1S7T 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CUETUHE. 



39 



»$'rKAi(;ii'r coivibs, etc. 



i^-.E are asked to jiivc an article on securing 

 combs built true in irauies. To have all our 

 combs built true in tlie frames so tliat each 

 comb is as straight as a board is certainly somi^thing 

 wortli working lor to tliose who ever handle their 

 Iramcs, and we here make the assertion and care not 

 who sajs to the contrary, that by u judicious hand- 

 ling of the frames in eacli hive one-third more honey 

 can be obtained tlian by letting them alone, a la Hel- 

 tlon. We use a wax guide secured by means oi a 

 straight edge as given on page 12, Vol. II, as a start- 

 ing point toward straight comb Ijiit can not depend 

 entirely ui)on it nor any otlier guiiie we ever saw, for 

 bees are sometimes verj' obstinate and will build 

 crooked combs if they do not go direct across tlie 

 frames. Conscnuently it pays any apiarian to look at 

 each stock hived on empty Iraraes while building 

 comb, as often as once in 3 days. If any co-ubs are 

 found going wrong they can be bent back in line very 

 easily and after a hive is once tilled they are good for 

 a long time, as we never saw one we would discard 

 on account of age. 



SW AKMS, HOW TO HIVK THEM. 



As the readers of Gleanings are aware wc prefer 

 natural swarms to artificial, we will give our manage- 

 ment of anew swarm. As all our queens' wings are 

 clipped we hive them by letting them return, previ- 

 ously moving the old stock to a new location and set- 

 ting tlie new hive containing the full number (9) of 

 frames in its place. In two days we open said hive 

 and usuall3' find the bees have made a start in n 

 frames. 



DIVISION BOAKDS, UTILITY OF. 



These 5 frames we place together at one side of the 

 hive and a division board is placed next. This throws 

 the full force of bees on these frames and they will 

 soon fill them with straight worker comb, as a gener- 

 al rule. If you get these 5 built straight you will have 

 no trouble in getting the rest so, as they can build 

 them no other waj- if placed between two of those 

 already built. If every comb is a straight comb and 

 all worker, such a swarm will be a profitable one or a 



"LUCKY SWARM" 



as it used to be termed. If you get the hive in the 

 right lorm and attend to the building of the comb tlie 

 first season, you will have all profitable swarms. No 

 apiarian, if he has no more than 3 or 4 stocks should 

 consider a swarm in proper working order until each 

 conjb is a straight worker comb. There is no need of 

 having hives hall full of drone comb and so crooked 

 that they can not be handed. Do things at the right 

 time and in a proper manner and your bees will more 

 than pay you for all the time si)ent on them. 



We want it understood tliat we do not claim that 

 the hive we use is the best, by any means, but the 

 method of getting comb built is correct. Suppose a 

 large swarm comes out when basswood is in bloom 

 and you hive them without payin;; any farther atten- 

 tion to them ; they will buiUl cotnb very rapidly, fill- 

 ing their hive in 8 or 10 days as we have known them 

 to do, and their combs will be (luile apt t-) be crooked 

 and at least one-third drone or store comb whicli is 

 500<1 for nothing for raising workers the next season, 

 and Is'an actual damage, as the drones will consume 

 a great part of what the workers gather. Such 

 swarms will be unprofitable ones either for raising 

 bees or for storing honey just so long as you keep the 

 comb in that condition. Again, by tl.e use of the di- 

 vision boards we keep all stocks strong a3 far they go 

 in the spring, and a stock that can keep two combs 

 full of brood and covered v.iih bees is a perfect swarm 



to all inients and jjui poses. Such a stock will store 

 just as much box honey according to their numbers aw 

 a larger one ami will send double the number ol bees 

 into the Held tliat they would if scattered over 5 or fi 

 combs. Tills economizing all the animal heat is not 

 mere theory but can be proved in '24 hours at any time 

 in May or June. Taki; one o; these small swarms at 

 night, remove the division board and move the t«0 

 frames bees and all into the center of tlie liive, and 

 the following day nearly all tlie bees will 6ta> at home 

 to kee)) up the necessary temperature. Place them 

 back at night as before, a<lju8t the division board and 

 the next day they are ready to go to work again, and 

 you will find the (pieen can and will deposit eggs 

 whenever there is empty comb. When these two 

 combs become crowded with bees we always put an 

 empty comb or an empty frame for them to fill, be- 

 tween them. By so doing when the hive is full every 

 comb is occupied with brood and all the eggs instead 

 of being laid on the outside of the cluster are where 

 they should be, in the cluster. 



If any person expects to realize a large income 

 from his bees and never look after their condition 

 (simply hive them and put on boxes) he will find him- 

 self greatly mistaken. How many that read this 

 know the exact condition of their bees at all times V 

 If you do not my friend you are not caring for them 

 as well as you would for your cow or horse, neither 

 c,an you expect any more profit from them than you 

 would from a cow or horse if you never looked after 

 it. liee-keeping only pays when our pets are i)roper- 

 ly cared for, and if anyone can not spend the amount 

 of time on them they require he had better keep out 

 of the business for sooner or later he will turn away 

 from it in disgust. G. M. Doolittlk. 



Borodino, N. Y., Jan. 2d, 1870. 



The above is our idea exactlj', and the best 

 and handiest division boards we ever used, are 

 the cliaff cushions. Friend D. omitted to say 

 what he did with the clipped (lueeii durinjr 

 swarming; our plan has been to ca<re her and 

 leave her near the entrance until the bees 

 come back, then let her go in with the rest. 



INCREASE EXTBlAORl>I>fA55Y; SWAR:»I- 



I1V«, INATlIltAf. AIVI* AK'I'IFJCIAI., 



WHICH IS LEAST TROUBLE; 



SQUARE HONEY TUMBEEatS. 



^J NOTICE ill the Oct. No. of Gleanings that friend 

 HI Jeremy Lake of North Easton, Mass. wonders if any 

 — ' one can name a case in the north when first swarm 

 sent out a second one. I gave 52-00 for a small svvarm 

 (not more than a quart) some time in June, and put theni 

 in a hive with but about half a frame full of empty comb. . 

 They sent out 5 good sized natural swarms before the last 

 of July and gave over .'50 lbs. of surplus hoi^ey, besides 

 furnishing combs of brood for several young swarms. 

 They are all in fine condiition. Have just bargained 3 of 

 them for a fresh milch cow. "How high ish dat ?'' Our 

 bees all appear in good shape so far. Geo. B. Peters say.v 

 in Nov. No. page 2t!H that he can hive a half dozen natur- 

 al swarms while he is making one artificial one. That 

 being the case he must have a slow bungling way of mak- 

 ing artificial ones. How I'd enjoy a race with him ! 



I too would like to know where the square jell.v or hon- 

 ey tumbler with slide cover can be bought. They are 

 very nice. 



How any one can dislike your metal corners is a mys- 

 tery to me. Let your Sharpville correspondent state his 

 objection. Having a great many honey boxes to make f3r 

 myself and others I would as'i you nhaut what you 

 would charge rae ])er hundred for li^lit frtii. suitable for 



