324 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



June 



tight. Why, dear me! they sting right through 

 some heavy gloves I wear, leaving the sting in the 

 gloves, and then pull around, trying their best to 

 aoain sting, occasionally hitting a seam in the glove, 

 and making one think there is a bee inside the glove. 

 Now, I admit these gloves are cumbersome, and mis- 

 erably in the way; but I for one (a Ijcglnncr, though) 

 can't tolera.te these stings; so I'm forced to pull on 

 these detestable gloves, then a pair of old stocking- 

 legs, etc., and you may know the convenience with 

 which I handle frames. It may be I'll get over this 

 glove "biz," but I'm sure it will be after T see the 

 bees cease so viciously stinging them. 



A SUBSTITUTE TOR WIRED FRAMES SUGGESTED. 



Instead of wiring, I put in the middle of the frame 

 a cross-bar of wood, or, as I nail my frames, I j'lst 

 use an end-bar in the middle. This makes either end 

 about a square, or 9J3 x OJs. The bees will secure 

 combs to sides, and I can't see how the weight of 

 such size can give way, or frame sag in the least. If 

 needs be, these middle pieces can be a little short, 

 and the bottom-bar weaker than top-bar; the short 

 middle-bar will draw the bottom-bar a little crowning, 

 and I think we have a stout nice frame. What say- 

 est thou? J. B. Marsh. 



Centre, Ala., April, 1883. 



It may be because your bees are hybrids 

 that you liave so much trouble with stings ; 

 but I think it is because you have not yet 

 got the "hang "of the business. I tliink 

 you will find times when you can open your 

 hives and handle your bees without the need 

 of gloves, or " stocking-legs," as you speak 

 of. Watch some experienced hand, and see 

 how he manages, and you will very soon 

 learn to get along by the use of smoke, with- 

 out any gloves or veil either. — Your substi- 

 tute for the wire frame will answer in a 

 measure, but by no means takes the place of 

 wiring. Your wooden bar will come right 

 in the center of the brood, and your fdn. 

 will sag about as badly as without the bar, 

 although the comb will be less liable to get 

 broken out of the frame. We have demon- 

 strated, by many experiments, that the 

 wires need to be about the distance apart we 

 put them. 



THE CORN-SHELLER BUZZ-SAW, AGAIN. 



We tried the corn-sheller buzz-saw arrangement, 

 but it took too much "wind" to turn it. We put 

 the belt on the balance-wheel of the sheller and on 

 the saw-pulley. We ran the saw about 600 revolu- 

 tions per minute. By the way, the saw is home- 

 made, and it may not saw as easily as your "Si- 

 mons " saws. We have it hitched to our oil-well en- 

 gine now, but it does not seem to saw as fast as we 

 think it should, and I wanted to ask you a few 

 questions. 



SOME questions ABOUT BUZZ-SAWS. 



1. How many revolutions should a saw make per 

 minute to do the best and most work? 3. What is 

 the fewest number of saws we would need to have 

 to make frames, provided we slotted both ends of 

 end'pieces alike, same as you make the tops of end- 

 pieces now ? 3. What sized saw do you prefer for 

 ripping frame stuff, and how fast should a saw run 

 through inch pine lumber ? 4. How many teeth 

 should a saw have to the inch, for ripping? and 

 should a cross-cut have more or less? Our mandrel 

 is a 5£-in. iron bolt turned true fty hand, and run in 

 zinc boxes. The saw, I made of an old hand-saw. 



FOUNDATION MADE ON PLASTER PLATES. 



I should like a foundation mill, but wax is rather 

 scarce here, and I will try to make the plaster plates 

 do another year. The great objection to them is, it 

 is so disagreeable making, and it takes so much 

 heating the wax, as there is always a sheet of wax 

 on the back of them as well as the face. 



Bees have wintered well here. I let one starve, 

 with honey in the hive— a swarm that came out Aug. 

 23, 1883. Jas. Somerville, 9. 



Brady's Bend, Pa., Mar. 31, 1883. 



It is a little difficult to answer your ques- 

 tions, friend S., because you have not given 

 us the diameter of your saws. While a five- 

 inch saw might make 5000 or 6000 revolutions 

 per minute, one 10 inclies in diameter would 

 not need to run over SoOO, to give the same 

 speed on the diameter where the teeth are. 

 Also, much depends on the kind of work 

 that is to be done, the kind of lumber to be 

 sawed, etc. For dovetailing the ends of 

 frame stuff, you want about four grooving- 

 saws. The whole matter is fully described 

 in the ABC book. For making frames, we 

 prefer saws 8 and 10 inches in diameter, with 

 the points of the teeth about one inch apart, 

 and such a saw should rip frame stuff at 

 the rate of, say, about one yard per second. 

 Small saws, say five or six inches in diame- 

 ter, usually have teeth about half an inch 

 apart. Cut-off saws usually have about 

 twice as many teeth to the inch as the rip- 

 saws ; for tine work, even more than that. 



IMPORTANCE OP A CLEANSING FLIGHT IN THE 

 SPRING. 



I got a colony of black bees from my brother-in- 

 law, he having 30 all black, and in winter hives, in a 

 bee-house open to the south. This was in March, 

 1881, about the 15th; they were all seemingly in good 

 condition. I brought mine home, and set them on a 

 summer stand. The second daj' after, the sun shone 

 very warm, and I took the cap off, and they had a 

 good fly. The next day being warm, I repeated it; 

 they were seemingly strong, though they spotted 

 the snow a good deal. They lived through, while 

 my brother-in-law lost all of his. What I want to 

 know is, was it because I gave mine that airing and 

 flying that saved them? My brother-in-law's were 

 not packed, but simply set in a house open to the 

 south. I went into winter quarters last fall with 

 four colonies packed in chaff, and one in a sheltered 

 nook. They have come through all right. On the 

 13th they were carrying pollen by the basket full. 



Jas. Beaton. 



Highgate, Kent Co., Ont, Can., April 16, 1883. 



Thanks for your report, friend B. Al- 

 though we have always been pretty well sat- 

 isfied that it was an advantage for bees to 

 have a good cleansing flight, such as you de- 

 sci'ibe, in early spring, yet we have never 

 before had positive evidence of the benefit 

 of it, such as you give. No doubt but that 

 it was the cleansing flight that saved your 

 bees, and I think it was quite an advantage 

 to have them have such a fly two days in 

 succession. Mr. Langstroth stated, a good 

 many years ago, that it would doubtless pay 

 to remove the top of the hives and let the 

 bees all come out, and have a good fly when 

 a pleasant day afforded a good opportunity, 

 after a long-protracted cold spell. 



