189 d. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



101 



keep up with the move. I finally have them jam together, 

 and if a space is left I calk it with rags in front. 



I fill a cushion with sawdust large enough to fill the super 

 % full, which I place in the super over the brood-nest after 

 removing the waxed cover, and if the little pillars of wax are 

 present, I spread on a burlap, on which I put the cushion and 

 super. The little pillars are useful, as per Doolittle. If none 

 are present, I place over the frame two or three small sticks 

 to allow the bees to pass over the frames. I then nail boards 

 on the scantling at the rear of the hive, and at the end of the 

 rows, which reach up to the middle of the super. This leaves 

 an inch space which I fill with leaves, chaff, sawdust, or any 

 dry material. Over all I place the cover as shown in the 

 picture, and the job is complete. 



The operation of moving the hives in the spring is the 

 same as in the fall. Caution — don't move them apart until 

 near swarming time, for you will have brood on the outside of 

 the outside frame, which will chill if moved too soon. This I 

 learned by sad e.vperience. My theory was that of mutual 

 warmth, hence less feed, heat more regular, and not subject 

 to sudden change in the spring, earlier breeding, and most 

 important of all, that the cold coming in at the 6-inch en- 

 trance coming in contact with the heat of the cluster would 

 condense near the front of the hive (always to the south), and 

 if very cold, freeze there, wlien on the first day of sunshine it 

 would melt and run out. By experience all the above has 

 proven true. I had not one moldy comb last spring. For one 

 such comb I offered the bee-inspector $5.00, and he failed to 

 get the prize. 



Now for the faults of my method : If there is foul brood 

 in the apiary, young bees are apt to distribute it in the spring. 

 Some may say that the end hives get the most bees. Others 

 may say there will be more robbing, and still others that 

 young queens are more apt to get lost on their return. This 

 latter I grant, but as to the other objections I will give my 

 experience for five years. I never had a hive robbed. I have 

 had only 2 hives with foul brood, and this only light cases, upon 

 which I adopted a heroic cure, and they went up in smoke. 

 I never noticed that the end hives were stronger in bees than 

 any others. I have no winter losses to speak of. 



I would like very much to be able to express my admira- 

 tion of some of our noble giants in bee-keeping, and to thank 

 them for nearly all I know about the business, for by their 

 help I have succeeded to ray entire satisfaction, never having 

 had a season that my bees did not pay me as much as $6.00 

 per colony, spring count. My wife (whom I allow to say what 

 she pleases, for the same reason that I allow my bees to 

 swarm) calls me a big bee-crank, and I am inclined to think 

 she is right, as usual. Springville, Utah. 



The Production of Comb Honey. 



The third of aseriesof articles on this subject. 

 BT EMBBSON T. ABBOTT. 



If frames are to be so arranged that they will space 

 themselves by some device on the frame, then I do not know 

 that I have seen anything which is more likely to give satis- 

 faction than the arrangement invented by G. W. Stephens, of 

 Iowa. This device of his was illustrated and described in the 



T/(e Stephens' Frame-Spacer. 



American Bee Journal last summer. I think the cut pre- 

 sented herewith will give a clear idea of it without repeating 

 the description. 



But why use any kind of a spacer on the frames ? This 

 only adds to the cost of the hive, and makes it more difficult to 

 handle the frames. I would be forced to reject any kind of a 

 device that increases the care necessary in order to manipu- 

 late the frames successfully. 



" It is evident that profit can be derived from bee-culture 

 with almost any style of frame ; but it is certain, also, that in 

 every pursuit some conditions produce better effects than 

 others, under the same circumstances." — Dadant. 



THE CONDITIONS THAT PRODUCE THE BEST EFFECTS 



for me, and give me the least trouble are such as are shown in 

 the hive illustrated herewith. The frames are the ordinary 



Langstroth with a top-bar 1}^ inches wide, and they hang in 

 metal spacers which space them so there is just H inch 

 between them at the top. One of the spacers is here standing 

 against the front of the hive. This hive could no doubt be 

 very much improved, but that might add to the cost of it, and 

 that would not do in these times. 



I think the metal corners as made by The A. I. Root Co. 

 would add materially to the ease of manipulation in this hive. 

 I did not like them when I used them on a plain metal rabbet, 

 as they would slip so easily ; but with a metal spacer there 

 would be no trouble of this kind. These metal corners com- 

 bined with the Root thick top-bar would be still better, but X 

 see that they say there are "practical difficulties in the way " 

 of using them on a thick top-bar. I do not know how this is, 

 as I have not looked into it, but I am sure if the " difficulties " 

 can be overcome that this will make a first-class frame to be 

 used with a metal spacer. However, others may prefer the 

 Hoffman frame, and I am perfectly willing they should, now I 

 have had my say. 



In this hive, the ends of the parts are square, and, as I 

 said before, I do not like a square joint between any of the 

 parts of the hive. Others do, and they are in the majority ; 

 and, as hives are made to sell, a wise man lets people have 

 what they want to buy, as I said when speaking of comb 

 honey. 



If half, or more, of one of the sides of the super was 

 movable, the sections could be removed with much less trouble. 

 I think Mr. Armstrong, who then lived at Jerseyville, 111., 

 once sold a hive made in this way. 



Some hives have wooden spacers of this kind, but they 

 are very objectionable, as the iDees stick the frames fast to 

 them, and they split off in removing the frames, and are soon 

 worse than none. 



While on the subject of frames it may be well to mention 

 another construction which is radically bad. I refer to those 

 hives in which the frames extend over the end of the hive 

 with wooden spacers nailed on the inside. Such frames are 

 very apt to be stuck fast to the end of the super where it 

 touches them or has less than bee-space between it and the 

 frames. When one attempts to remove the super, the frames 

 all come up with it. Then, it is mu.-;h harder to keep the bees 

 down on the combs when the liive is open, as they crawl 

 out between the frames where they rest on the end of the 

 hive. Neither can a bee-escape board be used on the brood- 

 chamber of such a hive without an extra rim — a very serious 

 objection. 



THE PLACE FOR THE ENDS OF THE FRAMES 



is inside the box that forms the brood-chamber. 



I may as well confess here, before I go any farther, that I 

 do not think the Langstroth frames leave the colony in as 

 good condition for wintering as would a deeper frame. I am 

 now thinking only of the best frame for the production of 

 comb honey, as I have solved the winter problem by a method 

 that gives me but little trouble with any frame. 



In these days when we are not handling frames as much 



