1150 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 1 



the needs of the oi'dinary farmer— yes, and 

 the specialist, working fur honey only, in 

 my judgment, better than any other. 



I have had some experience with single- 

 walled hives; but as my practice has been 

 confined to outdoor wintering I have adopt- 

 ed a double-walled hive to the top of the first 

 story, continuing the outside case to make a 

 two story hive of it. I have made a com- 

 promise between the eight and ten frame, 

 thus making a nine-frame hive — to be singu- 

 lar, perhaps, and please nobody. This, how- 

 ever, it seems to me, is a desirable size of 

 body for most localities, especially for comb- 

 honey production. This hive admits of put- 

 ting three 4J-section cases under the cover at 

 a time. It also gives a two-inch space be- 

 tween the section-case and the outside, which 

 1 regard as very important in the production 

 of comb honey, as the outside sections are 

 protected from the chilly winds that are so 

 common in most northern localities at night 

 during the early summer, and some seasons 

 all summer. This protection enables the 

 bees to work the outside section just as free- 

 ly as the inside ones, thus bringing the work 

 of capping the sections to a close at the same 

 time, leaving fewer unfinished sections, and 

 less travel-stained, which must be the case 

 where left on the hive for completion in case 

 the work is not carried on simultaneously. 

 Also, this method enables the bee-keeper to 

 produce straight comb without separators. 



Those who think that this idea of protec- 

 tion of outside sections a mere notion, and 

 adhere to the single-walled hive for comb 

 honey, I would request to take a look at the 

 cases some chilly night. I feel sure they will 

 find the outside sections vacated, and that 

 they will not be occupied till late in the fore- 

 noon of the next day. Thus we see that the 

 work is unevenly done, and the delay in fin- 

 ishing the outside causes the inside sections 

 to be injured by travel-stains; but if taken 

 off to save this injury it leaves a lot of im- 

 perfect sections to be rearranged and put 

 iDack, which never are finished as perfectly 

 as if left on the hive. It seems to me that 

 the idea of protection to outside sections as 

 here indicated can not be too strongly em- 

 phasized. 



Again, the double-walled hive may be 

 placed in the yard without shading, which is 

 hardly the thing to do with a single-board 

 hive. The double-walled hive breeds up 

 more rapidly in the spring; keeps a more 

 even temperature during the season; is not 

 so likely to suffer from chilled brood nor 

 from robbers, as is the single-walled hive. 

 This hive may be used with the brood-cham- 

 ber in the second story, if desired, the same 

 as any other. To conclude my talk about 

 the hive, as I have said before, section honey 

 can be produced with this style of hive with- 

 out separators, which can not be done in a 

 single- board hive. It is true, however, that 

 more care is necessary than with separators. 

 There must be a strong colony, a plumb hive, 

 good honey-fiow, and no swarming allowed. 

 i have secured a fair amount of surplus, in 

 seasons when my neighbors with single- board 



hives got none. I attribute the difference to 

 the hive used. I only wish that I'd made 

 my hives with loose bottoms to be fastened 

 with hooks. I think I'd like thein better. 



As to frames, I know of nothing better 

 than the long-end top-bar Hoffman frame. I 

 cut the corners of the end that projects over 

 the rabbet, so as to make a sharp perpendic- 

 ular edge, which meets the upward projec- 

 tion of the rabbet, and spaces the frame end- 

 wise, thus obviating the necessity of using 

 the staples for spacing. You will see, by 

 trying this method, that there will be no 

 sticking the frames with propolis, as some 

 complain of the bees doing when this frame 

 is used. In fact, there is nothing like the 

 trouble with such an aiTangement as I have 

 had with the short-end top-bar. Then, again, 

 the short end is liable to drop off the rabbet 

 at one end or the other, even in the machine- 

 made hive. 



As to section- cases, I have used the "T," 

 also the section-holder cases, and like them 

 both. I think I'll let Dr. Miller and the edi- 

 tor of Gleanings tight this matter out to 

 their hearts' content. As I feel now, I don't 

 care which whips. 



In regard to sections, I have had experience 

 only with beeway sections; but from the 

 knowledge I have from reading and experi- 

 ence I am partial to the seven-to-the-foot 

 two-beeway. I have used the 4^ with, also 

 'Without, separators. I have used seven-to- 

 the-foot 6|X3f in section-holder cases that 

 came with bees purchased when I came here, 

 and having fence separators nailed to the 



THE WHITNEY BEE-ESCAPE CASE FOR CLEAR- 

 ING THE BEES FROM COMB-HONEY 

 SUPERS. 



ends of the holders, which have worked well, 

 and have given me beautiful sections of hon- 

 ey weighing as near 16 ounces each as it is 

 possible for the bees to guess. I think, from 

 what I have read of the Crane separator, 

 that I'd like to try it. It seems to me tJiat 

 it contains a principle worth testing. 



I use a stand six inches high, similar to 

 those advertised in the catalogs, for hives to 



