GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 



FO I XD AXIOMS OF DROIVF. COMB, 

 HOIVEV BOXliS,jiETt'. 



sjfflllENl) NOVICE :— You don't toll nie wliiit you 

 Jip'^ think of ii^in'^ IIk- miwory in :i wooden box out- 

 rij doors. If I iimst break my back lifting an o.'d stove 

 around, I shan't use llic nurserj at all. 



I liave mad(> some plaster casts from drone comb, to use 

 in small frames, as I very much i)refer drone comb in the 

 surplus and boxes. I visited one ajiiary last season, where 

 worker comb had been used quite extensively for starters 

 in the frames ; white clover yielded very slowly in that 

 location, but pollen was abundant, and the uprights of the 

 small frames used were If inches. ji;st the same spaces as 

 in the brood chamber, and directly over it. The bees were 

 breeedinir some in the supers, and they lllled a good many 

 frames with bee bread. I saw many nice frames of new 

 worker comb, almost entirely filled with brood. Of course 

 nil such had to bo cut out and fastened into brood frames. 

 Now if drone comb had been used for starters in frames, 

 (with upriirhts !§ to IJ wide) and but little drone comb 

 left in the brood chamber, the bees would have built all 

 drone comb in the small frames, and of course there would 

 have been no bee bread in the supers ; and I think they 

 woidd not have brooded in them as much as they did, 

 where the spaces were a continuation of those between 

 the brood combs. My conclusion is, that I want all drone 

 size for starters in boxes, and frames ; have used such al- 

 most exclusively for the past five years with good success. 

 Haven't got my wax bleached yet, but made a few guides 

 from yellow wax, to try the casts. Those made are too 

 thick to suit, but the weather is Tcry cold, and I ha\-e had 

 little jjractice. 



The next point is, how will the bees take to them ? the 

 smart stocks, those that secrete wax readily, will see the 

 advantage at the first glance ])robabl.v, but those lisht 

 colored lazy fellows, I suspect will have an excuse, that 

 they did not know what those guides were meant for. 



!My plan is to make the casts 5 inches or more long by 2 

 inches wide, so as to have the guides fastened at top and 

 bottom, 2 inches wide, but don't know bvit the.v will sag 

 when the bees cluster on them, and warm them up. Shall 

 Ir.v and put one or two strips of real drone comb in the 

 middle boxes ; a few for a start in each hive. ' 



If they could be made with a cell foundation, like Long's, 

 with the bottoms of the cells thin enough, I think they 

 would be decidedly preferable, as the difficulty generally 

 is, to get them to add or join on, the first wax as soon as 

 they ou,.-lit, and if the cells are deejj enough, so they can 

 IKit in a droj) of honey, they will readily see the necessity 

 of lengthening the cells. 



AV'ell, 1 see yon don't want any advice about hives, so I 

 suppose this will be paper thrown away ; but if you will 

 read it and consider, I am satisfied ! for if you don't have 

 the best rack in America, the responsibility won't rest with 

 me. I know you won't adopt it, bec:iuse you iu-e like me, 

 and a great matiy other bee-keejjers, you can't be told 

 anything till you have the experience and see the<realit.y. 



Your rack with the hoop arrangement has move objec- 

 tions than the other, as all the weiixht is on the lower 

 hoop, which is not stiff enough to lift off a .set of filled 

 frames ; much less two or three tier ; by trying it, you 

 know how 'tis yourself. Then with your tins soldered to- 

 gether to go across the bottom, there is no chance to get 

 .your lingers in, between the rows of frame to handle 

 them, you will find this is a very serious objection to fast 

 handling. Then, if yen take oU the top hoops to see how 

 the bees get alon.r, if tho.y need tieing up or anything, 

 they will be out all over, and it will take a good deal of 

 time to close u]) again, just when time is more valuable 

 than glass. 



