1878. 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



91 



done, and myself for publishing it, but as 

 it would spoil your story to leave it out. 

 a'ld as we neither of us mean any harm by 

 it, (as the boy said of his dog when he bit 

 folks) I hope we are excusable. I think it 

 a grand idea, to make your minister a 

 present of a bee-hive. The hive we gave 

 our minister made so much honey that he 

 gave some to the rest of the clergy in our 

 town, and thus encouraged a union senti- 

 ment among them. It is true he did get 

 stung one day so as to be kept from meet- 

 ing, but I never mention that part of his 

 experience. 



STILL LATER, ON THE $25.00 OFFER. 



I am getting hives ready for another campaign. 

 As I saw an article in Gleanings, "How not to make 

 them" (chaff hives), I thought I would tell you how I 

 have mine made, thinking I might perhaps learn 

 how they ouglit to be done. The front and rear of 

 the hiveare double, with a three inch space between, 

 for chaff. The upper story is permanent, and of the 

 same width as the lower. The frames of both stories 

 are interchangeable, and all run from front to rear 

 of hive. The frames of the lower story hang on a 

 rabbet or groove in the side of the hive, one inch 

 wide, and '4 inch deep. The metal rabbet may be 

 used without making an objectionable projection. 

 The upper frames hang on a rabbet of the same 

 depth, and the hive is long enough to admit of chaff 

 cushions at the ends. 



The cushions may be moved back to make room to 

 turn the frames diagonally to take them out, and 

 when it is desirable to fill the lower story with 

 frames, a few may be removed by means of a vertic- 

 al groove in the sides of the upper story two inches 

 wide and 'i inch deep, near one or both the ends, and 

 opposite each other. 



The vacancy in the upper rabbet caused by the 

 groove, is filled by a piece of wood of the right size. 

 This may rest on the frames below or hang on the 

 rabbet above, and to keep the bees from fastening 

 this block it is covered by a piece of tin, cut in such 

 a way as to protect the exposed parts. 



If a hive can not be made two stories so as to have 

 the frames interchangeable, to be used to build up 

 other stocks or to prepare them for winter, &e., I do 

 not see that they are of any especial advantage, 

 when we can have our surplus honey stored in sec- 

 tion boxes, which are nicer to sell, as well as to keep. 



Milton, Pa. Wm. G. Follmer. 



The above comes nearest to solving the 

 problem of any yet recived, but I would not 

 want the vertical groove, nor the loose stick 

 covered with tin; it would always be getting 

 lost, if our boys had it, and they would push 

 the frames along and let them fall down that 

 groove. The citshions, perhnjif!, may be 

 made to answer. They must not be made to 

 lift out, for the bees would run over into 

 their places, and then how would you get 

 them out againV If there is a recess'back of 

 the cushion, a heavy colony would get over 

 into it, and you would waste time in getting 

 them out. If the cushion would shut up like 

 a pair of bellows — there! I will tell you; we 

 shall have to tack a piece of the enameled 

 cloth to the top of the chaff cushion, and then 

 to the side of the hive. This will allow the 

 division board to move back and forth, and 

 still prevent bees from ever getting back of 

 it. But how about the ends of this strip of 

 cloth? Candidly, I don't know. 



Since the above was written, I have given 

 it some thought, and fear that propolis will 

 spoil the working of all such machinery, in 

 si)ite of us. Enameled cloth is the most se- 

 cure from it, of anything I have seen. 



I have just been examinmg a double-story hive 

 with the frames all the same size and running the 

 same way, in both stories, with lower frames remov- 



able by taking but a part of the upper frames out. 

 It is accomplished by means of pins with a hollow 

 underside of the projection of the top bar, and no 

 rabbet in the hive. The top bar is lain, short at each 

 end, and the pins are =^ in diamater by IVi between 

 centres. The ends of the top bar are only '4 in. wide. 

 Mt. Zion, Ills. J. s. Hughes. 



Many such plans have been submitted. 

 One objection is that the frames are at fixed 

 distances from each other; when combs vary 

 in thickness, even slightly, it is a serious ob- 

 jection. The other is, that if one side of the 

 comb is heavier than the other, which is of- 

 ten the case, the comb will swing over against 

 its neighbor. Nails or staples at the bottom 

 have long been considered objectionable. 



I hav^e about 300 lbs. of honey in sections, for sale. 

 We can get but about 13e here. If you can tell me 

 where I can dispose of it to better advantage, you 

 will confer a favor. Most of our honev in this sec- 

 tion is unsold yet; it is principally fall honey. 



G. G. Large. 



Millersville, Ills. Feb. 33rd '78. 



We were so unfortunate as to lose one of our best 

 stocks during the heavy snow storm. Thev smother- 

 ed. They had sealed the cover tight, and the snow 

 melted, afterward freezing and closing them up air 

 tight. Such is bee-keeping! J. W. Barclay. 



South Oil City. Pa. Feb. 32nd '78. 



I do not believe such a thing could happen, 

 either to the Chatf or Simplicity hives, and 

 I am inclined to think you mistaken as to 

 the cause. I always feel safe about the bees, 

 when under a deep snow. 



I have two swarms of bees in my cellar. Last week 

 I transferred one, and yesterday the other, into mov- 

 able comb hives, one similar to the American. Both 

 swarms take to their new homes very contentedly. 

 Both had brood in all stages. The work was done in 

 a warm room. E. M. Baldwin. 



Saratoga Spings, N. Y. Feb. 12th IS78. 



DRONE LAYER AND FERTILE QUEEN, BOTH IN 

 ONE HIVE. 



As Mr. Vosbei-g and myself were once examining 

 his bees, we each found a queen on adjoining frames. 

 Upon looking closely we discovered the brood had a 

 strange appearance; there were a few cells of work- 

 er brood with sealed and unsealed drone brood scat- 

 tered throug-h each comb, and drones and young 

 workers hatching, all from worker cells, such funny 

 little drones! One queen was large and the other 

 quite small; of course one was a drone layer. Both 

 were in the hive long enough to hatch brood. There 

 was but little honey. Now, Mr. Novice, if bees man- 

 age their own business s.i well, why did they leave 

 the drone brood and dnini' laving queen unmolested? 

 Why did not the queens battlei' 



One word in regard to e.xtracttd honey. Why are 

 you looking for a method to keep it from eandj-lng? 

 Why, take some w;u-m biscuit and candied honey; 

 "nuff eed." 1 don't want anything better. Educate 

 the people to eat candied honey and see what will 

 become of gi-ape sugar. J. J. Swartwout. 



Union Citj% Mich., Feb. 6th, 1878. 



The small queen was the mother of the 

 otlier, and the drone layer. She had passed 

 her useful days, and was tolerated, as they 

 usually are, mother and daughter, together. 

 I presume they depended on the queen to 

 furnish the brood, and as she laid the eggs 

 in worker cells, they thought they must be 

 all right. 



I like candied honey with my hot biscuit, 

 too, but unfortiniately, but few others do. 

 After a jar of honey has become candied 

 solid, it is always rather slovv sale. I also 

 like grape sugar, on hot biscuit, and I am 



