THE APIARY,

Otago Witness, Issue 3500, 12 April 1921, Page 7

THE APIARY,

By

J. A.

In an article in February Gleanings Mr Morley Pettit quotes a prominent scientist in America, when asked what real advantage a frame deeper than the Langstroth might have, as saying: “Well, you know most Langstroth combs have to 2in of stretched cells below the top bar which the queen will not use, and they have at least iin more wood in the top bar than they need, and iin space above the bottom bar, which itself is thicker than it needs to be.” Mr Pettit would rather economise space for the queen in our Langstroth frame than alter its dimensions by making it deeper. The first point which he makes —that of the stretched cells which the queen will not use —is a telling one in his case, because he uses, as he says, “the brood chamber for brood,” supplying for honey stores a halfsuper on top of the brood nest. As ordinarily used, these stretched cells contain mainly stores, and for this purpose the stretching does not matter, but there are times during the honey season when the queen wall lay right up to the top bar, and we think it is worth a lot of trouble to so wire the frames that this sagging will be prevented. Dr Miller did this by using wood splints, but probably a better way would be to Brace the ordinary longitudinal wiring by putting in one or two horizontal wires. It seems to us worth a lot of trouble to prevent that stretching and curling of the foundation and getting perfectly-drawn combs. Another way in which this can be done is to use the foundation, arid have it built out only in the supers, and thus get it drawn without the heavy weight of the bees that it has to carry if built out, say, by a swarm in an ordinary brood nest. With regard to that deep top bar we have before called attention to this. There is iin of loss here in an absolutely useless way. The Jin top bar was adopted in America to present bur-combs, but then only iin bee space w'as allowed between them. The top bar was used wider as well as deeper, and for that purpose and made in that way it was considered a success. As used in this country it gives more than a bee space between the top bars, and instead of doing away with bur-combs it ‘ actually increases them. We use only fin top bars. These do not sag, and are strong enough for any purpose, aud they also save to the comb the extra iin of comb. With regard to the loss of space by combs not being built clear down to the bottom bar, most beekeepers will have noticed that when foundation is built out in the brood-nest the bees leave a bee space above the bottom bar, so that there is a bee space both above and below the bottom bar of the frame. This is really another reason why foundation should be built out in the super, as then it will always be built clear down to the bottom bar. The position, then, is that by cutting out iin m the depth of our top bars and getting that bee space of iin above the bottom bar built out, we are going to add iin to every comb, and that, in a brood-nest of 10 combs, means 2iin of comb. If by careful wiring we can save the stretch and curl, then we are going to make quite an appreciable difference to the bred room in every colony. —The Next Conference.—There are seme slight indications that another conference is on the way. Editor Baines is out after papers. It is to be held at Auckland on June 8,9, 10. We commend to President Watson the following clipping from Bill Mollvir, in Gleanings : —The Talkfest.—Our State Convention was a go : we beemen lined up in a row and paid our dues with greatest cheer for membership another year. We came from near, wo came from far. Such things as distance cannot bar real bee-cranks when they want to meet and have a talkfest—what a treat ! Now, some were great and some were small. Some had 10 hives, some none at all. Some knew a little, others none; a few had knowledge by the ton. Old Jimmy Jones, from Rocky Dells, was there full size and wearing bells. Old Jimmy is a little raw, but he can ply his useful jaw. He talked all day, he talked all night. If others talked they had to fight, for Jimmy always had the floor, and belched forth wisdom with a roar. Now, Jimmy caught a swarm last year, thus starting on a great career; and now, great whiskers! he can talk, so one can hear him for a block. This trip has cost me many beans, which i dug up from my old jeans; I paid out rubies by the score, and all to hear old Jimmy roar 1 Bill Jinks sat back within the crowd and never chirped or peeped out loud. Eight hundred colonics has Bill, and yet he sat there calm and still. Now, William, is a lively otie, producing honey by the ton and he could give us dope so grand if onlyjimmy could be canned. As I'm returning to my home, I'm like a hear with festered dome. T paid out cart wheels by the flock, but didn't get to hear Bill talk. Oh. wise and noble president, if you wore wortfi just one red cent, you'd choke off Jimmy on the dot and make him can his tommyrot!