646 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 1 



ding the wire and before taking up the frame, 

 drop, with a VanDeusen wax- tube, about three 

 drops of wax on each sheet of foundation, 

 one near each end and one in the middle, on 

 the wire. Since doing this I have never 

 found a wire out of place. E. M. 



Auburn, N. Y., Sept. 37. 



[What you say is very true; but it is, never- 

 theless, a fact that some bees are very much 

 more inclined to attach comb to separators 

 than others. This has been found to be so 

 pronounced that producers in a few cases have 

 been obliged to pinch the queen's head of the 

 offending bees and put in other blood. 



Comb attachments will be a little more fre- 

 quent with any bees when an effort is made 

 to crowd the sealing of the honey clear out 

 to the wood. In other words, in order to 

 secure extra fancy comb honey, the bee-keep- 

 er may have to put up now and then with a 

 comb attachment to the separator or fence. 



The difficulty of wii'e being off the septum 

 of the foundation is most satisfactorily and 

 easily remedied by running a current of elec- 

 tricity through the wire, heating it just 

 enough so it will melt its way down into the 

 foundation. Just the moment this takes place 

 the current is cut off, the wire cooled, when 

 it is nicely imbedded in the very center of 

 the base. In many cases where this work is 

 done nicely it is impossible to determine from 

 which side of the sheet the wire went in, as 

 it can be seen on either side equally plain. 



Six dry cells (such as can be obtained at 

 any telephone station) will furnish a current 

 strong enough to heat one wire at a time 

 through a forked metal prong; and if the 

 cells be allowed to "rest" after 100 sheets 

 have been put in, for an hour, the imbedding 

 can be resumed as before. The modua oper- 

 andi is fully explained in A B C of Bee Cul- 

 ture. — Ed.] 



WIRING THICK-TOP-BAB HOFFMAN FRAMES 



VERTICALLY; WHY FOUNDATION 



BUCKLES. 



Will you please tell me through Glean- 

 ings why it is not practical to wire the thick- 

 top Hoffman frames perpendicularly? You 

 mentioned its not being practical two or 

 three times last year, but did not give a rea- 

 son. I am wiring some frames, and should 

 like to try some perpendicularly, but am 

 afraid there is some little principle that I do 

 not understand that will cause a failure. 



No. Bedeque, Can. A. K. Whidden. 



[It is entirely practical to wire the thick- 

 top-bar Hoffman frames perpendicularly, al- 

 though there are quite a number of objec- 

 tions to the plan. One is that it is harder to 

 pierce the thick top-bar for the wires, and 

 another that, if this top-bar is pierced, the 

 wires must then be on the top of the frame 

 right in the way if the frames are ever 

 scraped. Tacks and staples spaced equally 

 distant have been used, the same being driv- 

 en into the under side of the top-bar and the 

 top side of the bottom-bar. Wires threaded 

 through these and drawn taut have been 



i;sed with considerable success. While it in- 

 volves a considerable amount of labor, yet 

 this extra labor is more than compensated 

 by the lower cost of the lighter-weight foun- 

 dation which may be used. You might be 

 interested in Dr. Miller's wooden splints. 

 He has such splints cut about ^ inch square, 

 and as long as the width or depth of the 

 frame, inside measurement. He soaks these 

 splints in wax until they are thoroughly sat- 

 urated, and then with a pair of tweezers 

 takes them out one by one and lays them on 

 the foundation vertically. The adhering wax 

 causes them to adhere firmly. — Ed.] 



SALT FOR bees. 



Bees evidently like salt I set out a pail 

 which had held salted white fish, filled with 

 water to freshen it so that I could use it in 

 the barn; but the bees do all their drinking 

 out of it, so I let them have it. This must be 

 beneficial to them, for they do not touch the 

 fresh water, which is just as accessible. 



I am delighted with Gleanings. It is cer- 

 tainly a fine magazine. C. Gallimore. 



Mt. Vernon, O. 



[There has been a great amount of testi- 

 mony showing that bees are partial to salty 

 water. They very often may be found hov- 

 ering around the seepage of a water-closet. 



If borax is not handy, a little sapolio is 

 very good for the removal of propolis; and 

 if that is not available a little gasoline will 

 soften up the gum so it can be removed with 

 a little soap and water. — Ed.] 



HOW TO keep ants AWAY FROM BEE-HIVES; 

 SUSPENDING A PLATFORM BY WIRES. 



Herewith I send you my remedy for ants, 

 which is sure if my instructions are followed: 



Set two posts securely, any distance desir- 

 ed; place a pole on top of these posts, then 

 suspend by wire from this pole any distance 

 desired from the ground a plank (for hives 

 to rest on), secured by these wires. Do 

 not let this plank touch any thing. If grass 

 or weeds touch the plank the ants will reach 

 the hives. In case they do, tie wool around 

 these wires and saturate it with coal oil. I 

 have used this remedy for more than three 

 years. It never fails. In storing honey in 

 the house, suspend the box from the ceiling 

 by wire. W. P. Herman. 



Molalla, Ore. 



HOW TO CARRY HONEY TO THE EXTRACTING- 

 HOUSE. 



I have just read E. W. Alexander's article 

 on page 1573, Vol. 34, also your footnote. 

 There is one thing I have always thought 

 Mr. Alexander does on a small scale, and 

 that is, carrying honey in combs to the hon- 

 ey-house. We have one man taking off hon- 

 ey and one running the wheelbarrow and 

 taking four or five ten-frame bodies at a load; 

 and if bees are working, put the bodies right 

 back; if not, we put them on about sundown. 



Hondo, Tex. A. H. Knolle. 



