1907 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



337 



of these hives. It takes an entirely different 

 system to succeed with the shallow-frame 

 hives from those with deep frames, as Tvhole 

 cases, instead of frames, are handled in the 

 manipulations in the apiary as well as in the 

 shop and the honey-house. Such manipula- 

 tions alone lessen the work and expense, 

 and increase the profits from the bees. 



More bees can be kept, as the manipula- 

 tions are fewer. More honey can be taken 

 with shallow frames, as a whole case of ten 

 combs can be taken off; whereas single combs 

 are taken out of deep supers. This applies 

 to the production of all three kinds of honey 

 — section honey, bulk comb, and extracted. 

 By smoking the bees down, taking off the 

 super rapidly, and jouncing it up and down 

 a few times, it is ready to take to the honey- 

 house, where they are stacked up crosswise 

 of each other to allow the remaining bees to 

 escape and leave through the escapes at the 

 windows. This is by far the best and quick- 

 est way to remove honey. Many bee-keep- 

 ers are using these shallow supers, not only 

 for comb honey but for extracted. It is 

 easier to uncap shallow combs, one slice do- 

 ing a whole side, and they are handled in 

 pairs in the extractor, and when they are re- 

 placed in the returning supers. 



For tiering up, the shallow supers are bet- 

 ter, as the bees are not placed so far from 

 the brood-nest, causing them to begin work 

 in the supers earlier. Full sheets of thin 

 foundation can be used, which is another in- 

 centive to start super work earlier, and a 

 shallow super will be filled at times when 

 they would not begin in a deep one. 



As brood-chambers, such cases suit me ad- 

 mirably. Much more can be accomplished 

 by handling whole cases in the hive manipu- 

 lations in the apiary, in the early spring, 

 during swarming time, the honey-flow, and 

 for preparing the colonies for winter at the 

 end of the season's work. The brood-nest 

 can be examined by just tilting the upper 

 case back, and queen-cells can be easily de- 

 tected along the bottoru edges of the combs. 

 If the cluster is located toward one side or 

 one end of the hive, the simple reversing, 

 end for end, of the upper case will force 

 them to remodel the brood-nest. This is an 

 easy way to practice spreading and stimulat- 

 ing brood rearing. When brood is to be 

 given to weak colonies a section is exchang- 

 ed with that from a populous one — an item 

 of only a few minutes. During swarming 

 time this is pi'acticed to a great extent to 

 "knock swarming in the head." I know of 

 nothing better and easier than to tear the 

 mass ot brood asunder and fill the space be- 

 tween with empty combs for the queen. This 

 is done in a jiffy with the shallow hives by 

 sirnply slipping a case of shallow all-worker 

 combs between the two brood-cases. Now 

 we shall have three cases instead of two of 

 the brood-chamber, in ideal condition for the 

 honey-flow. The upper case will be filled 

 with honey, the brood being crowded down. 

 The new surplus-honey supers are given be- 

 tween this and the brood-nest, and are filled 

 with a vim that does not exist when supers 



are simply set on top in the ordinary way. 

 An extra super of extracted honey is thus ob- 

 tained before the main honey-flow. 



For a wintering hive I have found no ob- 

 jections to it. It is deeper than the L., hence 

 better suited to the cluster. The only objec- 

 tions that have ever been mentioned are 

 made against the spaces between the frames 

 of the upper and lower sections of the brood- 

 nest; but I do not think there is any good 

 ground for this. Why, it affords the bees of 

 the cluster a way through which to move 

 within reach of stores without going clear 

 around the combs. Messrs. Doolittle and 

 Danzenbaker, I believe, are both advocates 

 of an opening through deep combs for this 

 very purpose. 



Objections are also raised against this open 

 space during the laying period, that it inter- 

 feres with the queen. But why do we have 

 colonies just as strong in bees as with deep 

 combs? 



As an all-around interchangeable hive, 

 from the ground up, I prefer the divisible 

 hive. 



witb : mm* 



MoJittll 



SHOULD BEE-KEEPING BE MADE A SPECIALTY? 



"Say, Mr. Doolittle, to make a success of 

 bee-keeping should the novice aim at the 

 business as a specialty, or would you advise 

 keeping bees in connection with some other 

 pursuit or pursuits, so that he need not have 

 all his eggs in one basket, as it is termed ?" 



"Bees can be kept in connection with 

 other pursuits, and that with success, as I 

 well know; but if success is obtained, special 

 attention must be given the bee-keeping part 

 of the pursuits, and special attention should 

 be given to the others as well, if you are to 

 succeed in all." 



"Do you think it possible to give special 

 attention to three or four different pursuits 

 at the same time?" 



' ' Why not ? Suppose you are working the 

 bees in connection with dairying and garden- 

 ing. The cows need special attention, in 

 the summer season, at morning and night, 

 just at a time when the bees can be worKed 

 at the least advantageously, and thus you 

 have left the warm hours of the day to at- 

 tend to the bees. They should not require 

 all of this time every day; and during the 

 times when they do not, then you can pay 

 special attention to the gardening. There 

 should be no difliculty in working these three 

 at one time, giving special attention to each, 

 just at the time they may require it." 



"But there are those who make a specialty 

 of bee-keeping, and succeed, are there not?" 



