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ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



81 



l-16th on the other, you are going to 

 have a mess. If you are going to run 

 for extracted honey, however, I would 

 do as they do in the west, and space 

 the Hoffman frame 1% inch from 

 center to center. That is being used 

 very largely in the west, but the ma- 

 jority of bee-keepers in the country 

 are using 1% inches. 



I think this is an important discus- 

 sion. You know how thoroughly we 

 are entrenched in our ways. 



I remember that Dr. Miller advised 

 an 8 frame hive was better than a 

 10 frame hive, and we followed that 

 advice. Now we have changed over to 

 the 10, and some bee-keepers are talk- 

 ing 12. Mr. Holtermann says you could 

 not give him less than 12 frame hive. 



But if you have noticed in the cor- 

 respondence that I have had, and the 

 questions I have answered, I have said 

 to a great many bee-keepers in Texas: 

 "If I were going to run for extracted 

 honey, I should adopt the 10 frame. 

 Jumbo hive." 



I believe Mr. Dadant, if he were to 

 start anew with his hives, possibly 

 would adopt a hive with the top the 

 same size as the 10 frame Langstroth, 

 making it deeper and wider. 



I believe Dadants are the only peo- 

 ple in this country, and I think, per- 

 haps, in the world , who keep down 

 swarming. 



"We have got to remember that in the 

 production of extracted honey. 



Mr. Kildow — In my very earliest bee- 

 keeping, I adopted a hive in our neigh- 

 borhood — don't know what you call it; 

 it was closed in frame 1% inches wide; 

 the back end of the frame, I think, was 

 about 10 inches deep and slanted to the 

 front about 1% inch longer. 



About the time Gleanings came out 

 and advocated the 1% inch spacing, I 

 got it into my head there was too 

 much honey above the brood. The 

 brood would come up within 1% inch 

 or 2 inches, and swell out that honey. 

 I got it in my head that ought not to 

 be there to get a good section of 

 honey, so I cut my frames down to 

 1% inch from center to center. A 

 neighbor of mine north of me has his 

 frames 1% inches, and he has as much 

 swarming as any man living. 



Mr, Dadant— That is not the only 

 condition. 



President Baxter — There are seven 



different conditions, and all must be 

 used at the same time. 



Mr. Kildow — Whether I helped it in 

 cutting down to 1% inch I do not 

 know. I have very good success. 



Mr. Root — Confirming what Mr. Da- ^ 

 dant has said: ^ , ^ 



We had several colonies of Carno- 

 lians, and ran them for comb honey, ■'. 

 I could not do anything with them. 

 The ordinary rules to prevent swarm- \ 

 ing did not work in their case. I had 

 one colony swarm five or six times, and 

 our boys gave it up in disgust. I said i 

 I would never have Carnolians again. 



I am afraid Mr. Dadant is right in 

 what he has said, and if he is it is go- I: 

 ing to be up to some of us to go a lit- 

 tle farther. 



There are really eight conditions, - 

 Mr. Dadant, You said there were 

 seven conditions. 



Mr. Dadant — The room above and ■ 

 below I count as one. I want to call 

 your attention to one thing in this 

 system: I have not said any one of 

 those conditions would prevent swarm- 

 ing, but I say it tends to prevent 

 swarming. The proof of the pudding 

 is in the eating. 



In over 525 colonies, we only had • 

 about thirty swarms. 



Mr. Kildow — I would like to see you 

 run that for comb honey. 



Mr. Dadant — If you wish to prevent 

 swarming and follow these conditions, / 

 it will work out: Plenty of room, plenty 

 ot ventilation, plenty of shade, and ; 

 spacing, all have influence upon it. 

 The swarming impulse is next to im- 

 possible to overcome by any manipu- 

 lation when once the bees have ac- 

 quired it. It is very important to have 

 proper ventilation, because the bees 

 will not remain contented and fill the " 

 supers if the ventilation of the hive is ' 

 not adequate. Plenty of ventilation, 

 plenty of room. 



I agree with you, it is a difficult 

 question to settle when you have ■ 

 8 frame hives. But that is not my 

 funeral; I have told you what I have i 

 found out, I know what has been our 

 experience, from my own knowledge. 



If any of you get acquainted with ■ 

 Mr. Latham, you will recognize he is a 

 practical man. He is always expert- ^ 

 menting, so was my father. My father 

 tried 18 inch frame, regrular barn doors. 

 It was an experiment, to see whether 