Of course you can if you choose, put in two cross pieces, 

 the same as we use in our racks 7-10 inches thick, by 'JJ 

 wide, and nail through three hoops on each bide, into the 



ends of the cross pieces, giving you the spaces between the 

 rows, and the strength of three hooiis ; but I think it 

 would suit you better, to use one of our racks. That is 

 make it to fit your hive, and bevel the edges to lit the 

 hoops above and below, using the same cover you now do. 



Enclosed is a description of our rack as we novir make it. 

 In using small frames in these racks, wo shall jmt them 

 together to form boxes, with a glass on each side. Our 

 frames are 5^ inches high by Gf long, outside measure, 

 and of course the glass must be just that size. We then 

 cut i)aper .^i inches wide and long enough to reach across 

 the ends of frames, and lap i inch on the ends of glass at 

 each side ; put the guides in the frames, and put these pa- 

 pers on with strong paste, and you have a very strong box. 

 Eight of our frames fill a row, put four together to form a 

 box, two boxes to a row ; then when we tier up, if the out- 

 side comb is not so forward as the inside, we can reverse 

 them, turning the outside in, and get it all finished up to- 

 gether. 



We have made some boxes b.y putting two frames to- 

 gether, making a two comb bos, which can be sold with 

 glass as box honey, or if the customer prefers, the glass 

 can be taken off and the honey retailed as frame honey. 



J. p. ilOORE'S RACK FOE BOXES AND S.MALI, FRAMES, 

 LASGSTROTH SIZE. 



Take stuff T-K! inch thick, by 2} wide ; cut 4 cross pie- 

 ces 15i inches long, and 2 side bieces 21i inches long. 

 Nail through the side pieces into the ends of cross pieces, 

 put 3 finishing sixes into each end of every cross piece : 

 putting together so as to form 3 boxes or spaces, without 

 top or bottom ; each to be 6J inches wide, by lui long, by 

 2i deep. Get Russia sheet iron, cut with a machine, 2 

 pieces tor middle ^ inch wide, and 2 for end pieces » inch 

 wide ; punch 5 holes in each, on a block of hard wood, 

 with a square end punch, so as to take a piece out ; punch 

 the J inch ones along the middle, the 5 ones a little nearer 

 one side, and nail these irons on the bottom edges of the 

 cross pieces of the rack, with li inch finishing nails, let- 

 ting the edges project l inch into the spaces, to support 

 the ends of boxes and small frames, when set down into 

 the spaces. Use boxes and small frames 6J inches long in 

 this rack, of such width, as to leave J inch side .shake. 



J. P. MOOEE. 



Binghampton, N. Y., Feb. 22d, 1S70. 



To keep a nice eveu temperature in the lamp 

 nursery, without too much trouble, it should 

 he icept in a close room. If j'ou have it out- 

 doors, it will take much more oil for your lamp 

 unless well protected. We use the laryest 

 sized burner, and our lamp will Iceep cither the 

 old bee house, or liouse apiary ciuite comforta- 

 ble during a frosty night. 



There is anotlier rtason why drone comb 

 would be l)etter for the boxes, other than its 

 being generally free from pollen; it contains 

 less wax, and less labor by the bees, to liold a 

 given amount of lionej*, and on the latter ac- 

 count we have thouglit considerablj' of having 

 a machine for making drone foundations also. 

 If the queen is going to get into the surplus 

 apartment, as she often does, it is mucli more 

 desirable that she should Jiot hnd drone comb 

 there ; see i)uge 83. 



But we do want advice friend Moore, from 

 j'ou and every other one of our readers who 

 has had experience where we have not. We 

 have made arrangements to "interview" the 

 cases and packages of most of our producers 

 of box lioney, and after we have done tliis, we 

 shall feel tliat we arc prepared to decide what 

 kind we can furnisli our patrons clieapest, and 

 what Avill serve them best, all tilings consid- 

 ered. The tins von mention liave lield over 



