BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
The Bingham, Corneil, Crane, and others, are all good. The cut-off blast lengthens the life of a smoker, but shortens its blast. The continuous blast, as in the Clark, allows one to send the smoke with more force, but, as already mentioned, shortens the life of the smoker, because the bellows become foul with smoke. The Crane has the advantage of the full strength of blast without the weakening of the cut-off, and works in perfection for a long time. Still, in the course of time, the metal valve becomes dirty, and it must be cleaned. Fortunately the part containing the valve can be taken off, allowing all to be made just as clean as when new. It takes quite a bit of time to do this, but it is time well spent, and one cleaning a year, even with heavy use, is sufficient. Those who do not care for so strong a blast will prefer a bingham, Corneil, or other smoker with a cut-off, never needing to be cleaned, while those who like the strong blast will be willing to spend the time occasionally cleaning the Crane. The latest Root smokers are the favorite of all.
Using a smoker all day long is a hard thing on the muscles that work the bellows, and the stiffer the spring of the bellows the more tiresome the work. But unless the spring be quite stiff, the smoker will drop out of the hand when the grasp is relaxed so as to allow the bellows to open. I think it was W. L. Coggshall who suggested little cleats on the smoker, and these cleats have given great satisfaction. They are merely strips of wood one-fourth inch by one-eighth, extending across the upper end of each bellows-board and half way down the sides (Fig. 80). The sharp edges of the cleats cling to the fingers, allowing the spring to be--I don't know just how much weaker, but I should guess only half as strong as without the cleats. Most of the latest smokers are now made so that no cleats are needed.
## smoker-fuel.
It is a matter of much importance to have plenty of the right fuel and lighting material. Time is precious during the busy season, and it is trying on the temper to have to spend much time getting a smoker started, or relighting it when it has gone out. There are a great many different things that can be used for fuel, and it is largely a matter of convenience as to what is best for each one. Pine needles, rotten wood, sound wood, excelsior rammed down hard, planer shavings, greasy cotton-waste thrown away along the railroad, peat, rags, corn-cobs, old bags--in fact almost anything that will burn may be used in a smoker. Whatever is used, however, there should be a good stock of it on hand thoroughly dry, with no chance for the rain to reach it.
## Chapter 7 Fifty years among the bees
And yet there are times when something green is better. When a continuous and strong smoke is wanted, after a hot fire has been started in the smoker, it is a good thing to fill the smoker with green sticks from a growing tree. The hot fire and the continuous blowing makes it burn freely, and the smoke from green wood is sharper than that from dry.
But it is only on special occasions that it is desirable to have green wood, and it should at all other times be not only dry but very dry. Nothing is better as a standard fuel than sound hard wood saved into proper lengths and split up into pieces about a quarter of an inch thick. The only objection is that such wood is rather expensive, for it takes a great deal of time to prepare it. Much the same thing without the cost of preparation may be had at any woodpile where hard wood has been chopped--I mean the chips to be found there--and that has been the favorite smoker-fuel "in this locality" for some time. When the weather is dry, the chips may be picked up in the chip-yard and filled directly into the smoker, but a stock is always kept on hand well covered up, ready to use immediately after the heaviest shower of rain.
## 8. smoker-kindling
When live coals are at hand in the cook-stove, nothing is handier than to put a few of them in the smoker to start the fire. These are not always at hand. I have used for kindling carpenter's shavings, kerosene, rotten wood of some hard wood, especially apple, that kind of rotten wood that is somewhat spongy and will be sure to burn if the least spark touches it--all these have given more or less satisfaction, but nothing quite so much as saltpeter-rays. Like the right kind of rotten wood, the least spark will light a salt-peter rag so that it will be sure to go, but it is not so slow in its action as the rotten wood, and makes a much greater heat, so that chips ofsound hard wood will be at once started into a secure fire.
## Saltpeter-rags
To prepare the saltpeter-rags a crock is kept constantly standing, containing a solution of saltpeter.
The strength of the solution is not a matter of great nicety. A quarter or half a bound of saltpeter may be used to a gallon of water, and if it evaporates so that the solution becomes stronger, water may be added. A cotton rag dipped in this solution will be ready for use as soon as dried. As a matter of convenience, quite a lot of rags are prepared at a time. They are wrung out of the solu
Figure 33: Ready for Clipping.
tion and spread out to dry in the sun, and when thoroughly dry are put in the tool-basket, which always contains a supply. When taken out of the crock, the rags may be wrung quite dry, thus containing not so much saltpeter, or they may be wrung out just enough so the liquid will not run off on the ground and waste, in which condition they will be strongly dosed with saltpeter.
A plentiful supply of dry smoker-fuel, with a corresponding stock of saltpeter-rags, is a great saving of the "disposition."
