1907 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



335 



out the tube, and hold it quickly over a pail 

 and allow the honey to run out by removing 

 your hand from the upper end of the tube. 

 Or a long stick may be whittled at one end 

 so you can plug the j\ hole at the bottom of 

 the tube, say a stick f X|X15 inches. The 

 process can soon be repeated, until you have 

 removed enough honey so you know that the 

 honey in the cans can not run over. 



Now, if you are impatient we have a quick- 

 er plan of doing this work; but don't tell any 

 one. Apply your mouth to the top of the 

 tube and draw the hot honey up two-thirds 

 of the height of the tube — that's quicker! An 

 old bicycle foot-pump could be remodeled so 

 as to do this much better and easier. Make 

 such a tube, use it, and you will be surprised 

 at the amount of honey saved. 



The other device is to use in lifting cans 

 of honey in or out of the liquefying tank 

 without danger of pulling off the handles. 

 Get two pieces of sheet iron or galvanized 

 iron, about 2X40 inches, and bend as shown. 

 Nail three or tmir strips of wood 1X3X10 

 aci'oss the bottom to hold the strips of sheet 

 iron in place, and to support the weight of 

 the honey, allowing water to circulate under 

 the can when in the tank. At the upper ends 

 of the strips of sheet iron nail cleats iXliX 

 10, as shown. Clinch all nails well. Tip or 

 lift your can of honey; place the "lifter" 

 under; seize the upper cleats, and lower all 

 into the liquefying-tauk. When liquefied, 

 lift it out in the same manner. 



Have as many of these lifters as you can 

 use in the tank at one time. 



Mr. E. D. Townsend recommends leaving 

 the screw caps on tight when liquefying, to 

 retain the aroma. 1 should be afraid that 

 occasionally a can might burst. But if you 

 do follow his advice, don't open the cans un- 

 til the honey is cool again, or it may fairly 

 explode as you unscrew the cap, and burn 

 you, besides daubing your clothes. Twice I 

 have had this happen. 



Meridian, Idaho. 



CONFINED AIR. 

 Its Importance in Hives in Bee-cellars. 



BY T. F. BINGHAM. 



The prevalent plan of arranging hives with- 

 out their bottom-boards alternately, instead 

 of above each other, of course precludes the 

 possibility of accumulating one by one the 

 bees that just naturally die, and perhaps 

 would remain, many of them, on a Iwttom- 

 board were one there, may have objections 

 far more weighty than the supposed gain in 

 not having a bottom-board. 1 am aware 

 that open-bottom hives in cellars are the pop- 

 ular fad, and may be for once the plan has 

 more than popularity to recommend it. 

 However, in my cellar, which is special and 

 dry, some experiments were tried with small 

 entrances and the summer bottom-boards. 

 They wintered as well, and I thought perhaps 

 better. So well pleased was I that I remod- 

 eled my stands or cleated bottoms by closing 



them on three sides — that is, the bottom, or 

 stand, is composed of a board the size of the 

 hive; on this thin board are two two-inch- 

 square strips or cleats, one on each side, on 

 which the hive rests. To the rear end is a 

 board nailed to the square pieces so no bees 

 can escape at the back side or end. This 

 makes a three-sided stand on which the hive 

 stands. 



To close partially the fourth side or front 

 I roll up a roll of excelsior in paper, two 

 inches in diameter, and tie with twine. I 

 then cut off each end square so as to be J 

 inch shorter than the open side of the stand 

 and crowd it in. You will note that the i 

 inch shorter than the opening would leave 

 an opening at one corner, from which bees 

 wishing to could escape, at the same time 

 admitting sufiicient air. Of course, this ar- 

 rangement enables the bees to'raise the tem- 

 perature of their hive readily if they wish so 

 to do. 



The fact that bees cluster below their combs 

 is not evidence that it is their normal condi- 

 tion, nor that it is favorable to their welfare. 

 It is, rather, an effort to keep out the air and 

 thus conserve heat, which is no less essential 

 in a cellar than elsewhere. The plan I have 

 adopted allows a reasonable death-rate ac- 

 cumulation in the bottom-box, as I will for 

 distinction call it. While it secures a suffi- 

 ciently closed hive to enable the bees at any 

 and all times to raise or maintain a higher 

 degree of tempei'ature, and more vitalized 

 air than the average air of a bee-cellar, I pre- 

 sume a higher temperature throughcjut the 

 hive will exist or prevail, and that the death- 

 rate will be less, and that the consumption 

 of honey will be less, and the bees more com- 

 fortable. 



In my experiment with the box bottom- 

 boai'd, 21 colonies were left without the ex- 

 celsior entrance, leaving the bottom closed, on 

 the two sides and back; but the front had an 

 opening 9x2 inches. Finding that the bees 

 in many hives having the closed entrances 

 extended their cluster down to the thin 

 boai'd, two inches l^elow the frames and 

 against the excelsior roll, the 21 previously 

 left open were provided with the same ex- 

 celsior entrance. These entrances were put 

 in carefully so as not to disturb the bees, and 

 left a week for further observation. 



The previous change in the cluster above 

 noted took place in the later 21 similarly 

 treated. This plan may have a very impor- 

 tant bearing vipon the wintering problem in 

 depositorie-* or on summer stands. I have 

 four colonies in a large crockery-tierce out 

 in the yard, sitting close together in a square. 

 Under each hive is a box bottom-board as 

 above described. Underneath these four bot- 

 tom-boards a six-inch space is packed with 

 dry leaves, while above and around rhe four 

 hives fine hay is packed closely. The same 

 I'oom for the falling of the normal waste, ycm 

 will note, is provided for out in the tierce 

 that is provided in the cellar. Thus far, 

 Jan. 19, no bees have come out of the four 

 hives in the tierce, as the cold has been 

 steady, and nothing to induce them to fly. I 



