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ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



63 



a stand of that kind and manipulate 

 a hive that is on it. It is very simple 

 to make. (Illustrating:) It is shaped 

 something like that, and) the hive rests 

 across the two ends of it; I ihave it flat 

 on the bottom; it runs straight up on 

 that side and down this way, and at 

 this end it makes a lighting place for 

 th : 'bees. In hiving bees I shake them 

 on the ground and they walk up that 

 incline into the hive. 



Mr. Kluob — How i® it in the sum- 

 mer when the sun shines on it? 



Mr. Stone — ^It does not get very hot. 

 I let the hive project an inch all the 

 way. I have the front end about an . 

 inch lower than the other. 



Mr. Diebold — ^What is the cost of the 

 hive stand? 



Mr. Stone — Ten cents. 



Dr. Bohrer — I 'have used these: (il- 

 lustrating) : This represents the front 

 block; there is a slope from the top of 

 it down to the front; it makes a good 

 landing for the bees; the block for the 

 rear end I make about 5 inches square ; 

 you have to level them and then set 

 the hive on them. I mix the cement 

 1 to 5 — one of cement to five of sand. 

 Drive sticks around the mold' after you 

 have smoothed off the top, and in five 

 minutes time you can take the boards 

 away and the block is completed. 



That makes a very hard block; if 

 you want to move them you can carry 

 them wherever you w-aht. The bees 

 running down here (illustrating) in 

 front of it, if they are heavily loaded 

 they can crawl right up; the bottom- 

 board rests right there; it is flat on 

 top; I make them right on the ground. 

 I make it slant from the mouth of the 

 hive to the ground; the bees will run 

 right up; you see them tumbling end 

 over end in the grass, and they will 

 run right up that block andi into the 

 hive. If you are not careful to level 

 it your hive will not rest level. 



Mr. Stone — Tour foundation is in 

 two pieces? 



!Dr. Bohrer — It is in two pieces. The 

 first I made was something after the 

 plan Mr. iStone speaks of, in molds, 

 but toads would scratch under them; 

 there was one as big as my fist; it was 

 a fat fellow. He was sitting there; the 

 foundation was sloped and, as Mr. 

 Quimby says, "looking as indifferently 

 as could be." OE}very once in awhile 

 that tongue would come out — and a 



bee would go in. You can keep chick- 

 ens out, and everything of that kind, 

 where it is only 5 inches from the 

 ground. I remember that I had a cross 

 colony; the bees would come out and 

 go after me, andi I didn't know w-hat 

 caused the trouble, until I found there 

 was a hen under there, and it made the 

 bees mad. Another time I found a great 

 big snake, over five feet long. 



Mr. Stone — I have my foundations 

 about ten or eleven inches high, or 

 about twelve inches at the back end 

 so that the rain wlir not splatter the 

 dirt up and discolor the hives. 



Dr. Bohrer — ^Langstroth had legs on 

 his hive; the back legs two inches 

 longer than the front legs. 



Mr. Kluck — I have discarded alight- 

 ing boards in my apiary for probably 

 15 years; when the bees get used to 

 it they can go in just as well. I don't 

 believe bees require an alighting board. 



Mr. Coppin — ^I think it is very 

 necessary to have an alighting-board; 

 you watch the bees, if they have no 

 alighting-board, a great percentage of 

 them will drop on the ground before 

 they get home, and they are apt to 

 stay there, and) the rest make a sec- 

 ond flight to get home; the alighting- 

 boards I make out of shingles, gener- 

 ally; the bees drop on the board and 

 crawl in. 



Mr. Kluck— If you try half of the 

 apiary with, and the other half with- 

 out, you will see. 



Dr. Bohrer — ^About the percent of 

 cement — I use about two parts of ce- 

 ment to three of 'Sand. 



Pres. Bowen — Very strong, that is. 



Mr. 'Stone — I mix them about that 

 way, and put in about four parts of 

 crushed stone or gravel. 



"Dr. Bohrer — Localities sometimes 

 supply you with those things. 



Mr. Diebold — I would like to have 

 Mr. iPyles give us a little information 

 on hive-stands. 



Mr, Pyles — ^I have no information. I ' 

 think you can get just as good honey 

 with one kind of hive-bottom as with 

 another. One may not be quite as 

 easy as another to handle. I would 

 make use of any old board if 1 did not ' 

 have any particular kind of stand. I 

 try to get along with what I have 

 got. 



Convention adjourned until 9:00 a. 

 m. the next morning. 



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