## 7.2. Bounding bees off combs.
Mention was made of getting bees off combs. Sometimes shaking is used altogether, sometimes brushing, and sometimes both. The weight of the comb has something to do with the manner of shaking. The most of the shaking--in fact all of the shaking, unless the combs be very heavy or the bees be shaken on the ground--is done as shown in Fig. 26. Perhaps it might better be called pounding bees off the comb. The comb is held by the corner with one hand, while the other hand pounds sharply on the hand that holds the comb. By this manner of pounding I can get almost every bee off a comb with a few strokes, unless the comb be too heavy.
With a very heavy comb, G. M. Doolittle's plan is better, and is the one used. Let the ends of the top-bar be supported by the first two fingers of each hand, the thumbs some distance above. Keeping the thumb and fingers well apart, let the frame drop, and as it drops strike it hard with the balls of the thumbs, then catch it with the fingers, raise it and repeat the operation. The bees are jarred both up and down, and don't know which way to brace themselves to hold on, so a very few shakes will get most of them off.
and not trimmed at all at the ends. One of these is always in the tool-basket.
Of course no shaking or bounding of combs is admissible if queen-cells are on the combs that are considered of any value.
## 6 Tool-basket.
The tool-basket spoken of is simply a common splint basket (Fig. 29). At different times I have had different arrangements for carrying the things most generally needed, at least two different tool-boxes having been made for that special purpose with separate compartments for the various articles. But the basket is lighter, and although things get a little mixed up in it, it seems to have the preference at present. At one time I tried to keep an outfit at each apiary--smoker, hive-tools, etc.--so that there should be no need to carry anything from one apiary to another, but one gets used to tools and prefers to use the same ones day after day, so the basket is used.
## 7 Contents of tool-basket.
Of course, the number of objects carried in a basket must be somewhat limited. The bulkiest part is the apron, sleeves and gloves of my assistant. The record-book must always be present. Then there will be smokers, hive-tools, hammer, cages, matches (although matches are always kept covered with the fuel in each apiary), saltpeter-rags, nails, and any other light objects that may happen to be needed at any particular time. Of course there will be heavier articles, not convenient to carry from one apiary to another, and each apiary must have its own, as a hive with a closed entrance and a robber-cloth, ready to contain at any time frames of brood or honey safe from robbers. Generally, however, there will be no need to be so careful against robbers, and the one or two frames lifted out of a hive will be leaned up against it, taking pains to stand any frame, where the hot rays of the sun may not strike too directly upon it, and to stand it up straight enough so it will not sag with its own weight.
With one frame out of the hive there will be room enough for the rest to be moved about in the hive, and returned to it as soon as examined.
Sometimes when it is desired to set a frame back in the hive very quickly, or when a queen has been caught and is held in the fingers, so that the frame must be handled by one hand, it is convenient to set the frame in the hive resting diagonally, as shown in Fig. 36. The frame is lowered till one end of the top-bar rests upon one rabbet, and then the bottom-bar is allowed to rest upon the other rabbet.
Perhaps oftener, however, I use both hands to handle a frame, even while holding a queen in one hand. While searching for the queen the frame is held in both hands,
Figure 24: Cliphering the Queen.
and as soon as she is seen the end of the frame held by the right hand is rested upon the hive, the right hand catches the queen, and she is then allowed to run upon the leg of my trousers, upon the thigh (it is an exceedingly rare thing that a laying queen will offer to fly), and then I catch her in the hollow of my right hand, holding her in the hollow formed by the three fingers, while with the thumb and forefinger I am free to handle the frame at leisure.
## 5.2. Bees balling queen.
When a colony is being overhauled, it sometimes happens that the queen is found balled. This balling is likely more because the colony, being frightened, is seeking to protect the queen than because of any hostility to her. Fig. 30 shows a queen thus balled, or rather the balling bees are shown, the queen being hidden by them. The ball is small, whereas a ball of bees bent on the destruction of a strange queen is likely to be as large as a hickory-nut, or larger.
Whether the object of the bees be to protect the queen or not, anything that tends to excite them sufficiently may lead them to do violence to the queen. So when I find the queen thus balled, I always close the hive immediately, not generally touching it again till the next day, when everything will be found all right.
After the overhauling of a colony is completed, a record thereof must be made. If May 10, 1902, should be the date of the visit, and if I should clip the queen at that visit, I would make the entry, "May 10 cl q (01)," which means that I clipped the queen May 10, and that she was a queen reared in 1901. If, later in the season, I should clip a queen reared that same season, the entry would be, "cl q (02)," meaning that the queen was reared in 1902. In either case the year of the birth of the old
In handling the combs, if any are found with drone-comb or with holes in them, and if we are not too crowded for time, the defects are remedied. Very likely I may turn over these combs to my assistant, who mends them before they are returned to the hive. The usual plan is to mend them in this way:
She takes a common tea-knife with a thin, narrow, sharp blade, cuts out the piece of drone-comb if the hole is not already made, lays the frame over a piece of worker-comb, (this piece of worker-comb may be the part or whole of some old or objectionable comb), with the point of the knife marks out the exact size and shape of the hole, removes the frame, cuts out the piece and crowds it into the hole.
