kept my combs on a 

 rack exposed to air and view, and I find it 

 is less trouble, and a safer way to keep them, 

 than to store them in moth and bee-proof 

 receptacles. Even when we think that our 

 combs are perfectly safe 

 in our light comb-boxes, 

 the first we know worms 

 are at work among them. 



I herewith give a dia- 

 gram of the corner in 

 mj' honey -house, with 

 mj' comb-storage. The 

 advantages of this ar- 

 rangement are several. 

 It takes very little mate- 

 rial in comparison with 

 tight boxes. If we have 

 no strips or slats of 

 proper dimensions, they 

 can be picked up among 

 the refuse of any saw- 

 mill at little expense, or 

 a little lumber (a bass- 

 wood plank would do 

 first rate) can be sawed 

 into the desired shape 

 at any mill in a few 

 minutes. The shelves are 

 all accessible from the 

 end or front. We can 

 handle the bottom row as 

 well as the top one. No lifting is necessary 

 as is the case when they are stored in boxes. 

 There is no need of fumigating. Worms 

 are very shy. They seek the dark rather 

 than the light (for their deeds are evil), and 

 this accounts for their persistency in man- 

 aging to find an entrance into our moth- 

 proof comb-boxes some way. They hardly 

 ever trouble combs openly stored. It some- 

 times happens that combs hang so close to- 

 gether that they touch one another; then of 

 course, forming a dark place, a few scat- 

 tering worms may take possession of them. 

 But when they do, it is easily detected. A 

 glance of a few seconds reveals the state of 



affairs before any great harm can be done. 

 To prevent any trouble of this kind, combs 

 should not hang touching one another, but 

 be moderately spaced, and the owner should 

 give them an occasional glancing look when 

 passing. If worms are at work, it can be 

 readily seen b}'^ the webs among the combs. 



It is very convenient, especially during 

 the summer, to use certain shelves for cer- 

 tain kinds of combs. Some may contain 

 extracting- combs, others brood-combs, and 

 still other combs to patch up, etc. To have 

 them sorted ready for use when we are in a 

 hurry, and run to the honey-house for combs 

 saves many annoyances. 



The size of the material is not essential. I 

 use 1^3 X 2 in. for posts, and 1X2 in. for 

 sides or shelves; any thing that is strong 

 enough not to spring or bend will answer. 

 Care should be taken in arranging the 

 spaces. They should be all alike and just 

 right, allowing the frames to slide free, and 

 not have too much play. The posts are all 

 fastened to the wall except the front near one 

 which is connected at the top with its mate. 



The tanks on the left contain about 150 

 lbs. each; when one is being filled the con- 

 tents of the other is settling, and drawn off 

 into 60-lb. square cans. The structure is 



somewhat out of proportion. Five shelves 

 could occupy the space of three. Two inches 

 in the clear between the combs is sufficient. 

 La Salle, N. Y. 



[A good many of the practical bee-keep- 

 ers store their combs exactly the way you 

 describe in your illustration. It is a fact 

 that exposure to light will tend strongly to 

 deter the work of the moth-worm. Keeping 

 the combs one inch apart where the light 

 can shine upon them is good in theory and 

 excellent in practice. If a room of this 

 kind is fumigated the combs will be kept 

 doubly secure. — Eu.J 



