224r 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE- 



bEPr. 



DEAR NOVICE :— In speaking of preventing sw.irming 

 by tlie use of em pry combs, (page 185) do you mean empty 

 combs, or foimdations ? Yoursiying "If we- use white or 

 even a very nice yellow wax for ottr combs," makes the 

 impression that fdn. are to ]je used. Do you meire that 

 the (iueen does not go up if there i» no diTisiom at aM be- 

 tween the two stories ? You say put in one less comb 

 thiu usual and spread as fast as the cells become Jeiisth- 

 ened. Do you mean to kci'p taking owt frames and 

 spreading ? B, Lf^debeb. 



Chicago, Ills., Aug. 8th. 187tJ. 



We meaiit empty combs ; sheets of fjQ. will 

 not prevent svrarmiDa:, at least not as surely 

 as empty combs. If they have been once start- 

 ed, so that the bees recognize them as comb, 

 undeniably, they seera to be all riarht. In per- 

 haps 50 hives of from 3 to 4 stories, we have 

 found brood in not more than two or three, 

 and only in one or two combs at that. We 

 Tised nothing between the two »tories but per- 

 haps the great yield of honey msy have had 

 something to do with it. We take out a comb 

 when spreading, bitt some of them have been 

 so weighty to handle, that we have concluded 

 there is an extreme to be avoided. We have 

 quite a number that weigh 10 lbs. and over. 

 When so very heavy, they are apt to attach to 

 the ends oT the hive, and to each other. It 

 would now be worth considerable money to us 

 to have this nice clover honey in the Univer- 

 sal sections instead of in the large frames, and 

 xhe bees would have put it in them almost as 

 readily. We hope we shall know nest time. 



Extiactor received some time ago anil gives entire 

 satisfaction ; only it is a little too wide for ray Cham- 

 pion frames, the top bars not quite reaching across 

 the revolving frame so as to hang. 'Twas badlr 

 bruircd in transit, the sides all being jamed in. I 



have used the Extractor— a poor thing— also 



a good machine, bnt the Xoyice Extractor is the 



one lor me hereafter. A. Chkistie. 



Maple Landing, Iowa, Aug. 2d. 1876. 



The above illustrates the utility of giving 

 exact dimensions of your frames. No more 

 bruises hereafter with our new plan of crating, 

 and yet the charges are no higher for ship- 

 ping than heretofore, for we make the weight 

 of the whole come under 25 lbs. 



Bees are not doing as well as last year. I have 3 old 

 and 4 new swarms (one second swarm went to the 

 wood), have taken out about 200 lbs. and I thinli I 

 could now take another hundred ; bees not gathering 

 honey at present. 



My report for the year ending May 1st, 187<>, is as 

 follows : 



Apiary. Dr. 



To 1 swarm bees SlO.f 



" 1;^ days' extracting 2,25 



" Sagar"for wintering 4.50 



" f'o day getting home and iJUtting in cellar 75 



*' C"artage 25 



Total $17,75 



Cr. 



By 1.52 lbs. honey sold S2;>,24 



"40 " " kept (estimated) 6,00 



" 2 swarms left May 1st, 187G 20,00 



Total S55, 2t 



Profit .$57,49 



S. EowELL, Faribault, Minn., Aug. 2d, "7(5. 



The comb fouridaiiou works like a charm. BecK' 

 begari work on it within an horn' I'ronv the tiiae thcy^ 

 received it. E thought I put np a latle the neatest 

 franie in America but I noAV present ;/o»- the Ijelt. U 

 call yonrs the implus iilirn. The metal eorners are r^ 

 "boss'' invention. Received yoiw jaraple teo late tC" 

 order this season, but yotjwill hear from nae r>ext. V. 

 have rcixDst of ir/y comb boney mit in \}i lb. seetions- 

 soiTK! in fancy shapes for fancv- price.=,.tor use at wed- 

 ding parties and other select feasts, and some in 3 lb. 

 boxes Irke the one I ei9«lcHe you- Sample is- 

 l-(>4 full size. Box of com-se et>ntf»ins two combs in- 

 steat! o£ one,, as started in sasaple. Bees quit storing, 

 in supers a few days after I pnt on? n:sy sa.mples,-but: 

 hope to have some fJllcd fron^ bnekwbeat anJ wib'J 

 flowers by i^air Sime. Wha(t do you- think o/ the box? 

 Four glass sides and perfectly tight. Less work and) 

 better show by omitting the corner posts. I have as 

 cani/Jy tar iMletl with one solrl comb of l>eautiiful white 

 clover honey^ Have some of the most beantiful honey 

 this year, extracted arsd ini co-Kstbs that f ever saw. 

 Our bees have done well this seasoa. Use a 12x12; 

 friroe, which u'Cthink is the one- 



Scif.ntilic bee-keepiag is in its infancy ir> this couq- 

 ty. Not more than three or for?r in the coi?nty who- 

 use movable frames and !fenow how to appreciate- 

 their worth. Mr. Ebersole, near Upper Sandiiskjv 

 has t-XT sw.'jrms in Amciiean hive?, wliicli are making: 

 him sonae money. His extractor being an old revol'- 

 ving can, he Js bound to haye one of Novice's next 

 season. J. M, Gonnelev. 



Carey, Ohfo, Aug. 9th, 1»76, 



The sample honey box sent by our friend is 

 certainly a novelty, and is the cheapest ar- 

 rangement for a lx>x with four glass sides, we 

 have yet seen. 



^^ONKELEV's HONEY BOX. 



Id the above cut let the heavy lines repre- 

 sent top and bottom, made of wood, and the 

 light lines the glass. The glass rests in a saw 

 cut made near the ends of the wood, and the 

 glasses are ^^ inch wider than tlie woods-. 

 This com])letes the top, bottom and euds. 

 Now cut glasses for the sides of such size that 

 they just drop between the end glasses and 

 lap on the wood half its thickness. Our friend 

 fastens all secure with gJue or melted wax, 

 but we would suggest four glazier's tins, one 

 at the top and bottom of each side glass; if 

 driven in half way and then bent down on the 

 glass, it holds them very secure. 



Our section Iwxes are pleasing so much bet- 

 ter than any glass boxes, that we have rather 

 discarded the latter. With the same sticks 

 our sections are made of, we can easily make 

 diamonds, triangles, hexagons and a great va- 

 riety of figures. To keep them firmly in place, 

 put a very little hot glue on the corners. For 

 the squares and triangles, this is not needed. 



COMB FOUSDATrONS. 



It works io a charm, we now have frames as straight as 

 a board, filled nicely with brood. There is no humbug 

 about it, and I consider it a great help even if it cost 

 much more. I sold two stocks in spring to M. Under- 

 wood, of Galva, 12 miles from here, and now he has 11. 

 One Isft for the woods and he has taken over 100 lbs. ex- 

 tracted honey. 



J. H. Cramee, Oneid.i, Ills., Au3. 10th, lS7f". 