Or, the following plan may be used, especially if the frame is wired: After the hole is made. (the mice have probably made the holes in the wired frames), the cells on one side are cut away to the base for a distance of \(\mathcal{L}\)s to \(\mathcal{L}\)i inch from the hole, and a piece of foundation cut to the right size is placed over the hole and the edge pressed down upon the base that surrounds the hole. The foundation must not be too cold. Before fall these patches cannot be detected, unless by the lighter color where the foundation has been used.
## Hives and frames.
Now that the apiary is all in running order, you may want to take a look at it. You "don't think it looks remarkably neat?" Neither do I. If I had only a dozen colonies and were keeping them for the pleasure of it, I should have their hives painted, perhaps ornamented with scroll work, but please remember that I am keeping them for profit, and I cannot afford anything for looks. I suppose they would last longer if painted, but hardly enough longer to pay for the paint. Besides, in the many changes constantly taking place, how do I know that I may not want to throw these aside and adopt a new hive?
Another reason for not painting hives is that I am afraid bees do not do quite so well in painted as in unpainted hives, especially in winter.
Except the full-sized cleat already mentioned on each end, my hives are the regular dovetailed. But the frames are Miller frames.
## loose-hanging frames.
For a good many years handling frames was much slower work than it is today, because for a good many years I had loose-hanging frames. In moving the frames from one side of the hive toward the other, each frame had to be moved separately. It would not do to show two or more at a time, because in so doing bees would be mashed between the frames. Then when the frames were returned to place each one had to be carefully adjusted, judging by the eye when it was at the right distance from its neighbor. This was slow work, and when done with the utmost care it was only approximately exact. There was no dummy to lift out to make extra room; and the frames had to be crowded together so as to make room to get a first frame out. That disarranged the spacing of several of the frames, even if there were no other occasion for disarranging them.
## self-spacing frames.
Then there came a time of struggling for some self-spacing arrangement, closed-end, partly-closed-end, and what not. I tried a good many different kinds. Closed-ends were probably warmer for wintering, and were certainly self-spacing, but it took time to avoid killing bees, and the trouble with propolisis was no small matter. Half closed-ends were the same in kind, only different in degree.
Of these last the Hoffman is probably the most popular, and I put in use enough to fill a few hives, and some of them are still in use. When new they work very nicely, but as propolis accumulates the difficulty of handling increases, and the frames become more and more crowded, until it is almost impossible to get out the dummy, the easier thing being to try out with a good deal of force the first frame, either with or without the dummy. Indeed, the difficulty of getting out the frames is so great, that the sight of a set of Hoffman frames when the cover is removed always produces something like a shudder.
Although I could not have anything in the line of closed-ends, I wanted the advantage of the self-spacing, and not finding anything on the market to suit me I was, in a manner, compelled to adopt something of my own "get-up," and so for several years I have used with much satisfaction the Miller frame (Fig. 95).
## Miller frame.
The frame is of course of the regular Langstroth size, 17% x 9%. Top-bar, bottom-bar, and end-bars are uniform in width, 1% inches throughout their whole dimensions. The top-bar is 7% inch thick, with the usual saw-kerr to receive the foundation, and close beside this is another kerf to receive the wedge that fastens in the foundation. The length of the top-bar is 18% inches, and 7% x 9-16 is rabbed out of each end to receive the end-bar. The end-bar is 8 9-16x1%x3%. The bottom-bar consists of two pieces, each 11% x 1% x 1%. This allows % inch between the two parts to receive the foundation, making the bottom-bar 1% inches wide when nailed.
In Fig. 95 the frame is upside down, one-half of the bottom-bar nailed on, the other half above, while below is seen the long strip that serves as a wedge to fasten in the foundation.
Some of my latest frames, however, have the bottom-bar in one piece, 1% inches wide, and I'm not sure but I prefer them. The only object in having the bottom-bar in two pieces is the convenience of an exact fit of the foundation without the trouble of cutting it carefully to the right size. With the bottom-bar all in one piece, the foundation fitting down close upon it, and melted wax run along the joint, the bees may be less inclined to gnaw a passage under the foundation than with the double bottom-bar without the melted wax.
