“ NOVICE’S ” GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 
47 
can we afford to waste so much time, for 
in extracting 50 two story hives wc should 
he obliged to do this 1000 times. With 
frames made of l width top bars we can 
give each comb wherever it may come, all 
the room needed, and the average thick- 
ness of the ten combs being such that we 
never find any trouble in giving each one 
the proper amount of room, or in remov- 
ing any one we wish “in a twinkling,” 
even without stopping operations in comb 
building, brood rearing or ovipositing. 
The same remarks will apply equally to 
closed end frames, yet almost every be- 
ginner in apiculture "goes strong” on the 
idea that frames should be kept at fixed 
and equal distances ; a very nice theory, 
like many other things, but wo believe 
generally quite inconvenient when put in 
practice. 
'•a — Do you leave all the frames except the 
one in which you put the piece of comb, 
empty, or is it bettor to put in with it, other 
frames oontaininjt brood. See., from tho old 
hive? Please answer if not too much trou- 
ble, for I am a boginner. 
James W. SEWALL, Old Town, Maine. 
A frame of sealed brood just next the 
comb containing the eggs from the im- 
ported or choice queen, would be an ex- 
cellent idea if one could be found in tho 
old hive positively without eggs or larvae, 
or any brood confli might be put in after 
'I 'teen veils were scaled from the choice 
eggs. But be sure you make no mistake 
or you might blame the sender t>f the 
eggs when he was not in fault. 
76.— Tell tho boys and girls to carry two or 
Ibree i pine burn to throw at flying swarms, it 
will hrinff them every time, for pino burrs 
look like a bunch of bees. 
\v. Stuakt, Natchez, Miss. 
AN ITEM. 
S ’F a swarm of bees is hived in a “sinr- 
i plicilty” or other movable comb hive, 
will they he as likely to build combs 
across the frames as parallel to and in 
them ? What plan do you adopt to make 
them work by the "square rule?” We 
need more light on tiie question, “How 
shall wo get the bees to build straight 
combs in frames?” Light your candle, 
friend Novice, and place it on a "simplic- 
ity" hive. Jos. Sintox, Ithaca, N. Y. 
A pious old deacon who was fond of 
fish once told his hoys “never, under any 
circumstances, to go fishing on the Sab- 
bath ; hut if they did to always briny 
home the fish.” 
Now we say don’t have natural swarms, 
but if you do, always give them some 
comb for a pattern, and insist on having 
each comb built between two good ones, 
or one and the side of the hive. This is 
no more trouble than to teed your pony 
daily, yet you never omit that. We know 
of no nicer fun than to watch and direct 
the growth of new eombs. Again, never 
put a new swarm into an empty “simplici- 
ty” hive, but if you do, fix the quilt close, 
ly over the top of the frames and raise 
the back end a little; we believe the bees 
■seldom fail under such conditions to build 
their combs along tho thin comb guide. 
Wt; clip the following from the Rural 
New Yorker : 
Bees by Mail.— T he shippers of bees 
by mail are complaining because some of 
them pay only paper postage on their 
shipments while others are compelled by 
post-masters to pay letter postage. They 
demand an uniform interpretation of the 
law. Then the post-masters are com- 
plaining because bees are shipped by 
mail, and evidently think they should be 
excluded. They are shipped in this 
wise: 'ihe cage is a block of wood, in 
which are three large holes, covered with 
a fine wire netting. Seven bees, includ- 
ing a queen bee, are placed in each com- 
partment, and are introduced through a 
hole in the side of the block, which is 
plugged up by a piece of sponge soaked 
in honey. The post-masters and clerks 
allege that the honey soaks through tho 
paper placed over the holes and daubs 
other mail matter, and besides, as one 
post-master complained, the clerks in his 
office did not get through examing and 
studying the contrivance until the bees 
stung every one of them, and in showing 
them how it w as made, and how to handle 
it without injury, they stung him too I 
Now it may be that all queen rearers 
use a block in which arc bored three holes 
and that they put in seven bees, but we 
really cannot think they have been so 
careless, shiftless, or slovenly is the prop- 
er term perhaps, as to put in honey in 
such a shape as to soil the other mail 
matter or allow a possibility of the bees 
getting out. If the wire cloth was pried 
off by the clerks of course they could not 
blame the bees nor the sender ; but as wc 
read the postal laws a queen and a dozen 
bees can be sent for two cents as well as 
other merchandise, and it any kind of 
care is used in shipping, there can be 
nothing about them to endanger the 
mails or employees of the department. 
Mr. J. W. Winder of Cincinnati, makes a 
queen cage that we think might answer 
excellently for mailing, if he will add a 
secure cap to confine the bees and also to 
aid in preventing it from being crushed. 
Mr. Quinby sent us a queen a few days 
ago with no other food than a hard lump 
of loaf sugar and some water in a sponge; 
they seemed in excellent condition and 
we think the plan worthy of imitation. 
So many prefer i instead of J inch space 
between the frame and tho hive, that we 
have reduced the length of the arms to 
our metal corners J of an inch, and all 
made after May 20th, will have arms i in- 
stead of i as heretofore. The change is 
so slight that no inconvenience need re- 
sult thereby. 
