1907 



GT.EANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1037 



the hive in any position, when it can be in- 

 stantly raised or lowered, or held in position 

 by a quick jerk of the rope outward to lock 

 it and inward to release it. 



This device is also very handy in weighing 

 hives when preparing them for winter, and 

 also during the honey-How to see how much 

 gain our colonies are making. Simply hook 

 on a pair of spring balance scales and we 

 can weigh a hive very quickly and easily. 



We would not think of doing without some 

 kind of hive-lifter; and the one here shown 

 is both light and easy of operation, and can 

 instantly be adjusted to any part of the hive 

 or supers. A man can, with this device, 

 easily raise 000 lbs., and can with one hand 

 easily raise the heaviest hive. We find that 

 lifting hives and supers all day is hard work; 

 and while some may be able to perform such 

 labor, there are many others who are not, 

 and it is to such as these (and this includes 

 ourselves) that this invention will be of real 

 value. 



The tripod weighs only 13 lbs., and the 

 clamp and pulleys 8 lbs., and the clamp can 

 be unhooked when moving, so that it is nee 

 essary to lift only 13 lbs., which is but little 

 more than the weight of the box that we have 

 to carry about to set the supers on while 

 manipulating the brood-chamber. As our 

 hives are in groups of four we find that we 

 can manipulate hives and supers more rapid- 

 ly, and very much easier, than to lift them 

 by main strength. Indeed, the heaviest work 

 in the apiary is by this invention actually 

 reduced to mere child's play. 



PUTTING ON MORE SUPERS. 



July 8. — The weather 

 bloom thus far has been 



/S' Super OF 



f)^TRACTlN0C0MB5 



2°SUP£R OF 



[xtractinqCqmbs 



S'"' Super of 

 Extract/no Combs 



during basswood 

 favorable for the 

 secretion of nec- 

 tar, and our 

 scale hive show- 

 ed a gain of 16 

 lbs. yesterday; 

 and we notice 

 that our extract- 

 i n g - colonies 

 need another 

 super of extract- 

 ing -combs, so 

 we will place on 

 each colony a 

 super of empty 

 combs next to 

 the brood-cham- 

 ber, Fig. 1. If 

 plenty of room 

 is given these 

 colonies in the 

 form of empty 

 > combs directly 

 ^ above the brood, 

 ijj no other swarm 

 ^preventive will 

 els' be necessary 

 J during our short 

 ^ honey harvest. 

 We will next 

 Representing the ex- consider our 50 



QUEEN FXCLUCEf^ 



BROOD SECTION WITH 

 NEW COMBS DRAWN 

 FROM FOUNDATION 



Brood 



Brood 



/^^ Super of 

 Jf c rioNS 



C'^'SUPEH OF 

 5ECTI0N5 



S""" Super of 



sections \NtJH 



DRfiiVJN FOUNDATION 

 qij£FN rYCLunPR — 



Brood 



^UEFN 



Qi 



onies, on each of which are two section-su- 

 pers with a brood-section on top. A good 

 many bees have hatched out of this brood- 

 section since we placed it here, and the 

 empty cells have been tilled with honey, so 



we will I'emove it, 



" 3 and, with our hive- 



lifter, we will quick- 

 ly swing the whole 

 hive clear from the 

 bottom-board, plac- 

 ing thereon the 

 bfood - section, and 

 let the hive back in 

 position now on the 

 brood-section, when 

 we will raise the 

 section-supers, plac- 

 ing another super 

 of drawn founda- 

 tion next to the 

 brcjod -chambers, 

 and let the supers 

 back in position, 

 Fig. 2. 



All this hive ma- 

 nipulation is done 

 without any lifting, 

 as a sti'aight pull on 

 the rope will raise 

 the heaviest hive. 

 Fig. 2. —Condition of We are now up with 

 comb-honey colonies after ^•,,,. runrlr nnrl -cpill 

 giving the third supers. f^V ^"\^' ,^^^ ^^'^ 

 take a look at our 



chicks. It may be of interest to some of the 

 readers of this article to know that, ' along 

 with our hive manipulations, 'we have also 

 been handling incubators and brooders, and 

 gathering eggs from our 350 Brown-Leg- 

 horn-egg machines, and we have at this 

 date 1200 motherless Brown Leghorn chicks 

 that are more afraid of a hen than they are 

 of a dog. But this is another subject, with 

 apologies. 



Jtily 10. — The bees are still booming on 



the basswood bloom, 



3 



6UP£R OF 

 [xTRACINC'CoyiB^ 



Brood SECTION FROM 



THE TOP WHICH 

 CONTAIN HON FY 



have lost only 

 a day by a 



Fig. 1. 

 tracting colonies after the third 

 supers are given. 



comb-honey col- 



and 

 half 



shower. We will 

 take a look at our 

 fifty comb-honey col- 

 onies; and for fear 

 that some of them 

 may take a notion to 

 swarm we will, with 

 our hive-lifter, raise 

 up the supers, re- 

 moving the top 

 brood-secti(jn after 

 driving the bees 

 down so as not to 

 get the queen, and 

 tier these queenless 

 brood -sections up 

 seven or eight high, 

 to be drawn on 

 for our future use. 

 This will settle the 

 swarming question 

 for this season so 

 far as these colonies 



It' SUPFR OF 

 5ECTI0N5 



2"-" Super of 

 SscT/orvs 



3 -^ Super of 

 Sect/on5 



4^'^ Super or 



SECTIONS WITH FULL 

 5HFETS OF Fn.O. 



Brood. 

 Queen. 



Fig. 3. — Condition of 

 comb-honey colonies aft- 

 er one brood-section has 

 been removed and the 

 fourth super put on. 