## Spacing-nails
The side-spacing, which holds the frame at the proper distance from its next neighbor, is accomplished by means of common wire-nails. These nails are 1\(\%\) inches long and rather heavy, about \(3\)-\(32\) inch in thickness, with a head less than one-fourth inch across. By means of a wooden gauge which allows them to be driven only to a fixed depth, they are driven in to such a depth that the head remains projecting out a fourth of an inch.
Each frame has four spacing-nails. A nail is driven into each end of the top-bar on opposite'sides, the nail
Figure 26: Pounding Becs Off Comb.
being about an inch and a half from the extreme end of the top-bar, and a fourth of an inch from its upper surface. About two and a fourth inches from the bottom of the frame a nail is driven into each end-bar, these nails being also on opposite sides. Hold the frame up before you in its natural position, each hand holding one end of the top-bar, and the two nails at the right end will be on the side from you, while the two nails at the left end will be on the side nearest to you.
The object of having the nails so heavy is so that they may not be driven farther into the wood when the frames are crowded hard together. Once in a great while the wood is split by having so heavy a nail driven, and if such a nail could be obtained it would be better to have a lighter nail with a head a fourth of an inch thick, so that it could be driven automatically to place without the need of a gauge, and without the possibility of being driven farther in by any amount of crowding.
I have never tried the metal spacers now used on what are still called Hoffman frames, but it seems to me they must be an immense improvement over the original Hoffman frames, such as I had. I think, however, I should still prefer such a nail as I have mentioned, because there is less opposing surface, and so less chance for propolis. Such nails are in use in Europe.
Objection has been made to metal spacers because they are in the way of the uncapping knife. But why should I, who do not use an uncapping knife, be denied the frame that is best for my use, because, forsooth, it doesn't suit an uncapper? Yet I must say I am very skeptical as to the objections to metal spacers on even extracting frames. The spacers are only at one end of the frame at each side, and if the knife starts at the spacer-end it does not seem necessary to dull it on the spacers. I have tried it enough to form something of an opinion, and I have been told by those who ought to know that the objection is a thing largely of imagination.
The end-spacing is done by means of the usual frame staple, about three-eighths of an inch wide. The staple is driven into the end-bar, immediately under the lug of the top-bar. This lug being only half an inch long, there is room for a bee to pass between the end of the lug and the upper edge of the hive-end, so no propolis is deposited there. I like this feature as much as some dislike it. They complain that with so short a top-bar the frames drop down in the hive--a nuisance not to be tolerated. I do not have that trouble, although the hold of the top-bar on the tin support is so slight that if the work were not exact I can easily imagine the frames dropping down. Possibly those who complain do not have very exact work. I am not sure but I would put up with a little dropping down of frames, rather than to have the ends of the top-bars glued.
It will be seen that while the frames are automatically spaced very firmly, the points of contact are so small that the frames are always easily movable. Those points of contact are the thin metal edges upon which the top-bars rest, the two end-staples, and the four nail-heads. The same spacing is in use in other frames, only staples are used for side-spacing instead of nails. The staples do not seem quite so substantial, and there is more danger, when the frames are crowded hard together, that the staples may be driven in deeper, or that the head of the staple may dig into the adjoining wood.
The top-bar and end-bar being 1% wide, and the spacing of the nails 1% inch, the frames are spaced just 1% from center to center. It is just possible that a little wider spacing than 1% might be better, but 1% is the general fashion, and so far as possible I like to adopt standard goods. I may be asked, then, why I should use a frame not regularly made by manufacturers. Possibly prejudice has a little to do in the case, but I think the Miller frame enough better than anything I can find listed, that I prefer to be out of fashion so long as I can find nothing listed that is quite close to what I want.
using standard coos.
In general I think it is best to adopt standard goods. They can be more cheaply made, and it is more convenient to get them.
It cost me no small sum to change my frames so little as to make them only \(\%\) of an inch less in length and an eighth of an inch more in depth. but I made the change, and made it solely because my frames were not of standard size. Years ago I changed from four-piece to one-piece sections solely because I wanted to be in fashion, although I think I prefer the one-piece now.
working for improvement.
At the same time it is one's privilege--perhaps one's duty--to make some effort toward improvement, if one can only keep from thinking that a thing is necessarily an improvement because it is different from what has been. The things and plans gotten up by me that were different from others would make a pretty long list. Unfortunately, a full trial has in most cases convinced me that my supposed improvements were no improvements at all, and so they were cast aside. \(\Lambda\) few, however, have stood the test; the Miller feeder and the Miller introducing cage having become standard articles on the price-lists, while bottom-starters, the robber-cloth, bottom-board, and some other things have had from my brother bee-keepers a reception of which I have no reason to complain. While the tendency towards something different needs to be kept in bounds it would be a sad thing if no changes had been made, and we were set back just where we were a quarter or a half century ago.
## getting combs built down to bottom-bars.