674 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 1 



gather. With such a frame as the Hoff- 

 man, screws secure accurate spacing, even 

 in the presence of large amounts of propo- 

 lis; but, what is more important, the frames 

 can be so constructed as to make the hive 

 practically a double-walled affair, and this 

 is a considerable gain. 



Some years ago Mr. A. I. Root and I 

 freely discussed this matter of reducing the 

 cost of hives by simplifying the construc- 

 tion of them, and we both agreed that it 

 could be done. In fact, some twenty years 

 ago he essayed to make some hives on this 

 plan, and he freely illustrated his idea in 

 Gleanings. So you see the idea is nothing 

 new. 



[8ome eighteen or nineteen years ago this 

 question was discussed pro and con in the 

 bee- journals, and a good many of the argu- 

 ments that were then advanced are now 

 put forward by you. 



There is no denying it, there are some 

 very decided advantages in the use of shal- 

 low brood-chambers; and father Langstroth, 

 after his visit to Mr. Heddon (the chief ad- 

 vocate of this kind of hive at the time), 

 came back very enthusiastic, prepared to 

 admit that the principle of a divisible 

 brood-chamber was one that would receive 

 more favor in the future than it was receiv- 

 ing at that time. If we could get at the 

 facts, we should probably be surprised at 

 the number who are to-day using divisible 

 hives in some form or other. As it is, it is 

 only occasionally that one will mention the 

 fact that he is using it. 



You do not give details of the kind of 

 frame you would use, although you imply, 

 when you refer to compression bj^ means of 

 thumbscrews, that you would use closed- 

 end frames. 



You favor a hive dYs inches deep. If the 

 depth of the brood-chamber is such as will 

 take the regular standard sections on the 

 market, as well as brood frames, then it 

 could not be deeper than 5^- A section 5 

 inches deep is about as deep as we can go 

 without making it large and ill propor- 

 tioned. Experience shows that it is not 

 practical to make a box that holds more 

 than a pound of honej'; and a 2-lb. section 

 is out of the question. In the matter of the 

 size that the section may be to the weight, 

 4X5 is about as large as we dare go. A 

 5X6 section, for example, if holding a 

 pound, would be too thin: if it held over a 

 pound it would be too heavy. 



You originally favored a brood-chamber 

 that would take a section 5 inches deep. 

 You now recommend ab-j-inch; and while 

 that would not be objectionable for a brood- 

 chamber, it would be too deep for a super. 

 Perhaps you have abandoned the idea of 

 having the super and brood-chamber one 

 and the same depth. 



Mr. Danzenbaker, in adopting his shal- 

 low hive, made it 7>< inches deep, with a 

 super 5^4, as he concluded it was not prac- 

 ticable to make the super also answer for a 

 brood-chamber. He tried that once, and 



abandoned it. He also tried making hives 

 of Yz and Y'i lumber, and abandoned that 

 also. Considering how lumber shrinks and 

 checks, I do not believe it is practicable to 

 make a hive of much thinner lumber than 

 %. A half-inch thickness is out of the 

 question, for one has to pay a great deal 

 more proportionally for this thickness than 

 if he takes a standard thickness of boards. 

 One-inch lumber will make two Y'& boards 

 planed on both sides; but you can not make 

 a half-inch planed board out of an inch 

 board without planing down and wasting 

 a great deal, or without slabbing off a 

 board too thin for other uses. — Ed.] 



ANOTHER BALLED QUEEN THAT WAS STUNG 

 IN HER BODY. 



BY MARTIN L. NEWMAN. 



I have read in Gleanings a number of 

 articles on the question as to whether or 

 not bees sting a queen when they ball her. 

 To-day while I was hunting for a queen I 

 had one balled. The result was a dead 

 queen (or nearly so). I inclose her in tin 

 and forward her to you for inspection. I 

 think that j-qu will find the sting in her 

 throat. She is a young queen, and had 

 filled only three or four inches square with 

 eggs on each side of one frame. I removed 

 the old hive from the stand, placed it on 

 a box, having already prepared for the job 

 by placing an empty hive with entrance- 

 guard near at hand. I began by removing 

 the cover, then the follower, then a frame, 

 and shaking the bees in front of the hive 

 with guard on. I had so removed all the 

 frames, and given the hive-body a shake 

 also, but did not see the queen. As I had 

 seen the eggs I knew she was present some- 

 where, so I turned to get the bottom-board. 

 When I discovered the ball I reached for 

 the smoker, gave them a few whiff's, but 

 they were determined on mischief. I never 

 saw bees apparently so mad. Each one 

 seemed bent on murder. When I did suc- 

 ceed in rescuing her she was almost dead, 

 and I saw what I took to be the sting of a 

 bee in her throat, so I thought she would be 

 a good subject for you to examine. I took 

 her to the house immediately, and wrapped 

 her up (though not entirely lifeless). She 

 deposited seven eggs in my hand and three 

 on the desk before I folded her up. 



Woodside, Cal. 



[This is another of the several reports we 

 have had that a balled queen is often stung 

 to death, notwithstanding our good Dr. 

 Miller says that such queens are not stung 

 in the ball. As our correspondent says, 

 the queen sent for my inspection has the 

 sting inserted clear up to the poison-bag, 

 on the under side of the thorax, near the 

 head. She appears to have "got it in the 

 neck."— Ed.] 



